Photo: ANGELA WEISS/gettyTo many,Rachel Brosnahanplaying a rising stand-up comedian onThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselseemed like a natural fit – but according to the actress, not everyone felt that way about her.During the Prime Video show’s FYC event on Thursday, Brosnahan appeared on a cast panel, where she disclosed how she “spent the first couple years of my career being told I was not funny.““It wasn’t like an insulting thing. It was really just a lot of people who were professionals kind of saying, ‘You might want to head in a different direction. Maybe consider something over here,'” she said at the event, which was held at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn, New York. “I think it’s been a really challenging and really incredible exercise over the last couple of years.“Brosnahan, 31, then said she’s “eternally indebted” to series executive producersAmy Sherman-Palladinoand Daniel Palladino “for saying yes and taking that kind of chance on someone” like herself.“The day I found out I was going to be their Midge, [I] lost a role that morning because I wasn’t funny enough,” she recalled. “They wanted someone funnier.“Rachel Brosnahan as Midge Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.Amazon StudiosElsewhere during the panel, moderator Danny Strong recalled a conversation he had with Amy and Dan about the challenging process of casting Brosnahan’s character, protagonist Miriam “Midge” Maisel.“I was having dinner with them in the early part of the casting process. And Amy, she said, ‘Yeah, I can’t … I haven’t found my lead. And if I don’t find her, I’m just gonna not do the show because I need someone great or it’s just gonna be a waste of my time,'” Strong, 47, recalled. “Then we had dinner, I don’t know, a month later, three weeks later. And she was like, ‘I found her. We’re all good.’ So literally, if she hadn’t found [Rachel], there may never have been the show.“Amy, 56, then revealed what pushed Brosnahan above the rest of the contenders during the audition period: “She was the only one who knew to step into a microphone. Everyone else moved away from the microphone.““She was the only one who knew if you’re going to be a stand-up you’re going to lean into that f—ing microphone,” theGilmore Girlscreator continued. “And if you don’t have the balls to do that, you got to get off the stage.“RELATED VIDEO: Rachel Brosnahan Says She Can’t Imagine Actually Doing Stand-Up ComedyAdded Amy: “It was just like the minute she did that, we were kind of like, ‘We’re sold,’ because it didn’t matter what happened after that. If it didn’t work, it didn’t matter. All we know is she was the one who had the balls. She had the toughness. She understood the basic thing about comedy.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest storiesBrosnahan has gone on to garner praise for her performance as Midge. She has even earned anEmmy Awardand twoGolden Globe Awards.The first four seasons ofThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselare now streaming on Prime Video.
Photo: ANGELA WEISS/getty
To many,Rachel Brosnahanplaying a rising stand-up comedian onThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselseemed like a natural fit – but according to the actress, not everyone felt that way about her.During the Prime Video show’s FYC event on Thursday, Brosnahan appeared on a cast panel, where she disclosed how she “spent the first couple years of my career being told I was not funny.““It wasn’t like an insulting thing. It was really just a lot of people who were professionals kind of saying, ‘You might want to head in a different direction. Maybe consider something over here,'” she said at the event, which was held at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn, New York. “I think it’s been a really challenging and really incredible exercise over the last couple of years.“Brosnahan, 31, then said she’s “eternally indebted” to series executive producersAmy Sherman-Palladinoand Daniel Palladino “for saying yes and taking that kind of chance on someone” like herself.“The day I found out I was going to be their Midge, [I] lost a role that morning because I wasn’t funny enough,” she recalled. “They wanted someone funnier.“Rachel Brosnahan as Midge Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.Amazon StudiosElsewhere during the panel, moderator Danny Strong recalled a conversation he had with Amy and Dan about the challenging process of casting Brosnahan’s character, protagonist Miriam “Midge” Maisel.“I was having dinner with them in the early part of the casting process. And Amy, she said, ‘Yeah, I can’t … I haven’t found my lead. And if I don’t find her, I’m just gonna not do the show because I need someone great or it’s just gonna be a waste of my time,'” Strong, 47, recalled. “Then we had dinner, I don’t know, a month later, three weeks later. And she was like, ‘I found her. We’re all good.’ So literally, if she hadn’t found [Rachel], there may never have been the show.“Amy, 56, then revealed what pushed Brosnahan above the rest of the contenders during the audition period: “She was the only one who knew to step into a microphone. Everyone else moved away from the microphone.““She was the only one who knew if you’re going to be a stand-up you’re going to lean into that f—ing microphone,” theGilmore Girlscreator continued. “And if you don’t have the balls to do that, you got to get off the stage.“RELATED VIDEO: Rachel Brosnahan Says She Can’t Imagine Actually Doing Stand-Up ComedyAdded Amy: “It was just like the minute she did that, we were kind of like, ‘We’re sold,’ because it didn’t matter what happened after that. If it didn’t work, it didn’t matter. All we know is she was the one who had the balls. She had the toughness. She understood the basic thing about comedy.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest storiesBrosnahan has gone on to garner praise for her performance as Midge. She has even earned anEmmy Awardand twoGolden Globe Awards.The first four seasons ofThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselare now streaming on Prime Video.
To many,Rachel Brosnahanplaying a rising stand-up comedian onThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselseemed like a natural fit – but according to the actress, not everyone felt that way about her.
During the Prime Video show’s FYC event on Thursday, Brosnahan appeared on a cast panel, where she disclosed how she “spent the first couple years of my career being told I was not funny.”
“It wasn’t like an insulting thing. It was really just a lot of people who were professionals kind of saying, ‘You might want to head in a different direction. Maybe consider something over here,'” she said at the event, which was held at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn, New York. “I think it’s been a really challenging and really incredible exercise over the last couple of years.”
Brosnahan, 31, then said she’s “eternally indebted” to series executive producersAmy Sherman-Palladinoand Daniel Palladino “for saying yes and taking that kind of chance on someone” like herself.
“The day I found out I was going to be their Midge, [I] lost a role that morning because I wasn’t funny enough,” she recalled. “They wanted someone funnier.”
Rachel Brosnahan as Midge Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.Amazon Studios
Elsewhere during the panel, moderator Danny Strong recalled a conversation he had with Amy and Dan about the challenging process of casting Brosnahan’s character, protagonist Miriam “Midge” Maisel.
“I was having dinner with them in the early part of the casting process. And Amy, she said, ‘Yeah, I can’t … I haven’t found my lead. And if I don’t find her, I’m just gonna not do the show because I need someone great or it’s just gonna be a waste of my time,'” Strong, 47, recalled. “Then we had dinner, I don’t know, a month later, three weeks later. And she was like, ‘I found her. We’re all good.’ So literally, if she hadn’t found [Rachel], there may never have been the show.”
Amy, 56, then revealed what pushed Brosnahan above the rest of the contenders during the audition period: “She was the only one who knew to step into a microphone. Everyone else moved away from the microphone.”
“She was the only one who knew if you’re going to be a stand-up you’re going to lean into that f—ing microphone,” theGilmore Girlscreator continued. “And if you don’t have the balls to do that, you got to get off the stage.”
RELATED VIDEO: Rachel Brosnahan Says She Can’t Imagine Actually Doing Stand-Up Comedy
Added Amy: “It was just like the minute she did that, we were kind of like, ‘We’re sold,’ because it didn’t matter what happened after that. If it didn’t work, it didn’t matter. All we know is she was the one who had the balls. She had the toughness. She understood the basic thing about comedy.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories
Brosnahan has gone on to garner praise for her performance as Midge. She has even earned anEmmy Awardand twoGolden Globe Awards.
The first four seasons ofThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselare now streaming on Prime Video.
source: people.com
