The new season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel will take Midge and Joel’s careers in directions their mothers, Rose Weissman and Shirley Maisel, could never have predicted. When brought to life by Marin Hinkle and Caroline Aaron, the two characters have an incredible authenticity that has reminded millions of viewers of their own parents or relatives. In an interview with PopCulture.com, the two stars spilled the secrets behind their performances and teased Season 4.
As Aaron put it, creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and executive producer Daniel Palladino start “from the truth” when they’re writing Rose and Shirley. “Authenticity is deeply important to [Sherman-Palladino] and Dan, and they spend so much time thinking about these characters, who they are,” Aaron said, later adding that Rose, Shirley, and other characters in the show are inspired by people who are “walking in the world with us.” This is why the cast is often bombarded with fans telling them how much their characters remind them of their parents, their aunts, or their teachers.
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“You know that they exist in the world,” the 21 Jump Street star explained. “And I think [the Palladinos] are channeling something. They’re so brilliant because they keep coming up with it. You go, ‘Okay. Once, twice. One season, two seasons.’ But they keep outdoing themselves.”
One other secret that explains the show’s success is the attention to detail on the set. In Season 4, the Weissmans move back into the apartment first seen in Season 1. Hinkle “missed” the set so much and was “very jubilant and excited” about revisiting it.
While Abe (Tony Shalhoub) has warmed up to the idea of Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) working as a stand-up comedian, Rose is still a little wary about the idea. “I think as she moves out into a place that she never imagined she could be, that I think my hope is that she will also understand that in her daughter, too,” Hinkle said of her character. “I think it’s hard. It seems hard.”
Rose is still struggling with Midge “selling” the “very saucy, brilliant” personality her daughter developed, Hinkle said. “I think Rose will move towards a place of more acceptance, but she has to still continue to grapple with some of her own demons on that one,” the former Two and a Half Men star suggested. “So a little bit slower than maybe she should take on that one.”
Shirley also has to live with Joel’s (Michael Zegen) decision to open a nightclub instead of working for his father Moishe’s (Kevin Pollak) garment business. At the time show is set though, there was more “wiggle room” for boys, Aaron pointed out. “You have to remember, not only do the Weissmans have to accept Midge working, being single but there are no other female comedians,” Aaron said. “They don’t have anything to refer to. Who else does this besides their daughter? So they don’t even have the comfort of going, ‘Well, this woman did it, and she’s okay.’ It was just so unusual.”
Mrs. Maisel fans will finally get to see how Midge and Joel’s parents handle their decisions when Season 4 debuts on Prime Video Friday, Feb. 18. Two episodes will be released each Friday during the season.
