Yes. When we first meet Jean, she’s a woman who’s undergone a trauma before the movie begins. And we witness that trauma when this baby unexpectedly comes into her life and Jean struggles to accept her own capabilities. We see her vocally doubt herself throughout the course of the first third to even half of the movie. She downplays her cooking skills, she’s worried about her ability to care for this child, even though we see her doing these things successfully.  And on the surface, it is quite a simple journey which is about a woman who has, in fact, been capable all along, recognizing the strength and power that has been buried inside of her for quite some time. 

She’s very different from Mrs. Maisel which I imagine must have been one of the attractions of the role?

Yes. There were a few things. I appreciated coming from the last couple of years playing a character who is so cogent and open and brash at times, and who is quick and witty and fast-paced, moving into someone that operates at a fairly slower wavelength, who is thoughtful and considerate about every word she says. And that was interesting to me.  But I’m always interested in women discovering their power and all of the different ways in which women do that. And Jean’s was a story and a journey to that power that I hadn’t seen before, particularly in this genre.

It also touches on the question; how well do you really know someone? Do you take people at face value, or are you naturally a suspicious person? Where do you sit on that scale?

Someone once gave me a piece of wonderful advice that I hold really dear, which is, ‘Believe people when they tell you who they are.’ And I think that that’s true. I’m quite an instinctive person and an empath and I read people generally well. So, my first impression of people stays with me, but I listen very carefully to people when they talk about themselves.

What was it like working with a baby? Don’t actors always say to avoid working with babies and animals?

They are right! (laughs) It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. It’s so rare that in a closeup when you are responsible for telling so much of the story, that you have something that is so little as a baby sharing that space with you. (laughs) The babies were in almost every scene of this film and it was definitely a challenge in terms of focus and being able to sink into a certain emotional state. I had to fight my own impulse as Rachel to interact with the babies a certain way, and it was challenging to interact with them as this character, as someone who feels very connected to babies and enjoys them very much and is upset when they cry and wants to make it better.  Although there were just times in this film where that wasn’t true for Jean. 

In your life, you have two furry babies.

Yes!

And I noticed on Instagram that you went on a road trip with them. 

Yes (laughs). The road trip was amazing. They are very adventurous fur babies, as you describe them, and they loved it, they loved every second of it. They loved getting to travel through the country and be outside in different places they’d never been. It was pretty easy. They are easy-going, they are different from real children in that way (laughs). They don’t eat a lot; they just want to be loved all the time and be able to roam and explore and this is one of the best ways to do that. It was such a gift during all the chaos in the world right now to be able to take that trip.

Just thinking about all the roles you’ve worked on recently; you seem to do a lot of period stuff.  I’m Your Woman is set in the ‘70s, and Mrs. Maisel, of course, is in the ‘50s.  Do you like working in different eras?

I do love working in different periods. It’s been pretty coincidental that that has been a place that I have traveled through in the last couple of years. I think the attraction to period pieces comes from loving fantasy books as a child. I loved diving into books that explored worlds that felt far away from me, whether that was a magical fantasy world or a period that I wasn’t alive in. It gives you a lot more room to use your imagination and because everything about those periods feels so different from the world we live in; it also naturally forces a complete transformation. My hair is different, my makeup is different, my clothes are different, and that affects how I walk and talk and move through space in a way that’s really fun for me. 

You’ve described yourself as an old soul. Were you told that when you were a kid?

Yeah. It was something that I heard a lot. People felt like I was beyond my years (laughs). I’m not sure what is responsible for that, I certainly haven’t always felt like an old soul, but I was a bit of a serious kid, (laughs) always had my nose in a book and took myself and everything around me quite seriously.

You’ve enjoyed a very successful career. Is there any philosophy or discipline you follow that you think has helped you succeed?

There are a few. The first and foremost being to be kind to everyone, because A, you never know what someone is going through, and B, it costs you nothing and it takes you far. There’s so much unkindness that has become acceptable in our industry and in the world, and I would like to think it’s getting less and less acceptable as we move forward.  But I do believe fundamentally that, that’s one of the keys to success in everything and anything we do. And also, to never get comfortable. To keep making choices and taking on parts that feel impossible because that’s how you continue to grow. The minute you have reached a point where you are like, ‘Now I’ve made it,’ I think is the beginning of the end. (laughs)