The chemistry between the women in Prime Video’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was “purely organic,” according to Alfie Fuller, who plays Susie Myerson’s secretary Dinah.
As the end of the fifth and final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel comes closer, fans around the globe are excited about the conclusion.
But much like the episodes in which you laugh aloud and shed a few tears, they are sad that this colorful, beautiful, and musical ride of a period comedy – filled with lovable, quirky, and enjoyable characters — is nearly over.
One of those characters is Dinah Rutledge (Alfie Fuller), Susie Myerson’s upbeat secretary. She begins as a bit timid, but learns from the formidable women around her, how to be strong and have her voice heard.
As Susie Myerson and Associates expands beyond her one female stand-up client, there are numerous phone lines to be answered and wheeling and dealing to be had, and Dinah helps Susie keep all of the balls in the air.
“It actually is super inspiring to watch these two characters kick a** and fulfill their dreams in their own way,” Fuller recently told Monsters and Critics.
Read on as Fuller says a fond farewell to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, what she learned about herself, and why she will always hold a special place in her heart for Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) and Susie (Alex Borstein).
Monsters and Critics: Talk about the relationship between Susie and Dinah, and also you and Alex Borstein.
Alfie Fuller: I remember the first day I got on set. I’ve been a big fan of Alex’s since I was in middle school. So, it was really monumental to be working with her. I knew that I had to approach it not as a fan but as a coworker and as a peer.
I made sure that I was very prepared so that she wouldn’t feel like she would have to hold my hand through the scenes, so I showed up super prepared. She welcomed me as if I’d been there from the first season. Our chemistry is organic; there was nothing that we really had to work at. That’s been really marvelous.
M&C: What are these characters like in Season 5?
Alfie Fuller: Dinah and Susie this season really get entangled in each other’s lives. They really become kind of like family, handling things in the professional life and the personal life. Yeah, it was interesting to get the scripts for every episode and see how much they grow together.
M&C: Please talk about your approach to Dinah and how she’s evolved a little bit through the seasons.
Alfie Fuller: In my two seasons, Dinah has honestly grown up. She’s taken on more responsibility in the office, in her career, her professional life. And honestly, her outside life has expanded, too, and now we don’t get an exact glimpse into it, but we do hear the things that she brings into the office from her outside world. That’s been really lovely to explore.
M&C: How much fun or how easy or difficult is it to get into the skin of somebody who’s so upbeat and dynamic and just has such a big personality?
Alfie Fuller: I like to think that I have a little bit of the goodness of Dinah, too. But I will say that costuming and the set really inform the character. I can be in the makeup chair, in the wig, and putting Dinah’s face on, and I won’t truly feel like her until I’m corseted up and at that desk and on the phone. It’s like this power, I’m just like yes, I’m ready, I’m competent, we can take on the world.
M&C: What do you love about Midge and Susie as a woman in a tough field who’s being inspired?
Alfie Fuller: Smidge, as I call Susie and Midge, is my favorite duo on TV. I just think they’re so magnificent as actors and as characters, as strong women who are making their way through this world the way they want to. It is inspiring, and not in a corny way.
M&C: How has this show changed your life personally and professionally?
Alfie Fuller: It’s like I did a complete 180. Are you kidding me? Professionally doors are opened to me that were not opened before, and that’s wonderful. Personally, I don’t know, I’m a little bit richer, and that’s nice.
M&C: Can you share a recent fan story?
Alfie Fuller: Ooh, yes. Oftentimes when I have auditions, and I get in front of producers, they’ll be like, “I love Dinah and Susie.” I’m just like, “Woah, you’re this huge person, and you actually know who I am.” It’s kind of surreal that you’re a fan of my favorite show, too. I always have something to talk about with a fan of the show.
M&C: What was it like filming the last couple of episodes that you were in?
Alfie Fuller: It was bittersweet. I have not gotten super sad about it yet. I think once after all the shows have aired, and it’s probably the middle of June or July, I don’t know when the last episode airs, I think that’s when I’ll be like, “Oh my God, it’s actually really over.” But shooting the last few episodes was wonderful. I loved to go to set, I loved being around the cast and the crew. It was a really good time for me. And bittersweet, of course, but full of joy.
M&C: Without giving anything away, what should my readers be looking forward to for Season 5?
Alfie Fuller: Lots of growth. New obstacles, new responsibilities, and cracking open in terms of people’s hearts are really on display this season. There’s a lot of vulnerability this season. People are expanding and growing, and some of them leave us. Yeah, we’re going to places that Maisel has never gone before.
M&C: Who did you learn a lot from working with? People you worked with or people you observed.
Alfie Fuller: Of course, Rachel. She is the quintessential star. Alex, of course, because most of my scenes were with her. And honestly, watching Amy Sherman-Palladino’s work. I learned quite a bit watching Amy and Dan Palladino run their sets.
M&C: People say that the show is “lightning in a bottle” with great chemistry and everything. Had you ever seen anything quite like that before?
Alfie Fuller: Never. I don’t know if I ever will again. Of course, I would hope to. But I have never stepped on a set like that, I’ve never seen a show like this before. Truly magic in a bottle, lightning in a bottle.
M&C: Did you keep any mementos from the set?
Alfie Fuller: Yes. I took some costume jewelry pieces, and I took something from Dinah’s desk, it might have been a nameplate. And a cool ’70s button-down shirt.
M&C: Did this show change your fashion sense or inform the way that you dress yourself?
Alfie Fuller: For sure. I never wore shapewear before. I never did before, but now I wear a little – especially if I’m in a nice dress or a nice suit, a jumpsuit, or something, I strap up and put a girdle on.
M&C: Talk about the family feel of this series. Everybody says it was like a family.
Alfie Fuller: It’s true. I hope people believe me when I say this; these are really magnificent people. I got up some days at five a.m. to be on set for 16 hours, and I was looking forward to it. I was excited about that. That’s because the atmosphere that they’ve created on set did feel like a family. It really did. Everybody was happy to be there to do their job and create this show. It’s magnificent.
M&C: Tell me, are my readers going to laugh and cry and sigh and all of that?
Alfie Fuller: All of it. All of it. They’ll roll their eyes, they’ll laugh, they’ll cry. I hope that they will be satisfied at the end, and I hope we leave them wanting more.
M&C: Well, you have left me wanting more.
Alfie Fuller: That’s wonderful.
The fifth and final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is streaming on Prime Video. The final episode airs on Friday, May 26. Seasons 1-4 are also currently streaming on Prime Video.