Warning! The following may contain spoilers for the Mayfair Witches episode "Second Line." Read at your own risk!
Working on the adaptation of Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches was difficult for Alexandra Daddario, but perhaps not for the reasons viewers may expect. While the series is loaded with spooky scenes and other disturbing imagery, the actress recently shared how it related to a previous bad relationship from her past. She equated it to her character, Dr. Rowan Fielding, and her relationship with the mysterious entity Lasher.
Mayfair Witches is only partly into explaining the dynamic of Rowan and Lasher as well as Lasher's larger connection to the Mayfair family. While Alexandra Daddario didn't deliver any spoilers in her interview with Den of Geek, she did speak about her personal difficulties in filming the show. She talked about exploring Rowan's relationship with Lasher and others, and pursuing attractions that she shouldn't:
What was really interesting was diving into her relationship with these men, and her attraction to what she shouldn’t be attracted to, and her attraction to the dark side. That was certainly a challenge. It was just hard. This woman is going through all these very intense feelings, and she cannot resist the bad guy. I related it to a very bad relationship I had, which is probably why I had trouble with it. Because it’s that person you can’t stop going back to, even though it’s bad for you. She knows it’s bad for her, and she keeps going back. That isn’t necessarily how it had to be played. But that was what was going on in my mind while dealing with my relationship with Lasher.
Lasher and Rowan only just had their first real major moment in Mayfair Witches during the street parade, though it's clear the being is very interested in connecting with her a lot further. Lasher seemingly even tried to fool Rowan into believing she was speaking to her now-dead biological mother, Deidre Mayfair, in an effort to try and make their relationship develop faster. If that's not a red flag, I'm not sure what is.
Mayfair Witches is just one of many new shows that are worth checking out on the 2023 Winter Schedule.
In Mayfair Witches, Rowan appears conflicted about the Lasher character, but at the same time, is eager for more answers on her biological family that she only recently learned details about. Rowan can really only find those answers by continuing to interact with the Mayfair family and remaining in New Orleans, where Lasher can reach out to her. It's definitely easy to see how the story can echo a toxic relationship.
While Rowan navigates the equivalent of a toxic relationship in New Orleans, it might be ironic that Alexandra Daddario married her husband Andrew Form in the same city. Daddario was wed in the French Quarter, and apparently, the experience of working in The Big Easy inspired Daddario to pick the locale.
While filming Mayfair Witches had its struggles for Alexandra Daddario, it's great to see the actress in another high-profile series. She seems to be on a roll since Season 1 of The White Lotus, even if her career stalled a bit prior. Here's hoping there's more of her captivating performance and that the series stays on the promising path that has critics talking.
Mayfair Witches airs on AMC on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET. Those with an AMC+ subscription can catch up right now or via an on-demand service through a cable or streaming provider.
