A few months ago, when Preet Bharara was fired by Trump and then asked if watching BILLIONS was now weird, he responded “Well, for some people, it’s always been weird”.
As they say, “I feel ya’, man”. It’s a statement I totally get! To watch Maggie Siff play Wendy catapults me into the epitome of surreal. And evidently it’s not just me. After the “Magical Thinking” episode, a former client whom I hadn’t coached in three years emailed with “That was just SO Shull”!
But of course I shouldn’t be surprised. I know first-hand how hard Maggie worked. In August of 2015, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Co-Creator of BILLIONS, asked if I could spend time with Maggie –
Hi Denise. Hope you’re well. I have an unusual request:
I’m involved in a new fictional TV drama being made for Showtime about hedge funds. It stars Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis. One of the characters, played by Maggie Siff (Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy), is a psychiatrist to hedge fund traders. Maggie, who is an extraordinary actress, recently asked me if I could introduce her to someone who works with traders in real-life. Would you be willing to meet her?
Thanks, Andrew
Feeling kinda sheltered for not even knowing about it, I said “sure” and was introduced to Maggie. She later looped in Brian Koppelman and David Levien and I subsequently met with them in their Writers Room which was in Tribeca at the time. They were, depending on the day you ask them, three, four or at most, five episodes in but /that/ is a story for another day.
If you know me, you won’t find it surprising that I talked feelings, emotions and neuroscience. Maggie began reading my book MARKET MIND GAMES but here’s the more amazing thing, she wanted to study what I had studied. She not only read about glia – which are a specialized type of brain cells – but then asked for even more – in her words, “laymen’s” neuroscience.
So I say, in NO uncertain terms, BRAVO MAGGIE!
I too have loved watching you lead Axe into understanding how his unconscious motivations have gotten in his way – just as we discussed. Every time you mention feelings, I know you “got it”.
There is one thing though – as you explained to Debra Birnbaum in Variety, you’ve got an S&M Coach. I wish you had told me. I would have recommended Kasia Urbaniak and THE ACADEMY.
Alas, I can’t claim to be any sort of insider on who or how Emmy voting works, but if authenticity garners admiration and accolades, then I – and they – should vote Ms. Maggie Siff!