Veteran actress Margo Martindale is enjoying life in the digital TV age — simultaneously headlining Amazon’s “Sneaky Pete” while filming her Emmy-winning role on “The Americans” (FX).
“Because Amazon and all of this [online] binging is fairly new . . . all of these binge shows have been fun,” says Martindale, 65. “It’s like watching a movie over three or four nights and gives people a lot to look forward to. It’s a lot different from a show that comes on weekly.
“But there’s a lot to be said for that, too,” she says. “The waiting, the anticipating until the next week and what could happen. People love ‘The Americans’ and as far as people recognizing me, I would say ‘The Americans’ is the hottest show on the street.”
The Reagan-era drama returns for its fifth (and penultimate) season March 7, with stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as embedded KGB agents Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings and Martindale as their handler, Claudia — a role that’s snared her two Emmys.
“Let’s just say I’m in [this season] more than I have been,” says Martindale. “We finish shooting in mid-March, just a little bit after [the show] comes on. I love ‘The Americans’ and I’m so happy that I’m going to end with it.”
Martindale — who won her first Emmy in 2011 for her recurring role as hillbilly matriarch Mags Bennett on “Justified” — plays a matriarch of a different stripe on “Sneaky Pete,” which premiered on Amazon earlier this month. The series revolves around con man Marius Josipovic (Giovanni Ribisi), who swipes former cell mate Pete Murphy’s identity and befriends Pete’s extended family in a bid to repay $100,000 to violent mobster Vince (series co-creator Bryan Cranston).
Pete’s family owns a flagging bail bond business in Bridgeport, Ct. run by grandmother Audrey Bernhardt (Martindale), and the 10-episode season involves a series of elaborate cons — pulled not just by Marius/Pete but by Audrey and other family members.
“Sneaky Pete” was renewed for a second season, and Martindale says the “core family” will return (co-stars include Marin Ireland, Peter Gerety and Shane MacRae).
“[The series] went crazy from episode 5 through 10,” says Martindale. “[Audrey] certainly knows that Pete is not who he says he is. He could be her grandson, but she’s not certain. That should not be answered too soon. It’s good to keep that mystery alive.”
People love ‘The Americans’ and as far as people recognizing me, I would say ‘The Americans’ is the hottest show on the street.
- Margo Martindale
Regarding mysteries, Martindale says she’s not sure if she’ll be lending her voice to more episodes of the animated Netflix series “BoJack Horseman,” in which she plays “Character actress Margo Martindale.” (Will Arnett voices the titular character, a horse who’s also a washed-up ’90s sitcom star.) “I’m very proud of that show,” she says. “I read that I was doing more. That’s all I can tell you. It’s fun and . . . I can do anything as a cartoon. There’s no age limit.”
Martindale, who seems to be working on 10 projects at once (including big-screen movies), is asked about the trajectory her career has taken.
“Here’s what I had in mind. All I wanted to do was act, and I’ve done a thousand plays and I did a lot of comedy in plays. And I always wanted to do a sitcom. Well, now I’ve done that,” she says of her two-season NBC series “The Millers” (which co-starred Arnett).
“I didn’t strive for anything except for my next acting job — and this is where it led me.”