Interview: Maya Erskine (‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’) on Matching Freaks with Donald Glover and Reveals Which ‘Real Housewife’ is Most Like Jane

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“We’re all the freaks. Let’s just acknowledge it and move on and love each other.”

Modern audiences have grown skeptical of remakes, reboots, and retellings of beloved stories. Groans were heard across the internet when Prime Video’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith series was first announced, initial reluctance fading with each announcement for the series, including Donald Glover’s participation as both creator and lead actor. Joining him in the role of Jane Smith was revealed to be ME, an Emmy-nominated writer for a series she created, PEN15. Though only airing on Hulu for two seasons (the second being split into two parts), the series gained a devoted following and managed to create a meme out of its two leads speaking in tongues in an episode dedicated to the characters dabbling in witchcraft. 

Erskine brings a steely vulnerability to the role of Jane Smith, fluctuating through Jane’s moods seamlessly as the life of a spy in an arranged marriage that finds herself becoming more emotionally attached to her partner than anyone she’s ever known. Erskine fits into the romantic portions of the show effortlessly by producing a fiery chemistry with Glover that burns throughout the season. It was initially believed that neither Erskine or Glover would return to the series, but even Erskine isn’t able to reveal the truth about the future installments of the series. After a cliffhanger finale that’s delicious enough to let live with no further explanation, a return from Erskine would still be welcome.

I recently sat down with Erskine to discuss watching herself, moving away from PEN15 while missing certain parts, and which Real Housewife she considers most like Jane. 

Tyler Doster: When you spoke to Zoe Kravitz for Interview Magazine, you had not yet watched the series. Did you ever have time to sit down and watch it?

Maya Erskine: I did, actually. I really don’t like watching things I’m in because I just have a tendency to ruin it by being so negative about just whatever, stupid ego. But this one, I’m such a big fan of Donald [Glover] and of Fran[cesca Sloane] and Hiro [Murai]. It was such a great experience making it that I was like, I have to watch it. This is so major. I just am going in. I did, and I loved it. I was able to take myself out of it and just appreciate what they created. They did an amazing job.

TD: Was there anything you were able to take from the series by seeing it from the outside, as opposed to being in it?

ME: Yeah. I mean, to me, I think it was really the tone that they found. There’s one thing about tone when you’re playing it. I just thought that they found such a great new tone. There was something about it that I hadn’t really seen before. I felt like it was kind of a risk, and they really hit it out of the park, and that it evolved so much, too. So, within each episode you were able to see different worlds and different tones. And it kind of felt like that as we were filming, but you’re so focused on playing this character that it’s not always so obvious to how it’s going to turn out. And just the grand scope of it, it was wild to see us on this huge snowy alp of these massive, big, sweeping, cinematic shots. I’m like, I can’t believe that’s us in that.

TD: After being in series such as Insecure, Casual, PEN15, did the action portion of Mr. And Mrs. Smith attract you a bit more than the comedy portions?

ME: Yeah. I just didn’t know really how much action there would be. I didn’t know. I think the way that they described it to me, at least when they were first pitching it, was that it would be really focused on developing this relationship between these two people. That was exciting to me.So, that’s sort of what drew me in. And, then, the action was the fun icing on top. I didn’t realize how much I would love that, but I loved it.

TD: The series tackles interpersonal partnerships in a fascinating way. When you were reading [the scripts], were you able to immediately see yourself in this character? And when you got to set, did you have any specific preparation with Donald Glover to attack this kind of domestic life?

ME: So, in the beginning, they had asked me to send some of my own personal experiences or anything about myself or anything about Jane, that I might want to infuse parts of myself into her. I did that. But I remember, sometimes I would read scripts and be like, “Fuck. I don’t want to say this. I don’t want to say this line. This is hard.” And, it was having to really jump past my comfort zone of being this person. As I kept playing her, I fell more and more in love with her. And, I think it was just an initial sort of hesitation because it was in some ways very opposite of me. I’m someone who wants to share everything with everyone at all times, and she’s not. There was going to be a lot of containment going on, and I was like, That’s not my nature. And so jumping into that, it takes a bit. You know?

TD:  Do you think that being less involved as a creator on a series provides you with more autonomy to focus on what you’re doing with your character?

ME: Yeah. I mean, in different ways. I think with PEN15, it also gives you autonomy in a way because you have so much control in ways of the things you want to do with your character. You get to write it. You get to create the scenes that you want to play out. But in terms of focus, yeah. It was so much more helpful just for that to be the primary thing I’m focusing on and not having the pressure of needing to write afterwards. On set, it’s so demanding just playing this character. We were in every scene together. I couldn’t even imagine or fathom having to write after that or do any of that. But they were very collaborative and open, so we were able to work together to figure out how I wanted to play the character.

TD: While playing Jane, did you ever miss wearing that wig from PEN15?

ME: I actually did. I’m cutting my hair shorter and shorter. I think it’s because I’m slowly trying to get back to Maya from PEN15.

TD: You’re on a journey back to Maya. 

ME: I’m on a journey back. I keep going. [pointing to different parts of her hair while bringing her finger up each time:] It’s here, it’s here. Maybe, next week I’m going to cut it

here. And maybe the next time you see me, I’ll have a bowl. But, I don’t know. It was so nice to get out of that. It was so nice to play a woman actually because it had been so long. Yeah. I started to miss that little freak. Yeah, I missed her.

TD: What surprised you the most about the way this story was told in conjunction with the original film and the way it subverted that plot?

ME: I think what surprised me the most was really that it was an arranged marriage. I loved that idea. I loved that it wasn’t a romance where it’s the meet, cute, and they fall in love. And then, they have their fight and all of those things. It works great for the film. I was so into the idea of romance building in an arranged marriage. What is that like, when you meet someone who you’re not really meant to be with and you slowly develop [something], you slowly start to see things about that person every single day that you’re like, Oh, I don’t like that, but I do like that. And also, I’m going to be here for you. I’m going to do something really noble and save you here. Or I’m actually going to be a partner you can trust. Building that through the slow process, it becomes really romantic by the end. I really liked that way in.

TD: The series is steeped with intimacy that you might not be expecting as an audience member. But like you said, the more you’re watching these characters, it’s little things they find out about one another.

ME: Yeah, yeah. I love that they’re these very relatable goalposts of relationships each episode, like the first time you meet someone, the first time you have sex, the first time you go on vacation with someone, when you’re seeing all these parts of each other. And then, they’re also spies. They just did such a great job of infusing both genres, I guess, of romantic comedy, romantic drama, and spy thriller coming together to help tell this story. That’s what I mean. That was truly the most surprising thing, and they call it a spy sandwich. That, I think, was a really hard world to crack, and they did a great job with that.

TD: Did you have any particular scene partner, other than Donald Glover, that you had a specific set of fun with during filming? 

ME: I really bonded with Parker Posey. She was so fun to just hang with because I had been such an admirer for so long of every single guest star, though. I hate calling out one because it’s so many. She was really sweet. She needle-points, and she gave me one to do at home. It was a special bonding moment. It was really sweet. I don’t know. Spending the whole day with Michaela Coel on the couch, having that fight scene. John Turturro, Sarah Paulson, all of them. I mean, Wagner Moura. It was a wealth of talent.

TD: You famously love Bravo series’. Going into this show, is there any particular real housewife that you focused on when you were worried about the more domestic parts of Jane?

ME: That’s a good question. I wish I drew from that more. Maybe, I did subconsciously, but that’s a good question. I’m rewatching all of Real Housewives of New York right now, actually. I’m going back from season one. And I feel like maybe Carole [Radziwill]’s a good comparison in some ways, but I don’t know. The person that I always say is the character, and this isn’t a fun answer because it has nothing to do with Bravo, and I’m sorry, is Sigourney Weaver’s character in Alien. Even though it has nothing to do, people might be like, “How did that become part of your character?” It really was just how amazing she was at containing things and containing fear. She just didn’t always show her fear. But it’s underneath the surface at all times.

TD: There’s been speculation on your return for season two. Is there anything you can say about possibly returning to the series or anything you know about the series going forward?

ME: [laughs] I cannot because I want to make it fun. The cliffhanger is great. I just will say that I do know of some plans for the second season of what they’ve talked about, just ideas. And it may change in the writer’s room. I think they’re starting soon or maybe they have started. I think it’s going to be a better season. I think it’s going to be really exciting.

TD: Obviously people will know you from this and PEN15… does anyone ever come up to you on the street and speak in tongues from that particular episode-

ME: From The Wiccan episode? 

TD: Yeah.

ME: Oh, man. I hope that happens to me one day. I really hope someone comes up to me and just starts chanting.

TD: If I see you, then your wish will be-

ME: You better start chanting.

TD: You’ll know immediately it’s me.

ME: I wish that had happened. But, no. It is interesting. I feel like I can tell if it’s PEN15 or a Mr. and Mrs. Smith fan, these days.

TD: Do they approach you differently?

ME: Yes! With Mr. and Mrs. Smith, it feels like, “Oh, I loved you in that,” or whatever. With PEN15, it’s like, We know each other, and we’re here with each other. Okay? I do that, and you do that.

TD: Absolutely. PEN15 fans, we’re a tight-knit community.

ME: Yeah. We’re like, We’re all the same. We’re all the freaks. Let’s just acknowledge it and move on and love each other. And that’s it.

Maya Erskine is Emmy eligible in the category of Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The first season of Mr. and Mrs Smith is currently available to stream on Prime Video.