Exclusive Covert Affairs Preview: Kari Matchett to Go Outside, Kick Butt

"I get to kick some ass!"

Those were Covert Affairs star Kari Matchett's exact words when discussing an upcoming episode where her character, DPD Director Joan Campbell, finally gets to venture outside the walls of the CIA to handle a clandestine operation of her own.

"The beginning of this episode is today," Matchett said during my visit to the set. "I felt like I had almost forgotten how to act outdoors when we first started shooting because I've been at the DPD for so long. It's really exciting."

Aside from getting to flex her muscles - figuratively and literally - outside the CIA walls, Matchett is especially thrilled that fans will finally get to see just how good Joan was as a field agent, and why she deserves the position she's in now.

"Joan is always in the position of power. She's the one that people ask, and she's, you know, at the top of the hierarchy and suddenly she's outside of her realm in this world where she's not at the top, and so we get to see a whole other side of Joan. It's so much fun."

Matchett embraces the opportunity to play a powerful woman in the corporate world, but at the same time loves that she can do it with a feminine flair.

"I think that's one of the wonderful things about this character, that she doesn't feel like she has to become a man in order to be a powerful woman," she said. "She's not adhering to the world of Wall Street or whatever world that deemed it necessary to wear a three-piece suit or a suit at all. She's fully ok with stepping into her femininity and her power inside that."

As for the relationship between Joan and Arthur, and the new sets being built within their home (including a living and dining room), Matchett said their life beyond the CIA will become a focus.

"I think they are interested in getting them out of the office CIA world. I think they want us to keep revealing their personal life and what happens with them internally, emotionally, rather than just strictly at work. A home setting will help create that."

Moving forward, Matchett hopes to find more opportunities for Joan to get out into the field and explore the conflict she has between being out there doing what Annie is doing... and being forced to stay inside the bureaucratic halls of the CIA.

"The writer, Zak [Schwartz] touched on, in this episode that I'm shooting now, a bit of conflict in Joan. I think there's a part of her heart that wants to be in the field still and yet she's in the office, for reasons that haven't been stated.

"I have my own ideas, so I think that to see her continue to go out into the field from time to time is an essential part of where the future lies for her. It's a great way to see different parts of her, and it's really fun to play."

Covert Affairs airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on USA.

Jeffrey Kirkpatrick is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow him on Twitter.