‘I LOVED WORKING WITH MY GIRL’
IT BECAME A FAMILY AFFAIR ON THE SET OF THIS DRAMA SERIES
She may have appeared in iconic films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Groundhog Day, but Andie Macdowell’s latest TV role in Netflix drama Maid
has one thing those gigs didn’t – the chance to work opposite daughter Margaret Qualley.
“The fact that she wanted to work with me, was the most pleasing experience as a mother, that she actually thinks I’m good,” Andie tells New Idea.
Based on real events, Maid follows the story of Alex, played by Margaret, who hits hard times after fleeing an abusive relationship, and takes work as a cleaner as she starts rebuilding her life.
In a supporting role, Andie plays Alex’s mum Paula, who suffers from an undiagnosed bipolar disorder, which leads to some erratic behaviour.
When it comes to Paula’s often unpredictable conduct, Andie admits she’s drawn from witnessing the condition up close. She has revealed in the past her mother battled mental illness and alcoholism throughout her childhood.
“I understand that disease really well, because I’ve had some deep first-hand experiences with it,” she reveals. “The god complex – that’s all bipolar, it’s manic depressive and the rage. And you see my character a lot in a manic state.”
However, rather than staying in character, once the cameras stopped rolling, Andie had no trouble turning Paula off. “I would cook for [Margaret] and I’d make her really healthy soup. She was always on the verge of getting sick because her hours were so horrible,” she explains.
“That was nice, because I got to really mother a little bit. All my kids [she also has son Justin, 36, and daughter Rainey, 32] have gone, and you miss it once they’re gone.”
The whole experience of making Maid has been one she’ll treasure.
“I loved the deep personal scenes with my daughter. I brought different emotions from personal experiences, mothering too, even though it wasn’t me. Yeah, so much fun,” she says wistfully. “I doubt I’ll ever have that much fun again.”