So many people have said that to me, that what they really like about Alex is what she brings out in Marissa, and what this situation brings out in her, a hint of happiness and another side to her character.

Wilde is reflecting on audience response to a character dynamic: viewers aren’t only drawn to “Alex” as an individual, but to the way Alex functions as a catalyst for “Marissa.” The remark suggests that character appeal can be relational—measured by what a relationship reveals, softens, or complicates in someone otherwise defined by darker or more limited traits. The “hint of happiness” implies a narrative of emotional thawing: a situation or person briefly opens a window onto a fuller self, expanding the character beyond her established persona. Implicitly, Wilde is also describing acting and writing as collaborative revelation—how pairing characters can unlock new registers of behavior and make an audience reassess who someone is.