If you're already a fan of the multitalented
award-winning actress Rachel Brosnahan, you
may have noticed that her latest character
seems to be very different for her.
"Do I know you?"
"No, but I heard you're into lumberjacks."
"It's true. I do sort of have a thing for
dumb, muscular guys."
You might know this emerging star from her
leading role on Amazon's smash hit, The Marvelous
Mrs. Maisel, which won the Emmy for Outstanding
Comedy Series in 2018 and has snagged an Emmy
and two Golden Globes for Brosnahan, so far.
But now, the fresh comedic actress is branching
out into something completely different. Far
from the chipper, cheery demeanor of Midge
Maisel, a talented stand-up comedian making
her way through the comedy landscape of New
York City in the '50s, Brosnahan's newest
character has plenty of secrets to hide, as
well as an extraordinarily distinctive physical
feature.
Quibi's brand launch in April 2020 included
the new anthology horror series 50 States
of Fright from filmmaking icon and scare-master
Sam Raimi at the helm. Bringing American folk
tales to life via short, thrilling episodes,
the series explores all kinds of stories featuring
stars like Emily Hampshire, Asa Butterfield,
and, of course, Rachel Brosnahan, whose shiny
new character is an big departure from her
signature role on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
On 50 States of Fright, Brosnahan appears
on a three-episode arc called "The Golden
Arm." Set in director Raimi's home state of
Michigan, and written alongside his brother
Ivan, "The Golden Arm" tells the story of
Heather, a woman unwilling to let go of a
very important part of identity: her golden
arm.
"I just want you to be happy.”
“Can you make it out of gold?"
Based on a classic folktale also called "The
Golden Arm," and made famous by authors like
Mark Twain who warned listeners to respect
the dead and not be greedy the story focuses
on Heather, a vain young woman who plunges
her loving husband into debt by requesting
a custom golden arm after she loses her real
one in a tragic logging accident. But Heather
faces a unique problem when she discovers
that her arm is actually making her sick.
So what’s a girl to do? That’s just part
of the story here - it’s a fable after all,
and Raimi and company have given it just the
right amount of tension to make it still work
perfectly today.
Despite the roles being vastly different in
terms of characterization and the general
tone of the projects in which they appear,
there is a common ground between The Marvelous
Mrs. Maisel's Midge and 50 States of Fright's
Heather: There's a certain sort of sparkling
charm about them, which Brosnahan captures
with ease.
Headlining part of a Quibi anthology series
is a solid move for an actress like Brosnahan,
who spent years paying her TV dues with small
gigs before snagging a leading role. Brosnahan
got her start with short-lived appearances
on shows like Gossip Girl, Orange Is the New
Black, Grey's Anatomy, and The Good Wife.
She then booked a more prominent role as Abby
Isaacs on Manhattan, a WGN series about the
Manhattan Project, which lasted only two seasons.
Viewers may also remember Brosnahan from her
19-episode supporting turn on House of Cards.
From 2013 to 2015, Brosnahan played Rachel
Posner, who helped Kevin Spacey's Frank Underwood
bring down one of his political rivals. But
like so many others on the series, her character
ultimately met a tragic end.
"The Golden Arm" arc of 50 States of Fright
is yet another unique turn for the versatile
actress, whose versatile A-list career is
clearly just beginning.
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