Writer/director Amy Sherman-Palladino has been entertaining TV audiences for years, first becoming a household name with Gilmore Girls. Her most recent hit is the award-winning Amazon original series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She brings the same quickfire dialogue and quirky sensibility to Maisel, including tons of big ensemble scenes featuring Midge and her family. And one scene in particular took a whopping 3 days to film.
Season 3 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is nearly upon us, continuing the title character's budding career in comedy. Ahead of the third season's premiere, I got the chance to speak with the cast about the making of the show. When chatting with stars Rachel Brosnahan and Emmy winner Alex Borstein, it was revealed that Season 2's Yom Kippur break fast took three whole days to film.
You can check out my conversation with the actresses below, and hear about what it was like filming those ensemble scenes.
Well, that certainly makes sense. Season 2's big dinner scene had a ton of characters, including the entire Maisel/Weissman clan, Rabbi Krinsky, and Alex Borstein's Susie. Plus, an entire pink-clad staff, courtesy of the family's maid Zelda.
The scene in question comes during episode seven of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's second season. Titled "Look, She Made a Hat", the episode takes one place after the events of the pilot. That means its Yom Kippur, with the extended family getting together to celebrate the New Year and break fast together. And when the Maisels get the Rabbi again despite the disastrous previous year, pressure is on.
Midge takes this opportunity to come out about her career ambitions as a stand-up, much to the dismay of both her parents and the in-laws. All chaos ensues as a result, with each member of the family interjecting during the whirlwind scene. Tensions continue to rise due to the colorful group of characters fasting all day, the title character continues to delay break fast. It's a complicated and fast moving scene, which is why it took three entire days to shoot.
This long schedule was no doubt in order to cover all of the actors who had lines during the scene. There's also some movement in the camera, as characters enter and exit the Weissman's New York apartment.
Related: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's Rachel Brosnahan And More Mourn Co-Star Brian Tarantina's Death
What's also amusing about this story is that it took seven episodes into Season 2 for Alex Borstein to work with most of her co-stars. Susie's story is focused on Midge's life in comedy, while her family and in-laws are kept largely separate from her nights at comedy clubs. As such, she didn't get to work with many of the other actors until this point in the series.
Season 3 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel will focus on the next stage of Midge's career, so her two worlds should continue to collide. And there's always the next year's Yom Kippur to look forward to, which will unite the full cast for another scene full of quick fire dialogue.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's third season will begin December 6th on Amazon. In the meantime, check out our fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
