The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel became an instant phenomenon on Amazon Prime. Now it’s nominated for multiple Emmys including for star Rachel Brosnahan who plays Midge Maisel, a ‘50s housewife who becomes a standup comic.
The show made its first appearance at the Television Critics Association press tour to promote its second season, which filmed a bit in Paris, France. After the panel, Brosnahan stayed to speak with journalists.
Here’s a little preview of season two, premiering this fall on Amazon, and a look back at the first season’s phenomenon.
How does Midge take to Paris?
Rachel Brosnahan: “Well, I can’t say much about Paris. I can’t really say anything about Paris other than that Midge has extraordinary clothes and that she doesn’t get to spend nearly enough time there.”
What was it like for you to be there?
Rachel Brosnahan: “It was incredible. We started the season there. We shot parts of our first two episodes there and I had never spent very much time in Paris myself. I ate a lot of baguettes. I drank a lot of espresso and I look forward to going back.”
What did you love about that midcentury French wardrobe?
Rachel Brosnahan: “Everything. I can’t say anything.”
Has this experience felt very different than doing House of Cards and Manhattan?
Rachel Brosnahan: “Very different. I’m not dying. I’m not crying very much. It’s night and day, and as an actor that’s every dream I could have possibly imagined.”
Are friends and family trying to get you to do jokes?
Rachel Brosnahan: “No, the friends and family do not want to see me do [a routine]. But I actually have a lot of friends in the standup world. Two of my friends are standups. I had the privilege of watching one of my best friends go from doing basement comedy clubs, nasty little rooms, ringer shows. Now she works for The Tonight Show. So, I had the privilege of watching her from the very beginning and seeing this enormous success through a ton of her own hard work and never knew as it was happening how useful it would be to this job and this role. She’s been a huge mentor for me. Jasmine Pierce is her name.”
What was the morning of the Emmy nominations like for you?
Rachel Brosnahan: “Well, we were on set shooting a very, very complicated scene with about 100 background that involved a dance number. That’s all I’ll say. And so we were very preoccupied. We were shooting, shooting, shooting and suddenly someone pulled us aside and told us. We were thrilled for about 2.5 seconds and then just had to run back in and finish shooting.”
Have you absorbed what this nomination really means?
Rachel Brosnahan: “I still truthfully don’t think I’ve absorbed it. We haven’t had very much time off, but we’re so thrilled. I’m the most excited that so many different departments of the show have been recognized, because I’ve been privileged to work on so many shows that are collaborations but this may be the most collaborative project I’ve ever been a part of. This show is nothing without our hair, makeup, wardrobe, sound, VFX, writing, directing, production design. We are nothing without any of those things, so I am so thrilled that the entire team has been recognized this way.”
What do you feel makes Midge relevant in 2018 and how do you relate to her?
Rachel Brosnahan: “I think Midge is finding a voice that she didn’t know she had. I think that’s something that everybody can relate to and aspire to in some way. We all hope that we get the opportunity to reinvent ourselves as we grow older, to take new paths and try new things. Midge is someone who lived in a bubble. She’s experiencing things anew for the first time. I think that’s both inspiring and hopefully probably a little bit frustrating for audiences as well. She’s a little bit naive.”
Do you think Midge and Joel are good parents?
Rachel Brosnahan: “They love their children, but truthfully I think Midge is a great example of somebody who wanted to have children. She definitely wanted them. She felt that it was the only thing she could aspire to and I don’t think that she was aware of that until her world opened up. She says in episode three, something that I think about a lot, she has a line, ‘Maybe some women aren’t supposed to be mothers.’ I think that’s a fear that she has deep down now that she knows that there were other paths. There maybe were other options for her, and I think it will always be a struggle for her and for them and dads at the time were not hands on.”
Do you know a good brisket recipe?
Rachel Brosnahan: “I learned one. It involves beer.”
