‘Sneaky Pete’s Margo Martindale Previews Audrey’s Emotional Season 3 Arc
Q&A
Margo Martindale would like you to start watching Sneaky Pete, please. “You’ll love these people so deeply,” promises the actress. She’s referring to the Bernhardts, your atypical Connecticut family that runs a bail bond business.
In the third go-round of the crime drama, they cope with more struggles and secrets as the title character con man (Giovanni Ribisi) continues to betray their trust. The three-time Emmy winner, who plays matriarch Audrey, shares more. Well, as much as she’s allowed to share.
We haven’t seen the Bernhardts in more than a year. What’s changed?
Margo Martindale: It’s very much a story about family this year. Honestly, it’s some of the best work ever [because] we’re all so connected [offscreen]. We shot in Los Angeles this year [Seasons 1 and 2 were filmed in New York]. And Peter [Gerety], who plays my husband, and Shane [McRae], who plays my grandson, and Marin [Ireland], who plays my granddaughter, and I all live in the same apartment building. We ate together, we worked together.
How has Audrey evolved?
In the past, she’s had to be the bad guy to keep it all together for everybody else. Her armor is coming down a bit. She’s more vulnerable and fragile. You’ll see a more emotional arc this season.
(Credit: Amazon Prime Video)
You’re being a bit cryptic.
If somebody says something about what’s going to happen on the show, I am pissed off. Spoilers ruin things. But we only know one episode at a time anyway. I like being in the dark. It helps in acting, quite honestly. Of course, I do know what happens at the end of Season 3…because we shot it! [Laughs]
OK, so give us one last tease.
There is a shift in the family that takes us on a whole new journey. A physical shift. Is that vague enough for you? [I did] The Americans for six years. Talk about keeping secrets.
Sneaky Pete, Season 3 Premiere, Friday, May 10, Amazon Prime Video
More Must-see Margo
Justified
Martindale earned a best supporting actress Emmy in 2011 for playing Mags Bennett, the murderous head of a marijuana-growing family on Season 2 of the 2010–15 FX crime drama starring Timothy Olyphant. Seasons 1–6 available
The Americans
Claudia (Martindale) looks like a sweet grandma, but she’s actually a ruthless handler for U.S.-based KGB spies. She won two more Emmys during her stint on the 2013–18 FX espionage series. Seasons 1–6 available
The Americans (Credit: Eric Liebowitz/FX)
The Laramie Project
Keep tissues close by: Martindale and a stellar ensemble including Christina Ricci and Laura Linney star in this 2002 film, based on the play about the aftermath of Matthew Shepard’s 1998 murder.
