Actress Kate Winslet plays a detective figuring out a murder mystery all while dealing with her own problems in the critically-acclaimed TV show, Mare of Easttown. The show was so well-received by everyone that it ended up getting sixteen nominations at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards, out of which, it won four. Among the four awards, Kate Winslet was also awarded one for Outstanding Lead Actress.
It’s safe to say that her run as detective Mare was loved by fans and critics alike and naturally, fans are wondering if they will get to explore Easttown a bit more. Kate Winslet has some answers to this question and they might not be in favor of Mare returning for a second season.
Kate Winslet Doubtful About Mare of Easttown Season 2
Appearing on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast Kate Winslet talked about returning for the second season of Mare of Easttown. She stated that while she has no idea about what’s going to happen next, no decision is concrete, just yet. She stated that no one in the team has the answer to “How would that evolve” as the first season was way more successful than they thought it would be. She stated that she feels “Enormously proud” of what they did and that she’s proud of all the actors.
Winslet stated that the first season was really tough and the team is now wondering if they should just quit while they’re ahead or give it a second go. After talking about the success of the show and the possibility of Mare of Easttown returning for a second season, the Titanic actress opened up about how difficult it was for her to play Mare.
“It was a lot for me to play that character. I’m not going to lie. Coming out the other side was frighteningly hard. It made me realize, ‘Oh my god, if I go to work now, it really hurts,’ and I have to look after myself. I have a family. I can’t just do that.”
Winslet continued that the show was a “Colossal” commitment and almost burnt her out with how much it took out of her. She stated that if season two was to happen, she would have to do all of that all over again because she knows what the audience wants and deserves.
Seeing how taxing the journey has been for Winslet, it wouldn’t be a surprise if she ultimately decides not to play the detective once again.
Creator Brad Ingelsby Talks About Kate Winslet and Season 2
Talking to Indie Wire, creator of Mare of Easttown, Brad Ingelsby, stated that he had seen detective shows where the lead actor was a male with a drinking problem, Ingelsby wanted to defy that stereotype which is why he was drawn into a show which had a woman in the lead. Ingelsby talked about how the character of Mare was a leader trying to put a brave face on, making sure everyone knew she had her life together which wasn’t the case, at all.
He continued that the pieces and ideas started turning into a character and the only way to move forward was to write the ideas down.
“We’re dropping into a woman’s life at a time when the facade is crumbling. She’s a woman detective and a mother who saw herself as a failure. The aggregate of those pieces started to become a character you can’t get out of your head. The only way to get rid of them is to write them.”
Next, Ingelsby stated that Winslet was the perfect choice for the role as she was super invested in Mare’s character and was constantly available on Zoom, email, and text to discuss notes. The creator stated that Winslet simply “Melted into the character.”
As far as a second season goes, Ingelsby stated that there are a few ideas on the table and that everyone’s interested to try it. However, he added that the team was aware of the difficulty of it all. He stated, “We gave her so much trauma, where could we go to if we pulled trauma out of the toolkit?”
He stated that there was no way to match the heaviness of Mare losing the people she loved in the show and if a second season was to become a reality, it would be puzzling to see how the show picks up from there.
Fans will just have to wait and see if a second season happens. And if it does, it will certainly be interesting to see what mystery Easttown is wrapped up in this time!
Mare of Easttown is available to stream on HBO Max.
Source: Happy, Sad, Confused Podcast
