The thought of not being with these people every day.
I hope the season is gratifying, at least for others.
Ill be drunk the whole time.
Prime Video
I apologize to my father for turning him intoRachel Brosnahan.
Season 5 is the culmination of everybodys emotional journey.
The first three of nine episodes drop on Prime Video on April 14 followed by new episodes weekly.
DEADLINE:Rachel, Alex these were defining roles.
How do you feel as this chapter winds down?
RACHEL BROSNAHAN:I havent fully processed this.
So even though we wrapped it in November, it doesnt feel like its done yet.
And no ones seen it yet.
So, theres still so many more conversations to be had about these characters.
And were having a lot of fun remembering all the parts about the season we forgot.
And the previous seasons that we forgot.
It may only [hit us] in January or so when wed be normally returning to work.
ALEX BORSTEIN:I think youre right.
This show is still very much alive and still exists.
Until that last episode drops.
I could barely get through any of the dialogue.
And there was confetti, and there were tears, confetti stuck to the tears on our faces.
It was really emotional.
But yeah, I dont think weve completely accepted it.
DEADLINE:The Midge-Susie relationship is the emotional core of the show.
I assume you didnt know each other before.
Was the chemistry immediate?
BROSNAHAN:We discovered we were from the same town, Highland Park, Illinois.
But no, we didnt know each other.
That helped make what you see.
They got shoved together at a really unlikely time in both of their lives.
I think it feels organic.
And, yeah, that chemistry thing is so elusive.
[From the first read] you could feel that kind of sparkly thing there that you cant manufacture.
DEADLINE:Amy, whats one big achievements for you from the series?
AMY SHERMAN-PALLADINO:We were just hoping not to let them [the cast] down.
So that was something that Ill take away to the mental asylum that Im checking myself into.
DEADLINE:Do you feel the story arc is completed, ending with Season 5?
SHERMAN-PALLADINO:I think we did.
DANIEL PALLADINO:We always had this ending in mind.
We didnt know exactly what season, we didnt know which episode.
We hopped around a lot.
But we always knew that we were going to end with where we ended.
It was a culmination of this specific professional journey that Midge and Susie went on.
But it was also the culmination of everybodys emotional journey.
BROSNAHAN:Its the right number of seasons, because thats the number of seasons that we got.
I think that theres [still] juice.
I mean, these characters, there are so many stories to tell.
And Amy builds universes.
You dont tap one or two characters.
Roses [Marin Hinkle] career takes off.
Abes [Tony Shalhoub] whole career path changes.
You start following Joel [Michael Zegan].
There are all these mini-universes.
But I think what we have is pretty satisfying.
DEADLINE:Rachel, Alex, what did the show mean to you personally, professionally?
BROSNAHAN:Speaking personally, I grew up on this show.
I was 25 the first time I read the script.
And those have felt like pretty big years, where a lot of things have changed.
And now strangers can pronounce my last name.
BORSTEIN:She grew up on the show.
I grew old on this show.
Personally, it was great.
You know, acting is a muscle, and she tore through mine.
And I built a lot of strength.
And Im so grateful for that.
Professionally, Im curious to see what the next big jump is going to be.
And whats hard is that Ive been spoiled.Maiselis so well written and so well produced.
And everyone is a pleasure to work with.
At this point, I dont have time for a-holes.
So its tricky, because, you know, how do you follow?
DEADLINE:Can you talk about the love New York City in the series?
SHERMAN-PALLADINO:I grew up with these stories.
It was like the most magical place on earth, New York in the 50s and 60s.
I was in Van Nuys.
Anything was better than that.
And it felt like a good time to have a woman coming into her own.
Ive lived here for almost 15 years.
Its been really, really cool.
And we definitely got a number of those moments this season.
How do you see that?
And do you have any thoughts about a possible writers strike?
SHERMAN-PALLADINO:I think that any time theres more opportunities to do more stories, its a good thing.
I think anytime theres more open doors for experiences and people, I think thats an amazing thing.
And I think that streaming is the only way that that would have happened.
Like, I dont think you could have stuck with the old system and seen a change.
It just wouldnt have happened.
I mean, this is a business about money.
Its not a business about heart and mind and souls and doing the right thing.
Its about the bottom line.
It put competition out there, and it gave people places to go.
And I think that can only be a great thing in the end.
PALLADINO:Yeah, same thing.
It was very confined, very constrained.
And then, Yeah, yay we love it.
We dont want it.
Its a lucky thing to be around during this change.
And its been a really great thing.
The Q&A has been edited for brevity and clarity.
