Danny Jarabek
Netflix series The Fall of the House of Usher is Mike Flanagan’s latest venture into the auteur’s characteristic gothic horror storytelling. Loosely based on the short stories of Edgar Allan Poe, the series features the rise of the Usher family and the consequences of their power and fortune over multiple decades from 1953 to the present. Featuring an ensemble cast, one of the standouts is Mary McDonnell as Madeline Usher who is the brains behind the operation of their corrupt business.
In our conversation, McDonnell speaks to the opportunity to collaborate with Flanagan and many of the series regulars that have appeared in his previous work. As Madeline Usher and a newcomer to the “Flanaverse,” McDonnell was able to take on new genre territory in her career and tap into a character that doubles as a fierce, powerful matriarch while maintaining a calm and calculated presence within the arc of her family’s story. Underneath the ruthlessness that Madeline exerts, McDonnell credits the script in providing complexity and nuance in exploring grief and trauma through the multi-decade timeline of the Usher rise and fall.
“When I met this character, I’ve never met a woman like her. I’ve never seen a woman so unabashedly and ruthlessly wield power and I’ve never seen that combined with a clear explanation of the trauma at the core of her being. She’s an earth-scorcher for sure, but towards the end she goes after everything that capitalism creates for women. There has never been a character like Madeline Usher, so clearly I had to play her.”
Watch our full conversation with The Fall of the House of Usher’s Mary McDonnell below.
[…] “Cuando conocí a este personaje, nunca había conocido a una mujer como ella. Nunca había visto a una mujer que ejerciera su poder de manera tan descarada y sin piedad, y nunca había visto eso combinado con una explicación tan clara del trauma inherente a él mismo. ,” el compartio. […]
[…] “Saat saya bertemu karakter ini, saya belum pernah bertemu wanita seperti dia. Saya belum pernah melihat wanita yang menggunakan kekuasaannya dengan begitu terang-terangan dan tanpa ampun, dan saya belum pernah melihat hal itu dikombinasikan dengan penjelasan yang jelas tentang trauma yang ada dalam dirinya,” dia berbagi. […]
[…] “Saat saya bertemu dengan karakter ini, saya belum pernah bertemu wanita seperti dia sebelumnya. Saya belum pernah melihat wanita yang memegang kekuasaan dengan begitu kejam dan tidak tahu malu, dan saya belum pernah melihat wanita dengan penjelasan yang jelas tentang trauma yang dia alami di masa lalu. inti dari keberadaannya.” Saya berpartisipasi. […]
[…] „Als ich diese Figur traf, hatte ich noch nie eine Frau wie sie getroffen. „Ich habe noch nie eine Frau gesehen, die ihre Macht so offen und gnadenlos einsetzt, und ich habe das noch nie erlebt, verbunden mit einer so klaren Erklärung ihres Traumas.“ er teilte. […]
[…] ‘When I met this character, I’ve never met a woman like her. I’ve never seen a woman so unabashedly and ruthlessly wield power and I’ve never seen that combined with a clear explanation of the trauma at the core of her being,’ she shared. […]
[…] ‘Quando conheci essa personagem, nunca tinha conhecido uma mulher como ela antes. ‘Nunca vi uma mulher exercer o poder de forma tão descarada e brutal, e nunca antes vi isso combinado com uma explicação clara do trauma que está no cerne de sua existência.’ ele compartilhou. […]
[…] ‘When I met this character, I’ve never met a woman like her. I’ve never seen a woman so unabashedly and ruthlessly wield power and I’ve never seen that combined with a clear explanation of the trauma at the core of her being,’ she shared. […]
[…] ‘मी जेव्हा ही व्यक्तिरेखा भेटली तेव्हा तिच्यासारखी स्त्री मला भेटली नाही. मी एवढ्या निर्लज्जपणे आणि निर्दयपणे शक्ती चालवणारी स्त्री कधीच पाहिली नाही आणि तिच्या अस्तित्वाच्या आघाताचे स्पष्ट स्पष्टीकरण मी कधीही पाहिले नाही,’ तिने शेअर केले. […]
[…] “Saat saya bertemu karakter ini, saya belum pernah bertemu wanita seperti dia sebelumnya. Saya belum pernah melihat wanita memegang kekuasaan dengan rasa malu dan kekejaman yang begitu besar, dan saya belum pernah melihatnya disertai dengan penjelasan yang jelas tentang trauma yang ada di dalamnya. inti dari keberadaannya. saya berbagi. […]
[…] ‘When I met this character, I’ve never met a woman like her. I’ve never seen a woman so unabashedly and ruthlessly wield power and I’ve never seen that combined with a clear explanation of the trauma at the core of her being,’ she shared. […]
[…] ‘When I met this character, I’ve never met a woman like her. I’ve never seen a woman so unabashedly and ruthlessly wield power and I’ve never seen that combined with a clear explanation of the trauma at the core of her being,’ she shared. […]