Navigating through your 30s isn’t exactly easy. But navigating through the third decade of your life is especially hard when you’re psychic—or so, that’s what happens to our protagonist Maggie in Hulu’s latest series of the same name.
‘Maggie’ stars Rebecca Rittenhouse as the title character who sees the future. As expected, that brings on some complications in her life, especially when she sees herself in a vision ending up with a guy she meets at a party—then later on after spending the night with him, she sees he actually ends up with someone else.
Maggie’s one-night-stand turned will-they or won’t-they is Ben (David Del Rio), who gets back with his ex-girlfriend Jessie (Chloe Bridges) shortly after Maggie rejects him due to her vision. With the help of her best friend Louise (Nichole Sakura), Maggie tries to overcome her romantic obstacles that essentially move in to her life (quite literally) and the result is a show that’s funny and relatable—even with a touch of magic.
Rittenhouse, Del Rio, Sakura and Bridges sat down to discuss more about the show, which premieres July 6 on Hulu.
What drew you to the show when you first read the script?
RR: For me, it was because it was something that I wanted to watch— I often enjoy working on things that I really want to watch. I love the rom-com genre, [and] I like this sweet, light, hopeful comedy. It’s also quirky and I think it has a more specific voice.
NS: When I read Louise’s role, what stood out to me was how she was really fun and bubbly—and a bit of a seductress, she enjoys men. That’s something as an actor and a woman I haven’t explored as much… It just seemed like fun.
CB: I think it’s just a genuinely funny show with a lot of warmth and a lot of vulnerability. That owes a lot to Maggie Mull’s [the creator] voice… I think that that’s who she is and it really shines through. And I just found it to be really sweet and really comforting to watch people just figuring it out.
DD: I agree, and it’s every character trying to figure it out in their own world. It’s a show called ‘Maggie’, but it’s about the people in Maggie’s life as well her growth and figuring out how to handle this amazing gift that she has. I think what I also really like about it was the sprinkle of magic on top of it. Just a superpower within the rom-com formula. What Maggie Mull and the rest of the writers did was have our characters already accept the world that they’re in, that they have someone that can see the future right off the bat. That was something that was really special about the characters and really realistic.
What do you like about your characters and their journey in Season 1?
RR: What I like about Maggie…I really relate to her. It’s hard for her to live in the present moment, and she’s constantly thinking about the future and analyzing [it]. She thinks she knows what’s going to happen,[but] she often misinterprets things because she only gets snippets. That really just allows her to close herself off from certain experiences, and I think that a lot of people, myself included, can tend towards fear and wanting to stay safe in our choices. Especially romantic or career choices. I just found that really relatable, and the psychic thing is just an interesting way into that as well.
NS: Going into this show as a viewer, you see Louise and you think this is the fun, party girl who’s always looking for how she’s going to get her next kick or next conquest or whatever. Then, she has a really cool journey through the show this first season. She basically comes to a point where she realizes: I don’t want this to be the only point of validation for myself, I don’t want to rely on men to feel good about myself. We’re having this character—a female in her 30s— having the courage to say, you know what, I just want to be alone for a little bit and learn how to live for myself before I explore something else with another person. So, I really liked that arc for her.
DD: As an actor what I liked about Ben, he’s got this air of confidence about him—until it’s crimes of the heart. It’s when the heart is involved in his life that he just doesn’t know how to navigate it. Another thing I enjoyed most, really, was just being the type of friend that Maggie needs in her life. Then also being present as a boyfriend who is jumping into a relationship for the 2nd or 3rd time. But the idea of giving the relationship a go and really committing to it, that was something else I really enjoyed working through with Chloe.
CC: Yeah, I find their relationship to be really relatable. I’m 30-years-old and you get to this point where all of your friends are in these relationships—it’s kind of a tipping point at this age. Are we in it for the long haul, or are we not? Or is this not actually a great pairing? Is this not what we should be doing? I think that the struggle that Ben and Jessie go through is really relatable.
What does the magical element bring to the show?
DD: It really is universal in the idea that we’re not only dealing with the problems of growth with Maggie, but even her parents as well. Getting used to their child that can see their future…it’s how do we raise our kid who’s an adult through her life with this power? I don’t think that any parent would feel like that’s not relatable. To help their child no matter what age they are in life, and that added magic within that sort of relationship is something that’s really cool to watch.
CB: A, it just makes the show more fun and B, the message seems a little more powerful. Because she can see into the future, she really does struggle with living in the moment and letting things happen and trusting the process as they say. So, I do think it lends itself to the message of the show itself.
‘Maggie‘ premieres on Hulu July 6.
