“Every Margo Martindale role feels like the part she was born to play.”

May 12, 2020 6:24 AM

Shoot the breeze, and sit in the wind, with the Esteemed Character Actress. Kevin Fallon at The Daily Beast talks to Martindale about playing Bella Abzug, staying grateful, and not liking the hats at all.

Mrs. America on Fanfare.
Title quote via Louis Peitzman.
Martindale on IMDb in case you're having a Hey! It's That Guy moment with her.

posted by Gin and Broadband (14 comments total)

Thanks for posting -- I love her work. Trivia note: she originated the role of Truvy in Steel Magnolias when it ran Off-Broadway (the Dolly Parton role in the film.)
posted by profreader at 7:18 AM on May 12, 2020 [2 favorites]

I love her work as character actress Margo Martindale on Bojack Horseman. It was the role she was truly born to play.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 8:12 AM on May 12, 2020 [17 favorites]

She'll always be Mags Bennett to me.
posted by HillbillyInBC at 8:51 AM on May 12, 2020 [10 favorites]

Her episode in Paris, je t'aime is charming - sweetness, warmth, and the worst French accent in the history of the world.
posted by ALeaflikeStructure at 8:57 AM on May 12, 2020 [4 favorites]

All I see is Claudia the KGB handler and I prefer to observe her from a distance.
posted by Ber at 9:26 AM on May 12, 2020 [6 favorites]

“When you go to Heaven, look up Margo Martindale! I won’t be there, but my movies will!”
posted by Parasite Unseen at 10:17 AM on May 12, 2020 [3 favorites]

She'll always be Mags Bennett to me.

In the argument for the best performance ever over the course of an entire season.
posted by Etrigan at 10:42 AM on May 12, 2020 [4 favorites]

I eventually decided that while Timothy Olyphant is pretty and Walton Goggins can spin a line of patter all day long, Mags was the actually interesting part of Justified, and without beloved character actress Margo Martindale it never really grabbed me again.
posted by PMdixon at 11:32 AM on May 12, 2020 [1 favorite]

I was turned onto her when she was the backwoods gangster Godmother on "Justified", but she really knocked me out on "The Americans".

Totally off-topic, but both "Justified" and "The Shield" convinced me that Walton Goggins was a truly special actor, but nothing I've seen of him since "Justfied" has really plumbs his greatness. Particularly not "The Unicorn" or "The Righteous Gemstones". I think to most fully bring out what's bubbling away in him, he needs to be cast as a bad man, ala Shane in "The Shield" or Boyd Crowder in "Justified". A real anti-hero, with the emphasis on "anti-".
posted by hwestiii at 12:11 PM on May 12, 2020 [2 favorites]

I just wanted to drop in here and say I actually had the opportunity to meet her when she had a role in a movie I was working on and she is extremely polite and gracious and I think I squeaked out “I’m good, thank you.” in awe when she asked me how I was doing.

Lots of respect for her amongst the cast and crew, as well.
posted by sara is disenchanted at 12:14 PM on May 12, 2020 [8 favorites]

@ ALeaflikeStructure - that performance in that movie made me change my life, no kidding. I'll always love her for it.
posted by Gin and Broadband at 2:20 PM on May 12, 2020 [1 favorite]

I had a fun realization when watching the new Ducktales that her performance of Ma Beagle basically only exists because someone had the insight to recognize that Mags Bennett still works as a cartoon dog.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 2:37 PM on May 12, 2020 [1 favorite]

Lord, The Americans featured some ferociously good acting. They wrapped it up when the time was right, but I miss looking forward to new episodes.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 6:19 PM on May 12, 2020 [3 favorites]

For more Walton Goggins as bad guy - see Vice Principals.
posted by soelo at 9:23 AM on May 13, 2020