• The fifth and final season of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel airs through May 26 on Amazon Prime Video.
  • The final nine installments of Amy Sherman Palladino's series tell the story of how Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) and Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein) ended up breaking into the American entertainment industry.
  • Alex Borstein takes stock of five seasons spent as the incisive Susie Myerson, the agent of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel.

A success story on screen and in the city! Tiptoed into 2017 on Amazon Prime Video, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, series by Amy Sherman Palladino (Gilmore Girls), has since won tons of awards and the hearts of the public. The beginning of this sparkling comedy tells the story of how Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan), a Jewish mother cheated on by her husband, embarked on stand-up in the late 1950s with the help of her agent, debutante Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein). The fifth and final season, airing every Friday until May 26 on Jeff Bezos' platform, lifts the veil - thanks to ingenious leaps into the future - on how these two corrosive women ended up breaking through and becoming heavyweights in the American entertainment industry. The results of five seasons of burst dialogue, scathing humor and colorful and twirling staging with Alex Borstein, as affable in life as his character is acrimonious on screen, whom 20 Minutes met at Canne Series, where the team of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel bid farewell to the audience on a memorable closing night.

Are you happy with the ending reserved for your character, Susie Myerson?

Amy is a wonderful writer, I love what she found for last. Is this what I thought or wanted? No, but it is in a way that satisfies me. I was really surprised that I could still be surprised by my own character. Susie will eventually open up, at the beginning of the series, she was really airtight. In this season, she's really going to let Midge into her life...

Episode 6 of this new season is dedicated to your character, did it touch you?

That raised a lot of questions. How do you play the fact that your body changes as you get older and evolve? And when you climb the ladder of success, everything changes in itself too... I think Susie can finally relax and rest. It was an honor to have a dedicated episode and it was really great to see how much Amy had thought about Susie Myerson and her trajectory.

In the end, how would you define the relationship between Midge and Susie?

In season 5, it's a roller coaster. There are ups and downs. It's like a marriage, really, it's a love story, they fight like lovers and reconcile like lovers. I think they are ultimately each the greatest love of the other's life.

How would you describe the tone of this final season?

There is a lot of brusqueries, but also heart. It's sentimental without being tearful. I think you can't help but feel a lot of things... It's a season where everything moves a lot, that's how Amy creates series, and she created this last season.

What was the atmosphere like during the last days of shooting?

Amy is very clever, she did the end scenes in which we were all gathered during the last four days of shooting, so that everyone was together on set. It was really hard. I had a lump in my throat all the time. I started crying during rehearsals. There were many tears and emotion. While the journey of our characters reached its peak, on the set, our friendship too, we were like a family. It's a bit like when one of your children gets married, you know you're going to have them in your life, but you also know that you're not going to be under the same roof anymore. It was very moving!

When you received the script for the pilot, did you feel that the series would be so successful?

When you read a script, you know if it's good or not. Sometimes, even if the project isn't perfect, you know there's something really interesting out there. I knew I couldn't turn down the role of Susie. I had just moved to Barcelona, but I couldn't say "no" to Susie. I knew the script was good, of great quality... But, this does not always mean that it will find an audience, as it is a question of timing and chemistry. We won the golden ticket with the public. Amy is such a brilliant director. Our cinematographer, David Mullen, too... The production, the actors, the technical crew, the costume designers... The whole team works very hard to achieve perfection. Everyone sees others working hard, and everyone wants to be up to the task...

The show is about what it's like to be a comedian and how the industry works, is that what interested you as an actress?

Yes... Even if it doesn't work exactly like it used to. If that were still the case, I would kill to have a manager like Susie. I have never been able to find one who is committed body and soul like her to another person's career. It was amazing to make a series about comedians, female strength and women who want to accomplish something in this world.

What did Susie's character bring to you as a person?

I was already a tough guy, but it made me stronger, more resilient, and less inclined to accept the word "no." Susie also taught me a lot about vulnerability and having to let people in. It will be difficult to get rid of this character... Maybe from time to time, once a month, I'll put on the costume to remember her...

Did you have any other memories of the shoot than his costume?

Yes, I kept my necklace. My keys that are around Susie's neck. That was very important to me. I also have a hat, a leather coat and two framed photos that were at Gaslight, the club where Susie worked.

During these five seasons, what were the most surprising reactions from fans?

Remember, one of the seasons took us to the Catskills and Susie was posing as a plumber, and she had a suction cup that became her best friend, whom she named Pamela. At some of my appearances, I saw people bring them! This surprised me a lot! In fact, I am also surprised to be sitting here at Canne Séries and talking to you, as I was in front of Indian or Israeli journalists. I am amazed at the scope of this series, which is about a Jewish family in New York. There are so many people who recognized each other... People of all different traditions, cultures and nationalities who tell me, "It reminds me of my mother and me or my father and me." That it affects so many different people, it surprised me.

Can you tell us about your future projects?

I have a musical that just launched on Amazon Prime Video called "Alex Borstein: Corsets and Clown Costumes." I worked on this project while I was making The Fabulous Mrs. Maisel. I've also written a feature film that we're going to start working on.

And if Amy Sherman-Palladino proposes a spin-off around Susie?

I'll do whatever Amy wants me to do! She has been part of my life for twenty years, I used to working with her. Daniel Palladino ran the Griffin writing room that I worked on. Then I met Amy and we worked on Gilmore Girls... I will follow her to hell if she wants!

  • Entertainment
  • Series
  • Amazon Prime Video
  • Interview
  • Humor