Michael Zegen (‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’) on Joel’s sacrifice: ‘He’s always been searching for that redemption’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
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“When I first read the pilot, I honestly thought that he wasn’t coming back,” admits Michael Zegen of his character Joel on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” But Joel did more than just come back on the Amazon series. The fifth and final season vindicated the character, a process that Joel has worked at for years. “I feel like every season there was some sort of redemption for him,” suggests Zegen. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Joel’s ultimate redemption arrives with a decision of self sacrifice. He makes a deal with the mob to release their hold on Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) in exchange for getting a cut of Joel’s business. It’s a selfless act that frees Midge to have the career of her dreams, but ultimately lands Joel in jail. “I don’t think it was that difficult at all for him to reach that decision,” says Zegen, “I mean, ever since he left her, he has felt this immense responsibility for her.” The performer considers the decision second nature. “I think he’s always been searching for that redemption ever since he left her. And so he do anything for her to make up for leaving her,” explains Zegen.
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In order to play Joel decades into the future, Zegen spent “a lot of hours in the chair” where old-age prosthetics were applied to his face. “They were originally going to do my whole body, so I had to get body scans and head scans,” he explains, “And then they made little models of old me and in different phases of old age.” The actor had plenty of fun with the end result, considering it one more highly detailed design element which helps him get lost in the world of the show. “Obviously I had to stick to the Joel character, but you feel like, you actually feel like you’re another person,” he admits.
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Zegen said goodbye to the series the same way his cast mates did, as Midge’s star-making appearance on The Gordon Ford Show was the last scene filmed. “It was a whole week, and it was long days, every day. But it was so much fun, and we got to hang out as a cast,” he remembers. When it came time for Midge’s comedy set, Zegen didn’t have to work hard to summon the right emotion as an onlooker. “When they had the camera on me, I honestly, I started tearing up because I was just thinking about shooting that pilot and getting to know Rachel,” he reveals, “and thinking about all the good times we had throughout the course of making this show which was a huge chunk of my life.” While the moment was bittersweet, his time on “Mrs. Maisel” fulfilled his desire to be able to see a character’s journey through from start to finish on a TV series. “Dreams can come true,” states Zegen.
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