Two-time Emmy winner Alex Borstein is having a transformative year. Not only is “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” coming to an end after a five-season run on Amazon’s Prime Video, but she’s also released her most personal project to date, the musical comedy special “Corsets and Clown Suits,” which is also streaming on the platform.
In this episode of the Awards Circuit podcast, Borstein reflects on her experience playing Susie Myerson, the no-nonsense manager of the titular stand-up comic (Rachel Brosnahan), and the way her characterization evolved over time, especially this season when her personal life and sexuality are more fully explored. Listen below!
“I kind of can’t believe I’ve been a part of it,” Borstein says. “We launched in such a perfect moment, in a way. The world was turning their heads and wanted to look at women in a different way. … It’s really a chapter in feminism and I feel pretty proud to have been a part of it and that wasn’t the agenda.”
Her favorite line comes from the “Maisel” pilot, in a scene where Susie tries to convince Midge to go onstage and do her set.
“I don’t mind being alone. I just do not want be insignificant,” the character says. “That is just how I think everyone in this world feels. It’s not, ‘I want to be a star,’ ‘I want to be successful,’ ‘I want money.’ You just want to feel significant. You want to feel like when you are gone, you have left something worthwhile behind.”
Asked if she feels significant, Borstein says that the trick is that you have to be “crawling toward significance” every day. If you believe you’re significant before you’re in your 60s or 70s, “maybe you’re an asshole,” Borstein says and laughs.
“If you leave behind a legacy of treating people well and caring for someone around you, that’s probably the most significant you’re going to be,” she adds. “But, you know, having a billboard with your face on it, that’s pretty fun to do.” (And at the moment, she has two.)
Also on this episode, the Variety Awards Circuit Roundtable checks in on all the awards show postponements and cancellations, including the Daytime Emmys and Peabody Awards, and get the skinny straight from Cannes.
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, produced by Michael Schneider, is your one-stop listen for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each week “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives; discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines; and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts. New episodes post weekly.