Michael Zegen On Joel’s Many Crossroads on ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’

Joel Maisel will always have regrets. You can see it in his eyes every time he has a scene with his ex-wife, Midge. Even though Joel could dwell on the decisions that inspired Rachel Brosnahan’s Midge to become a comedian, he still has a life to live. With a thriving business and a new girlfriend, things look like they are back on track for Joel. Until they aren’t. Michael Zegen heightens Joel’s anxiety and his performance soars to new heights in this latest, penultimate season.

They always say that once your professional life feels successful, your personal life is on shaky ground and vice versa. With now a solid understanding with his landlords, The Button Club looks like it’s on its way to a profitable year. His relationship with Mei is still a secret, so his mother (played by Caroline Aaron) continues to try and set him up on dates. And then Mei drops the bomb that she’s pregnant. Is this the most stressed out Joel has ever been?

“I do [think so]. His mom is trying to set him up, and he hasn’t told his parents about Mei yet. She’s such a mystery. Of course, when he finally tells his dad, he has a heart attack. So, I would definitely say his anxiety is escalating.”

Before the pregnancy announcement, however, Joel learns that his ex-wife purchased their old apartment back with financial help from Joel’s father, Moishe. This it the first big decision Midge has made without Joel in a number of years, and he isn’t just shocked–he’s hurt. Could Midge be heading for a future without Joel completely?

“It’s possible that he is upset because she didn’t ask him for money. I’m not sure if he feels that she is moving away from Joel, but they have been with one another–even after the divorce–for so long. Not to mention the fact that it was a secret, and he feels betrayed by that. I think, overall, Joel doesn’t know about a lot of things going on with Midge at the moment. He didn’t know about Midge being kicked off the tour, so there is a lot of secrecy going on with her life. She’s never kept that much from him before.”

After his divorce, Joel was a successful bachelor before he and Mei got serious. Children were the farthest thing from his mind, and Zegen didn’t think Joel had any plans to expand his family.

“At one point, maybe. I’ve never thought about that actually. In the first episode, he feels stuck, and that’s why he left her in the first place. He didn’t abandon the family completely since he is still in their lives. I never thought he would ever fully leave them. I don’t think he ever planned on more kids maybe means he feels more stuck?”

Since Joel and Midge are constantly in each other’s lives, Mei’s pregnancy announcement shakes him up, because he might have to put more boundaries on his relationship with his ex. He will have to place Mei at the center of his world, and she might need Joel to take a step back from Midge in order to achieve that. Joel Maisel is in for a serious reality check.

“That change certainly scares him, but now he has to tell his parents. He has to face reality. Joel, and even Mei, can put it off and put it off as much as they want even if his parents are persistent. Making that secret public is scary for him, and that’s constantly going through his brain. Plus, the fact that he wasn’t expecting for Mei to become pregnant.”

Not only is Mei worried about the dynamic of her and Joel, but she has her medical career to worry about. She repeatedly says, “I’m going to be a doctor” when she tells Joel, and he backs her up. After royally messing up with his first wife, Zegen thinks that Joel is going to be extra cautious to let Mei know that she can lean on him. He made that mistake once, and he won’t do it again.

“That scene is so chaotic since he is dealing with so much information, and Joel is trying to keep it calm. In that moment I think Joel thinks, perhaps somewhat naively, that they can make it work and start over. Maybe this relationship can be more successful? He wants her to know that she can keep on track with her dreams of being a doctor and they can live happily ever after.”

We talk a lot about how Joel and Midge will never fully leave one another, and that is deeply felt in the scenes between them as they wait to find out what is going to happen to Moishe. Midge doesn’t allow Joel to beat himself up over his father’s heart attack, and we can see how they’ve evolved in how they look at one another. The love between these two will always change and grow over time. When one is tested, the other can always be called upon.

“The writing is just so good. I’ve been playing Joel for five years now, and I always follow the map of the script. There has always been bits of drama sprinkled throughout. It’s certainly a heightened reality, but there are those times when it feels very real, especially in that moment. He thinks he killed his father, and Midge is automatically there for him. They are not only in each other’s lives because of their kids but because they love each other. That love will never go away. Playing Joel for so many years, there is depth to him and depth for him. Their love is a shared love.”

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is streaming now on Amazon.