Rachel Brosnahan chats about her comedy The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
Emmy winner Rachel Brosnahan on how playing an aspiring 1950s comic has changed her life…
Rachel Brosnahan admits she was worried when she was cast in the first series of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, the Amazon Prime Video comedy about a 1950s New York housewife aspiring to become a stand-up comedian after separating from her husband.
The 27-year-old American star had plenty of TV experience, including a stint as call girl Rachel Posner in House of Cards, but she had never done comedy before – and certainly not stand-up.
‘I was so terrified doing my audition that I think I blacked out for the whole process, and I haven’t stopped being terrified!’ she laughs. ‘But I was searching for something that felt scary to me, and the comedy world was totally uncharted territory.’
To research her role as Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel, Rachel immersed herself in the work of female comedians, including
Joan Rivers and Phyllis Diller, and attended open-mic nights to see beginners in action. ‘It was fun to dive in,’ she says. ‘Midge is based on a lot of female comics from that time, but also, she’s inspired, for me, by different women I have known and loved, including my grandmother, who was bold and brilliant and dressed fabulously.’
All her research paid off handsomely when the first series won eight Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series and an Outstanding Comedy Actress award for Rachel, who also picked up a Golden Globe for her performance.
In the first season, the motherof-two turned to stand-up after her husband Joel (Michael Zegen) left her for his secretary. After getting drunk in a comedy club and doing an impromptu routine based on her unhappy marriage, Midge set out on an unlikely career, along with novice manager Susie (Alex Borstein).
As the show returns for a second series, Zachary Levi (Chuck) joins the cast as a Manhattan doctor, while Midge is trying to balance life as a mother and a stand-up as she gets booked at bigger venues.
‘Heading into season two, she’s got a new level of confidence,’ says Rachel. ‘She feels like she’s arrived at her comic voice and she’s excited. But there is a ripple effect, and this season explores how her family and friends are affected by this change in her life.’
Rachel, who was born in Milwaukee to an English mother, says she shares some similarities with Mrs Maisel.
‘I think we are both ambitious, we are both resilient, and we both see the glass half full,’ she reveals.
‘But I’m not as confident as Midge, particularly when it comes to work. Midge enters into this whole new field that she has no experience in at all, and genuinely believes in her heart of hearts that she can take it by storm.
She never doubts it for a single second. That’s not me.’
For Rachel, wearing Midge’s glamorous 1950s dresses, gloves and hats is a vital ingredient in helping her get into character.
‘I don’t feel complete until I have my wig on, lipstick and the corset,’ she smiles. ‘The costumes really do look like they came out of a fashion magazine. It feels like time travelling. Every time I put on a new outfit I’m having a blast.’
I was terrified in my audition and I haven’t stopped being terrified!