Andie MacDowell on Illuminating a Bipolar Character and Playing the Mother of Her Own Daughter in ‘Maid’

When fans of film and television think of Andie MacDowell, their minds most likely go to films like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Groundhog Day, and Green Card (although more than a few of us probably think of Sex, Lies, and Videotape). MacDowell’s natural warmth on screen and facility with comedic roles has always been a strong suit. In recent years though, MacDowell has shown just how fine an actor she can be in all genres. At a time in life when some actors find their careers on a downslope, MacDowell has proven to be resilient, commanding, and still evolving as a performer. 

Netflix’s series Maid is an excellent case in point. In playing Paula, the bipolar mother whose strained relationship with her daughter Alex (brilliantly played by MacDowell’s own daughter, Margaret Qualley), MacDowell shows us all the highs and lows of a character that can’t get out of her own way enough to help her near-destitute daughter—a young single mother trying to escape an abusive relationship.

Maid was a stunning runaway hit for the network, and as it turns out, a career high point for both MacDowell and Qaulley. In our conversation, MacDowell and I discuss how she became a part of the project, what it was like to act across from her daughter, and the challenge of playing someone with an affliction that is often deeply misunderstood by the general public.

Awards Daily: Was it always on the horizon for you to play Margaret’s mother in Maid, or did that possibility develop at a later point?

Andie MacDowell: No—she was already in Canada filming and she just thought about me playing the role. Originally, I think Margaret really needed her space to be an individual, away from me, to be her own person. But I think she had done enough work in her young career to feel like maybe this is a good time to work with my mother, and in particular because she knew that I had experience with bipolar personalities. She told them, I don’t think there’s anybody better than my mother. (Laughs). She made a call to (Executive Producer) Margot Robbie, and they cast me. I was thrilled, so thrilled on every level. I loved the script, and to work with (Executive Director) John Wells, and it was such a wonderful character, and of course, the great prize of getting to work with my daughter.

Awards Daily: Was it at all complicated to act as a bad mother with your real daughter, even though you are, shall we say, “just acting?”

Andie MacDowell: It wasn’t a problem at all. It’s interesting because someone was just telling me how much they loved my character. I’m so horrible, but people loved her. (Laughs). I could be so cruel and so mean, but that’s what it is to be my character, having that disease, to be bipolar – if you love someone, you see through that. That was what I had to portray, that was my job, and part of that job was being cruel and ugly. We just did it. We didn’t suffer about it. We were always working very fast to set up scenes, and how we were going to do it – where we were going to go, when we were moving…there just wasn’t time to be complicated about it. It wasn’t hard for me to be cruel to her. That wasn’t difficult. What I think was harder for me was the energy it took to play manic constantly. That was exhausting. And also, it was hard for me, as Margaret’s mother, to see her work so hard. The hours were terrible. I had two roles with her. I was an actress with her, but I still had empathy for her as her mother. (Laughs). 

Awards Daily: I’ve always thought that when someone loses a parent, they grieve for one of two reasons: either for the relationship they had, or for the relationship they wish they’d had. Watching Margaret’s character, Alex, it occurred to me that one day she will grieve for her mother for the second reason. It’s very moving.

Andie MacDowell: It was moving. With every episode, you could understand more deeply how complex this relationship is – especially when you get to episodes 7, 8, and 9. Then you understand the history of my character, that she had been sick for a really long time, and that she had tolerated violence, and the complexity of how that affected her daughter – there’s so many layers to it. But ultimately, the journey is that Alex has the emotional maturity to understand that the only way she can preserve the life of her own daughter is to leave. She can’t rescue me, she has to rescue her daughter. That’s her job, and Alex understands that because she didn’t have a childhood, she never was able to have the things she wished she could have, but she’s going to provide that for her daughter.

Awards Daily: What was it like watching the show back after you finished it with Margaret and it was out in the world? Was that at all difficult?

Andie MacDowell: It wasn’t. Because I had no idea what she had done while I wasn’t there (on set). That was all new to me. I didn’t see any of that. I was mesmerized. I got to see what happened when I wasn’t there. As her mother, that was so much fun for me because the work is so beautiful – everyone did such a beautiful job. It was a trip for me to get to sit back and watch the whole thing.

Awards Daily: You mentioned that you had experience with people who have bipolar disorder, what kind of preparation did you put in to get ready to play Paula? It’s such a hard disease for people to understand – with the highs and the lows. It can be very frustrating for those around someone who is afflicted because it’s so hard to grasp.

Andie MacDowell: I think what was more concerning for me is that people might not understand that overt sexuality is part of the disease, that hyper-sexuality is a symptom of mania. I was worried that people would think she’s just a trampy woman who’s going after men. But I don’t know if it’s important that everyone understands all the complexities of what bipolar is. You still understand the story. I did worry that people would be confused by that though. There isn’t one form of bipolar. People have different symptoms and different personality issues with that illness. But her charm and her humor…that was what a lot of people reacted to – how funny she was. I got that from the public a lot. When we’re having to deal with someone who has these issues, it’s very confusing, you can’t really see the illness quite often, because bipolar people can be funny, charming people. It’s hard to have the correct empathy for them and what they’re dealing with.

Awards Daily: Paula is not without talent and creativity either. She is very crafty and maybe she could have developed that skill more if the disease didn’t get in the way of her ability to focus and follow through.

Andie MacDowell: I don’t know that she’s as gifted as she thinks she is, but that’s also the disease. When you’re bipolar, you have these “god moments” and you feel god-like. She would have those highs which made her believe she was more talented than she really was. I think she could have been a great crafts fair art person, but she doesn’t have the balance to manufacture a life that would sustain her with the gifts that she has. 

Awards Daily: To play this kind of part well, you had to really lean into the more unattractive aspects of her character. That’s not necessarily what you’re known for. Did you enjoy the challenge of taking on someone so unlike how the public views you?

Andie MacDowell: I didn’t have any problem playing unlikable characters. It’s just been hard for me to get those roles. It’s hard to get cast. There are a lot of options for casting directors. To get the juicy roles just isn’t easy. I think there was a time when it was easy for me to get cast in romantic comedies. That was how people perceived and saw me. Now it’s probably going to be really hard for me to cast in romantic comedies, because they don’t write romantic comedies about 60-year-old women. (Laughs). But the great thing about getting older is that people see you as a character and you get the opportunity to play really interesting roles. I’m enjoying that. 

Awards Daily: If someone described Maid in a really basic fashion, I think a lot of people might think, “That sounds depressing, why would I watch that?” But while it is a challenging, dramatic, and emotional show, I didn’t find it depressing at all. I think a lot of that is due to Margaret’s ability to show resilience in her character, and the moments of humor that are peppered throughout. 

Andie MacDowell: I have one sister who doesn’t watch anything that will disturb her at all, and I told her to hang in, and she watched it, and she was grateful that she did. I think Molly’s writing is so good, the characters are so good, and there are wonderful, loveable people in the show who go out of their way to help other people. You see people struggling in life and a lot of people could relate to that. I was surprised, after I did it and I was traveling, how many people came up to me with tears in their eyes – about Alex’s character, mostly. I have had people thank me for interpreting my role in a way that they could relate to, that they knew and understood, and had their own experience with. But it was mostly Alex. Women saying they saw themselves and how grateful they were. I don’t think depressing is the right word. You’re right. I would say that it’s challenging, but that it pays off. 

Awards Daily: I can be a little allergic to happy endings if they aren’t hard won. And while I wouldn’t call the ending of Maid “happy” per se, it is hopeful, and it is earned.

Andie MacDowell: It’s not a saccharine, overly sweet, sappy story. There’s nothing about it that’s that. But you do see hope and people going through struggles and overcoming them. And you can think whatever you want to think about my character. You don’t necessarily leave her on a low either. She’s got it together to a degree for the moment. 

Awards Daily: You spoke about the writing, any character that has any appreciable screen time has shades. Alex is not always good, Nick Robinson is more than just the “bad boyfriend,” Anika Noni Rose’s character reveals herself in ways you wouldn’t expect, and then, of course, there’s Paula as well. It had to be really pleasurable to work on something where all the significant characters have so many layers.

Andie MacDowell: And there’s evolution. Everyone evolves. It’s not all spelled out in the beginning. You don’t know who all these people are immediately, and you have to sit with them for a while to understand who they are. I agree with you, I talked to so many people who loved Nick’s character, and how charming he was – you forgave him. Like the scene with the broken glass at the beach. He’s a likable person. He’s flawed, but he makes the right decision in the end. He really comes through. And I loved Anika’s character – I thought that was a really powerful woman in a role that, in particular, you don’t often get to see an African American woman play. I heard Anika say that myself, and she did a really beautiful job with it. Everyone did great work. It was so nice to be in this piece. 

Awards Daily: Maid was so well-crafted that it didn’t surprise me that it was well-received by critics, what I didn’t expect was the viewership. This is challenging subject matter, and it exploded with views on the level of The Queen’s Gambit. That had to be a wonderful surprise.

Andie MacDowell: Definitely. I don’t think that anyone was sitting around hoping for that kind of response, but it resonated with people. There is a character in there for everyone to relate to. Life’s not easy. People struggle. When you tell a story in a way that gives people hope, and speaks to them, you touch into something that people want to experience and watch. I think that’s what happened.

Awards Daily: Maybe this is a silly question, but how proud are you of Margaret? She’s been building such a fascinating career, and this feels like a real benchmark for her.

Andie MacDowell: It’s hard to express how proud I am of her. She’s always been extremely independent and forged her own way. She’s brave and has no reservations about exploring deep, and complex, and hard characters. I just watched her again in something that blew my mind. You know, I’m in awe of her as an adult. We have an adult relationship now. I’m just glad I get to be in her life. I’m so thankful I get to be her mother.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGtaHcqsSE8&t=2s