Despite the difficulties with ex-husband Joel (Michael Zegen), for example, the two have one another’s backs—which shows just how far they’ve come since Season 1, when Joel’s infidelity prompted the upheaval of her charmed life (and led to her career in comedy). While Joel was seen as the bad guy in Season 1, he’s made his mark as a multi-layered ex, father, son and entrepreneur. “That’s really why I love playing Joel,” Zegen exclusively tells Parade.com. “You see that he’s not just the antagonist; he’s a good guy at heart, and he’s a good dad. He just made a mistake and what I love about him is that he’s human.” And then there’s her famous comic friend Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby), a role model for the type of career she hopes to carve out. Bruce tries to warn Midge about the many pitfalls of her chosen profession, but she still hungers for the spotlight and the immense satisfaction of following her dreams, regardless of the roadblocks along the way. Keep reading to find out what Zegen and Kirby have to say about their characters’ love for Midge, how Joel and Lenny are evolving and why they adore The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Both Lenny and Joel are protective of Midge but in different ways. Can you talk about your approach to that?
Zegen: For me, Midge is his ex-wife, he still cares about her, and he still has a great love for her. She’s the mother of his children so obviously he’s going to be protective of her. And probably jealous of any other guy who could possibly take his place. Kirby: Lenny has a very different relationship with Midge. It’s rooted in their work, it’s rooted in their profession, the stardust that surrounds show business. So, his protectiveness comes out of he’s a little more road-weary than she is and so kind of is there to give her a few pointers for what she’s endeavoring towards. I don’t even know if he knows who Joel is.
What do you think fans will find most exciting about Season 4?
Zegen: I think this is the funniest season so far, just judging from the scripts [and] from actually acting out the scenes, there were so many times when we collectively as a group we were just cracking up. There were [also] a lot of scenes this year with the dual families, with the Maisels and the Weissmans coming together. For me, those are always my favorites, because I love working with everybody. We have some real comedians on set, I mean like legit real comedians, which just makes everything so much more fun. Because they are long days, really long days. So, if you can just bring a little levity to the situation, it just makes it all the better.
And Luke, what is your take on this?
Kirby: I think that in the ongoing exercise of trying to play a real-life character in a kind of fictional realm, we’re having a dance with who this Lenny Bruce guy is. Where he’s been this kind of fairy godmother presence to Midge, where he sort of shows up at times where she needs a little helping hand. But we also kind of feel duty-bound because Lenny is a historical figure and a lot of us know about his own life, we’re sort of addressing that in ways, too, and kind of setting some of the magic and diving in a little closer to find the cracks. That’s kind of exciting for me. Then just the greatness that is the show.
Michael, people used to stop you on the street and yell at you for how you initially treated Midge, but now Joel seems to have become more of a mensch.
Zegen: I think the first time we met Joel was not a great representation of who he is or has become. In the first episode, he cheats on his wife and I can understand why there was some hostility towards him, and me by proxy. But, I don’t think people really knew who he was at first. They just saw this kind of sleazebag guy who leaves his perfect wife. I guess it’s a testament to the writing of Amy Sherman Palladino and DanPalladino because they had bigger plans for him than just that one-note kind of antagonist. To be honest, you mentioned how he’s evolved and I feel like he’s still evolving and I’m still learning new things about him. I guess that’s the beauty of television, that you can keep kind of just adding to his character.
What’s it like being a show that your family, friends, and fans say leaves them breathless?
Zegen: It’s amazing. It’s everything you could want as an actor from a job. I’ve certainly worked on shows that had more of a cult kind of classic feeling. It feels nice to be recognized in a way that’s not necessarily “I love your show, I watch it religiously.” Just getting that kind of feedback makes everything we do worthwhile. Kirby: I’d echo that. It feels great. It feels doubly blessed that we got to do it in New York. Michael and I have both lived here for a long time. It feels extra special that it happened here. It made it impossible for me to wear a trench coat in public. Luckily, I can still wear one in private. [He joked].
What’s it like to be in the ‘60s? The clothes, the shoes, and those amazing period cars.
Zegen: The cars were the first thing I noticed when we were shooting the pilot. I saw a line-up of the cars outside one night while we were shooting and that was the first thing that I took into account where I was like this is going to be like a big show. I mean, in terms of expenses. I was like, they’re spending some money on this show. Because I had no idea. Kirby: Yes, it’s incredibly immersive. Normally when you’re doing something period oftentimes, you’ll know it’s the set because it’s everything from a period in the corner. And then you’ll look around and you can see modernity everywhere. But really on Maisel a lot of times you walk on set and it’s 360. You sort of look around and you go, hey, there it is and then you look over there, and then you even look up to the ceilings and it’s everywhere. It makes it so fun to kind of show up and it makes the bridge that we’re asked to cross to play this make-believe, it’s a very short bridge to get into it.
Do we need a show like this that is pretty, funny, and happy more now because of COVID-19 and other strife?
Zegen: I don’t think there would ever be a bad time for this show. I get that people are looking for something to kind of take their worries away, but I think that’s 365 days a year. I think people are going to love it no matter what is going on in the world. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel seasons 1-3 are available on Prime Video, as are the first four episodes of Season 4. Episodes 5 and 6 will drop on Friday, March 4 with the final two episodes of Season 4 arriving on Friday, March 11. Next, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Michael Zegen Says: “I Love Rachel and I Love Midge–I Knew From the First Moment This Was Something Special!”
