Alex Borstein jokingly teases Milo Ventimiglia's arrival and Tony Shalhoub discusses stepping back into Abe's shoes.
After an extended hiatus between seasons due to the ongoing pandemic, season 4 of Amazon Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is finally here.
"We're so excited," Mrs. Maisel leading lady Rachel Brosnahan told ET's Rachel Smith in January of the series' long-awaited return. "I just hope that we are able to capture even a little bit of how it felt for us to come back after so long away. It was pure joy despite difficult circumstances and it felt like even just a small bit of normalcy infused back into our lives. So I hope that in addition to many laughs and beautiful clothes... that that's something that we can give back to the fans after so much time."
When Mrs. Maisel returns, it's 1960 and change is in the air. Looking to hone her act, Midge (Brosnahan) finds a gig with total creative freedom. But her commitment to her craft -- and the places it takes her -- creates a rift between her and the family and friends around her.
"It took some ramping up," Brosnahan's co-star, Alex Borstein, acknowledged when asked whether it was easy to jump back into the Maisel groove. "We actually felt like we were in slow motion for a while, and Rachel and I were looking at each other saying, 'I don't think I remember how to act. Am I acting? Is this working?'"
"It was hard to recapture our characters' voices and physicality after such a long hiatus and so the first two takes on the first day, we were feeling like we were shaking off a lot of rust," said Tony Shalhoub, who plays Midge's father, Abe.
Borstein noted that where Mrs. Maisel picks back up again is very much reflective of the current times, even though the show is set decades earlier.
"We are all in the same position. Everybody in the world is rebuilding right now," she explained. "Everything was kinda shattered and fell apart and many people have lost careers, lost jobs, God forbid, lost loved ones and it is really art imitating life. And the timing could not be more perfect 'cause we are playing something that is very, very real to have to start over. But the luxury is these two [Midge and Susie] have all of this history now and the work they've done so far... They're not starting really at square one, it's more like a maze. They hit one wall and now they know which way not to go, so they're gonna take a different path."
The new season also features a mini Gilmore Girls reunion with Milo Ventimiglia and Kelly Bishop stepping into the world for special guest appearances. Details are scarce on how Ventimiglia or Bishop fit into the picture, but a first look of the latter in character offers some clues.
"Well, Alex actually has a very big announcement about how Milo will be in the show...," Brosnahan teasingly joked, throwing the question of Ventimiglia's character to her co-star.
"Yeah, Amy [Sherman-Palladino] and Dan [Palladino] were very kind. They knew they wanted to have a love interest for me and they let me choose and I got to be involved in the casting," Borstein joked, playing along. "I know Milo is used to not having to read for parts anymore but he was so gracious. He came in and he read with me and it’s very, very physical, there’s a lot of acrobatics... kind of a tantric... I don’t want to get into it, but it’s really beautiful to watch and I’m very proud of him. I’m very proud of his work."
"Is that the Kama Sutra episode, Alex, that you’re referring to?" Shalhoub quipped, not missing a beat with the hilarious moment between the trio.
With Mrs. Maisel entering the '60s, expect even more iconic looks for Midge and company.
"It’s been amazing to see how all of the designers are involved with the show, from Donna Zakowska, our costume designer, to Bill Groom, our production designer, but they're acknowledging something that’s true, which is that iconic look of the '60s," Brosnahan shared. "It doesn’t just instantly appear, it evolves as we enter the period. I think you’ll see little bits and pieces of iconic '60s enter its way into the show. The characters may dabble a little bit in the world of politics and the clothes just keep getting better and better. Donna just keeps outdoing herself season after season."
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel premieres the first two episodes of season 4 on Friday, Feb. 18 on Prime Video, with subsequent episodes dropping weekly.
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