Caroline Aaron Discusses Details You Never Noticed In The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Exclusive
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There's a lot that goes into making a television show. Yet, fans of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" might be shocked to know about every detail that the production team puts carefully into each episode. "They put enormous amounts of research into this show," actress Caroline Aaron, who plays Shirley Maisel, said during an exclusive interview with The List. "Everything is so authentic. It really is."
From the famous comedians (yes, Lenny Bruce was, in fact, a real person) to the patterned wallpaper and beyond, everything in the series is true to the time period. "It is as authentic as it possibly can be to that time period that you feel like you're stepping back in time," Aaron said. The actress even feels it herself every time she steps onto the set.
In the interview with The List, Aaron took us behind the scenes and shared some of the details we might have missed over the last four seasons of the Emmy-winning series.
The costumes are so authentic, many of them were even imported
Obviously, every character in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" is wearing a costume that is true to the time period. However, fans may not know that the garments are even authentic underneath. "There's the girdles, the bras, the garter belts, the stockings, all of it," Aaron told The List. "And sometimes, I'll just come in, and I'll go, 'Do I have to wear the girdle today?'"
While the undergarments help the clothes lay exactly the way they would have in the 1950s, they're not the easiest to locate in this day and age. Costume designer Donna Zakowska travels all across the globe to find the perfect pieces for the show. "Many years ago in Manhattan, in the Garment District, there used to be glove makers and shoemakers and all of that, and they're not here anymore," Aaron explained. "So she has to go to Europe. It's all been outsourced." No wonder Zakowska has earned herself an Emmy!
All the attention to detail may have gone unnoticed to some viewers, but the dedication to detail has not gone unnoticed by the actors. After stepping into Shirley's outfit, "It's like you hardly need to act," Aaron admitted, and it's all due to the incredible costume designer, she said. "She's so brilliant."
The foods and fabrics are straight out of the '50s, too
In the first episode of Season 4 of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," fans get to catch a glimpse of what Coney Island looked like decades ago. However, some fans may have missed quite an intricate detail that Shirley Maisel holds in her hands. "The popsicles that they gave me," Aaron told us. "The paper wrappers on the popsicles, on one side was, 'Vote for Nixon,' and on one side was, 'Vote for Kennedy,' because I guess, politically, that's what they did then, they used wrappers as opportunities for advertisements."
Though these small props may not take centerstage in the show, they make a big impact when added together on set. Anytime the characters take a stroll through Moishe's garment company Maisel and Roth, every set piece was pulled straight out of the 1950s. "All the patterns are from the '50s," Aaron revealed. "All of the threads, stuff that you might not even see, there is such attention to detail."
There is certainly no detail left unturned by the production team, which will have us all doing a double take when the final Season 5 finally rolls around.
Season 4 of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" is available to stream now on Prime Video.