Having waited almost two years, fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel can finally celebrate the return of the Emmy-award winning show. With the fourth season premiering today on Prime Video, more good news is on the way, as the beloved comedy has just been renewed for a fifth and final season. We recently chatted with S/ cover alum Rachel Brosnahan, as well as Alex Borstein, on how it feels to finally share this next chapter in the series, silver linings fans can look forward to, and why their characters remain such a dynamic duo.
Very nice to chatting with you both! Rachel, you were our cover star two winters ago!
Rachel Brosnahan: “That long ago? Oh my goodness!”
Such a long time ago. How does it feel to finally share season 4 with the world?
RB: “It’s been off the air for a while, you know, and we have been in our houses away from each other for such a long time. Feels amazing to finally be able to talk about it.”
Alex Borstein: “I feel like the best comparison is that you have the perfect Christmas gift for somebody in February. You buy it, hang onto it, and you’re kinda going nuts that you have to wait so long to share it — I’m happy to open the closet and give this goddamn gift already.”
Last season ended with a cliff-hanger, and Midge and Susie’s future seemed uncertain. Are there any silver linings this season?
RB: “It’s a great season. It follows Midge and Susie at the centre, but also all of these characters figuring out how to think bigger about their lives. They’re really digging in and carving out their own paths. We have Midge and Susie trying to pick themselves back up after the end of last season. We have Rose and her matchmaking business, Abe at The Village Voice, and Joel at The Button Club. This season is about everyone not apologizing for how big their ambition is. And it’s a lot of shenanigans along the way that viewers can look forward to.”
AB: “I think for Susie, her and Midge being left on the tarmac at the end of season three was a really good lesson. Like ‘if this breaks, I have nothing. All I have is this…I got one horse in my stable” and it really makes Susie realize she needs to open up and diversify, which she does. This season is about Susie trying to build her roster and not just be Midge’s manager, but a manager.”
Rachel, you kind of jumped ahead to one of my questions. Midge’s parents and her ex-husband are taking on these new ventures and, you know, putting themselves out there as she has with her comedy. Do you think Midge’s fearlessness has rubbed off on them even if they aren’t able to credit her for it?
RB: “Definitely. There’s a brief moment where Rose kind of acknowledges this in a very funny way. She goes, ‘You know, you made me poor and brave.’ I think Rose is acknowledging that Midge blew up her life, and while there were challenging consequences to it, there was also a lot of great, new opportunities that she’s had as a result. I definitely think it’s rubbed off on everyone else. They’re starting to see there’s more beyond the limited scope of their lives.”
What do you think is the secret to Midge and Susie’s long-lasting partnership and friendship is?
AB: “I think the secret is probably respect. I think Susie has undying respect for this woman, for what she can do, her talent, and what she’s capable of. In that way, it gives her a free pass on many occasions. She puts up with a lot, things she would never deal with, I think, from anyone else on the street. But, she realizes Midge is an artist first. You’re gonna have a lot of complicated moments working with an artist. I would say respect is probably the number one. And trust, I don’t think Susie has ever trusted anyone like she’s trusts Midge. She’s very guarded and afraid to do that. So, I think trust and respect are the two magic ingredients.”
RB: “I totally agree. That’s something that can’t be broken between the two of them. For Midge, Susie saw something in her that she couldn’t even see in herself, and I think she knows that no matter how much they butt heads or duke it out along the way, that Susie can get her where she wants to be. She believes in her like nobody else does and that garners a lot of trust.”
AB: “I think it’s like a love story. In this case, it’s a work relationship, where you see things in that person no one else does. Sometimes, when you ultimately break up and a relationship ends, you look at that person and you’re like, ‘How was I ever attracted to you?’ — you can’t see it anymore. I think they’re definitely in love with each other as people.”
RB: “They complement each other. They make a complete puzzle together. And they’re both complicated but I think they both see things in each other that they don’t necessarily see in themselves.”
What keeps you inspired about your respective roles and one another, as well in this whole process?
AB: “I’m just always in awe of Rachel’s ability to wear corsets and heels for 18-hour days, frankly. And then masks, hats off to you! I don’t know how you can be funny in a corset, frankly, I really don’t. And the characters too, I love that they’re just never gonna quit, I’m so impressed with them. I also understand them. It’s like when you’re in the middle of it you have no idea how big the pool is. You’re just swimming to get to the edge and pull yourself out. You have no perspective when you’re in the centre so you just keep swimming.”
RB: “Yeah, I mean we both love these women and get frustrated with them too, which keeps us on our toes and wanting to keep growing with them. As far as Alex goes, she is one of the sharpest, smartest people I have ever known and that makes her equally terrifying. She’s also the very best companion in this entire process. It’s been really cool to get to grow with these characters and spend so much time together over the last four years. As a person who spent the first ten years of my career being told I wasn’t funny, this show never gets less terrifying and that is one of the greatest gifts an actor can possibly ask for. It’s petrifying. All the time. And that’s a dream.”
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel premieres today on Prime Video.