You play Helen, the mom of Kate Winslet’s character, Mare. What was it like working together? I fell in love with Kate. She’s just amazing—a humble, sweet, down-to-earth, adorable, brilliant woman. Then you shift gears from detective drama for the stand-up comedy of Hacks. I told the writer-producers before we closed the deal, “You have no way of knowing, but when I was a kid, I fantasized about being a stand-up comic.” I wanted to be Phyllis Diller. I was only slightly intimidated by the fact that there are more than a couple people in the movie who are actually stand-ups—they’re not playing stand-ups; I am. You also recently starred in the movie romance Senior Moment with William Shatner. There’s a real connection between their characters. The thing is, when people fall for somebody, it feels exactly the same as it did when you were 16. It doesn’t feel any different physically or mentally. People sometimes need to be reminded of that. What is it about Mare’s story that needs to be told and that made you want to do it? Well, first of all, I love the character and I was excited about the idea of working with Kate. It’s great to see women in traditionally male roles. Plus, mostly I’d never seen Kate play a part like that, so I thought that would be fun. But also, too, it’s a look at a community that is unfortunately not uncommon near certain big cities, where there are communities that are ravaged by drugs, partly among the really young generation. It was really eye-opening. We shot in parts of the actual city and the suburbs that were greatly affected by that. It was rather sobering. You get so immersed in the characters’ lives. You just can’t wait to turn the next page or watch the next episode. What was the biggest challenge in taking on Helen? Was it something as simple as trying to get Pennsylvania’s Delaware County accent right, or something more? The accent, yes, was certainly something. Because you want to get as comfortable with it as you can, so that you aren’t constantly thinking about it instead of what you’re supposed to be thinking about. But we had an amazing, amazing dialect coach who’s from there, so that became pretty effortless after a while. At least I hope people think it sounds good. Also, my character’s fun because, even though she’s a curmudgeonly old bird, she is kind of the comic relief a little bit in the show, because there are parts that are very dark. For instance, every Sunday she plays cards and drinks with the priest in her kitchen, things like that. That was a great time. Word is you took your character a little too far at one point? Yes, I had an accident on the set towards the end. There was a scene where I was with the priest in the kitchen and we’re drinking, I’m trying to reach for something and I fall out of my chair onto the kitchen floor. I thought maybe that’ll just be sort of a thing about Helen, that she’s a klutz. There’s a scene where I was sitting on this railing above a stairwell and I was watching Mare and her date leave, and I’m straining over trying to watch them. I thought it would be funny if I pretend to fall a few times over the railing, which went fine for the first four or five takes. Then there was a take where I leaned a little bit too far, went over the railing and down a flight of stairs. I ended up in the hospital for five days in Philadelphia. But then I went back to work and finished. One of the things that saved me was I had the costumer pad me. It was just the way I pictured Helen, with a lot of polyester sweater vests, and really attractive ensembles. I just thought she should be a little hefty around the middle and around the bum, so that probably saved me from breaking my hip or something when I went over the railing. The vibe of the town in Mare of Easttown, which was filmed in Delaware and Chester counties, is dark and depressing. How important was it to film in that community to get the feel of the people? I’m not huge on that all the time. I don’t think you necessarily have to suffer to show you’re suffering or anything like that, method acting, but I think for this show, it was important. Just the look and the sound and the feel of everything and being there, a lot of it in the dead of winter where everything was gray and cold, definitely the environment was another character in the show. To watch these young people in this community and the way they interact and how it affects their parents, you just get hooked. It’s a classic whodunit. Moving on to Hacks, can you relate to the struggle that your character, Deborah, is going through? Because it looks as if you’re getting some of the best roles of your career right now, which is exactly the opposite of what’s happening for her. Exactly. I’m so grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had. What can I say? I was always a late bloomer. Deborah’s considered a little bit of a dinosaur and her stuff is passé and she’s insulted and infuriated at the idea that she’s being forced to hire this young, hip, female, hot writer who’s going to pump up her act a little bit and make it more relevant. She fights it tooth and nail but finally she decides to hire this girl. She doesn’t really have much of a choice, and then she proceeds to treat her like crap. It’s absolutely hilarious. She’s so horrible to her. What’s it like working with Hannah Einbinder, who plays the writer Deborah hires? She’s such a discovery. What a revelation she is. She’s 25. This is basically her first acting job. She’s been doing stand-up and she’s just amazing. We’re having such a blast together; I just adore her. These roles are all so different. What is it that you look for today when you’re taking on a part? What makes you say yes? Well, first it’s the writing of the character and, hopefully, it’s a character that I feel like I haven’t really played before or I haven’t played a lot of before. And then, of course, who else is involved is very, very important. When’s the last time you surprised yourself? Something that you were surprised to learn about yourself, or maybe during the pandemic you learned a new skill. I would like to say that I learned a new skill. My assistant decided to learn how to surf. I was very proud of her. I guess the thing that was so pronounced to me—and I’m already losing it, so I need to remind myself to keep trying to get it back—is I felt such pure relaxation and joy. Not that I wasn’t as concerned as everybody else was about what was going on, but just the idea that I had absolutely no one to answer to, just to be with my husband [who died March 18 after this interview was conducted], my kids, my dog and be at home and take care of my home, my nest and my garden. I hadn’t done that for so long that I was shocked at how deeply I felt that pleasure. I thought that’s kind of sad that I’m noticing that so profoundly, and I need to try to do that every few years. Next, The 25 Best Documentaries on HBO
