The cast of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4 gives details on how they filmed that climactic Coney Island scene for its premiere. Created by Amy and Dan Sherman-Palladino, Amazon Prime’s hit period comedy-drama is set in the late 50s era and follows the story of Midge Maisel, a housewife who risks her affluent background to pursue her passion for stand-up comedy. The series stars Rachel Brosnahan in the lead role with cast members including Alex Borstein, Michael Zegen, Tony Shalhoub, Kevin Pollack, and Jane Lynch.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel debuted on Amazon Prime in 2017 and was an instant success, earning critical acclaim for its plot, story-telling, and acting. The second and third seasons continued this winning streak. Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4 was highly-anticipated ahead of its Feb. 18 premiere after a two-year break. Consequently, Amazon announced that it will be renewing The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 5, which will be its last.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4 premiere sent fans on a head-spinning ride with a truly intense and memorable Coney Island Wonder Wheel scene where the characters dropped a series of revelations through an explosive repartee. Speaking with EW, the cast members revealed how they shot that impressive scene that’s filled with sharp and fast one-liners. Apparently, they really did film parts of the scene at Coney Island but the bulk was shot inside a soundstage. A Wonder Wheel replica was constructed and the actors had to climb a very tall ladder to get inside and set the illusion of the real attraction’s height. Brosnahan said that the entire thing took two whole days to complete and left the actors “so exhausted.” Read her comment below:
It was a miraculous technological feat. The way we did it was we all took turns spinning in one Wonder Wheel car. The rest of the cast would be off-screen shouting the lines at each other. We wanted to help each other keep our energy up, so there’s this completely insane video [I took] of us all screaming at whoever is in the car. It took two days to shoot it,” she continues. “And by the end of the two days, none of us had voices and we were so exhausted.
Pollack, who plays Midge’s former father-in-law in the series, explained the importance of the Coney Island scene as a visual metaphor for what’s going on with the characters. As each one revealed and received shocking information, they were literally on a dizzying ride atop the Wonder Wheel. The actor credited the brilliance of this moment to creators Sherman-Palladino. The husband-and-wife tandem is the brains behind Gilmore Girls and is known for writing riveting dialogues.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has always served light-hearted jokes and witty banter, but this episode may have been one of its best-executed moments so far. The Coney Island scene perfectly sets the tone for the remaining season as Midge and the rest of the characters go through major life upheavals. If the season 4 premiere is any indication, the next episodes will surely be an exciting treat for viewers.
