‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’: Rachel Brosnahan Had ‘Immediate and Very Strange’ Chemistry With This Cast Member
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Rachel Brosnahan, who portrays the eponymous character of the Amazon series, plays such a vibrant, confident Midge, it seems like she could have sparks with anyone. However, she named one cast member in particular with whom she had “immediate and very strange chemistry.”
‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ star Rachel Brosnahan says she and another fellow cast member had ‘immediate’ and ‘strange chemistry’
In an interview with Gold Derby, Brosnahan was asked about her co-star on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Alex Borstein. Borstein plays Midge’s manager, Susie Myerson. As the interviewer noted, their comedic timing together is pure gold; had they ever acted together in a previous project? Brosnahan replied, “no.”
“We had a chemistry read early on in the process,” she explained. It was then that Brosnahan picked up on something special between her and Borstein:
I think I had already been cast and Alex and I read once together and we had this immediate and very strange chemistry that I think works so well for Susie and Midge. We are so different but love each other very, very much.
Much of the Mrs. Maisel characters’ wonderful on-set vibe stems from the 2 actors’ friendship.
“I have so much respect for Alex as a person, as an actor, as a mother,” Brosnahan gushed to Gold Derby. “I’m so in awe of the way that she moves through the world and it makes absolutely no sense and yet it works completely on and off-camera.”
In terms of the incredible comedy Brosnahan and Borstein create together on the Amazon series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel lead says it’s inherent to Borstein.
“Comedy is just in her bones,” Brosnahan said. “She can make something that wouldn’t be funny to anyone else on paper so funny that the whole crew is trying to stifle laughter while she’s shooting it. She’s a monstrosity of a talent.”
Why actor Alex Borstein was hesitant to join the Amazon series before season 1
As Borstein told the Los Angeles Times in an Aug. 2020 conversation, she had heard about the show’s co-creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino’s plans for Mrs. Maisel even before it was pitched around.
“… we’ve been friends a long time,” the actor shared. (Borstein was originally cast as Sookie St. James on Sherman-Palladino’s Gilmore Girls, before Melissa McCarthy picked up the role.)
When Sherman-Palladinio asked Borstein to try out for the The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel character Susie Myerson, the actor had just made the choice to move to Barcelona. So, she was hesitant to take on the New-York-based TV role.
“I was hoping to hate it,” she admitted. “Then [Sherman-Palladino] sent it to me and I loved it.”
What does Borstein enjoy so much about playing the brassy, no-nonsense comedy manager, Susie?
“One thing I like about her is she’s like this fleshy, new-formed baby,” she told the LA Times. “… I like that she’s never had the luxury of having a relationship or even exploring it. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s never even had her first kiss.” However, back to that chemistry that Brosnahan spoke of — the fictional Susie is also seeing the sparks between her and Midge.
“She’s absolutely in love with Midge to some degree,” Borstein revealed. “… she falls in love with minds.”
