‘Mare of Easttown’: Kate Winslet ‘Worried’ About Julianne Nicholson During That Heartbreaking Scene With Mare, Lori, and Ryan
Mare of Easttown fans have answers. The final installment of the Kate Winslet-led miniseries aired on May 30, 2021, and viewers finally know who killed Erin McMenamin (Cailee Spaeny). Reflecting on the finale, Winslet confessed she couldn’t help but worry about her co-star and on-screen bestie, Julianne Nicholson, during that heartbreaking scene with Mare Sheehan (Winslet), Lori Ross (Nicholson), and Lori’s son, Ryan Ross (Cameron Mann).
[Spoilers for Mare of Easttown, Episode 7, “Sacrament” below]
Kate Winslet ‘worried’ about Julianne Nicholson ahead of the Ryan-Lori-Mare scene because she knew ‘how painful’ it would be to film
According to Variety, during a live Instagram Q&A on June 1, 2021, Winslet admitted her personal connection to Nicholson — Nicholson’s husband, actor Jonathan Cake (The Affair), is godfather to Winslet’s son Joe — made her worry about her co-star. Particularly during the scene in “Sacrament” when Mare came to Lori’s house aware that her best friend’s son was now a prime suspect for murder. Mare walked through the front door to find Lori holding a tearful Ryan while law enforcement waited outside.
“I felt instinctively worried about her because I knew how painful that scene with her and Ryan inside of the house was for her and was going to be,” Winslet said.
Even now, months after filming Mare of Easttown in Pennsylvania wrapped, Nicholson gets emotional just talking about the scene. While discussing it during a guest appearance on Vanity Fair’s Still Watching podcast she came close to tears.
“The most heartbreaking one for me was when Ryan runs home from school and says, ‘She knows.’” Nicholson said. “I’m going to get upset. I have a son that age. They still have a foot in childhood and a foot in leaving the nest and all of that. I mean, it’s great as an actor to have all those things there to draw upon, but it’s also like, ‘Oh no.’”
Will ‘Mare of Easttown’ Season 2 happen?
Mare of Easttown ended with Mare going back to the attic and Lori raising the son John (Joe Tippett) had with Erin as her own. Due to the overwhelming response the HBO miniseries has received — Stephen King shared his own theory on the whodunnit, Saturday Night Live spoofed the show, and HBO Max crashed during the finale — many fans are wondering whether Mare of Easttown Season 2 will happen.
Winslet is up for reprising her lead role. When asked by TVLine about the possibility of a second season, she replied with: “I would absolutely love to play Mare again. I miss her. I really do. It’s the strangest thing. I feel like I’m in mourning. It was an absolutely wonderful role … There’s something very addictive about Mare, because she’s so outrageous and lovable and brilliant and real, you know? I loved playing her.”
As for Mare of Easttown director and executive producer, Craig Zobel, he’s not so sure about seeing more from the residents of Easttown. Mare “is an amazing character, so I would be excited to see” more. However, “I also like it as a miniseries,” he added.
Watch the crime drama, not a thriller in Winslet’s opinion, on HBO Max.
