‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’: Luke Kirby Said Lenny Bruce’s Death Has ‘Always Been in the Back of My Mind’
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel shows Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) pursuing a career in comedy. Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby) acts as her mentor at times. Kirby talked about how Bruce’s death affects his work and more.
Lenny Bruce’s troubles get worse in ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Season 4
The Amazon show started with Midge running into Lenny Bruce in jail. He has the habit of getting arrested for what he says on stage. Midge also had the same problem at the beginning of her career.
It didn’t take long to notice Midge and Lenny have chemistry. The comedian’s experience also puts him in a position to be Midge’s adviser at times instead of just a friend.
Midge is a fictional character, while Lenny was a real comedian who died in 1966 of a morphine overdose in his home. He was married to Honey Bruce from 1951 to 1957, and they had a daughter named Kitty.
Season 4 showed Midge taking Lenny into her home after finding him on the street intoxicated. She later finds his secret stash, which worries her.
Luke Kirby said Lenny Bruce’s death is always on his mind
The one thing about including Lenny Bruce as a character in the show is that it’ll eventually have to address his death. Kirby talked about this with Entertainment Weekly.
“We know some facts about him,” he said. “Clearly, Lenny Bruce was a little bothered by a few things, and met a sad and early end. That’s always been in the back of my mind in playing him.”
In season 4, his sad end gets foreshadowed. “We felt duty-bound to address that a little more explicitly, which you’ll see a bit of this year,” Kirby said. “The fairy godmother that he’s always presented as, is beginning to come down to earth a little bit more, and gravity has a way of pulling you in. He’s a little more earthbound. We’re digging into the muck of his life that we know about in a historical way, a little bit.”
Will Lenny Bruce die in season 5?
Season 4 ended with Lenny performing at Carnegie Hall. This performance really happened in 1961. This means The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel still has six years before his death.
The Amazon show will be back for a fifth and final season. The time period in the new season hasn’t been revealed, but since season 4 picked up moments after season 3’s finale so it’s likely season 5 won’t have a major time jump.
This could mean Lenny Bruce will be alive but struggling next season. However, the show does take liberties with history, so fans will have to wait to find out.
