Marriage is difficult. This is especially true if your partner has been shrunk to doll size due to a scientific accident. That’s exactly what happened to Lindy (Elizabeth Banks) and Les (Succession star Matthew Macfadyen) in the Sony Pictures Television series “Miniature Wives.”
“I think it’s a great predicament. It’s ridiculous, but it’s also immediately intriguing. But it’s also about relationships,” Macfadyen told Variety ahead of the show’s premiere at Mipcon.
“The script is great, really snappy and tart, but also kind of tender. It’s like a cross between ‘Honey, I Shrunk My Children’ and ‘Marriage Scene.’ When you have something this high, it’s thrilling to jump into it and see where it leads.”
“The Miniature Wife,” based on a short story by Manuel Gonzalez, is produced by Media Res (“The Morning Show,” “Pachinko”). Greg Mottola, who directed the first two episodes, serves as executive producer along with Banks, Macfadyen, Michael Aguilar, Suzanne Heathcote, Michael Ellenberg, and Lindsey Springer.
Before the tragedy, Lindy and Les, who have a teenage daughter, were trying to salvage their decades-long relationship. So are their careers.
“When they started dating, she was the star of their marriage. She wrote a semi-autobiographical book that won a Pulitzer Prize, which was later made into an Oscar-winning movie. Les, a research scientist, was very excited about her, but he played a second hand in the relationship,” says Macfadyen.
“It’s very relatable, but it’s also completely insane. And the relationships here are all pretty dysfunctional. That’s always been my favorite play,” added Sian Clifford, of Fleabag fame.
In the show, Clifford plays Lindy’s friend and longtime collaborator. Zoe Lister-Jones, Sofia Rosinski, and O.T. Fagbenle (The Handmaid’s Tale) co-star as Les’s “scientific companions.”
“I’m crazy about his wife, which is understandable, but I can’t let it go,” he laughed.
“Les is a genius, so there’s a lot of tension there. I’m the Scottie Pippen of his talent, but at the same time I’m in love with his wife. I don’t know if you’ve ever been in that situation, but it’s awkward.”
Lindy is quite small, but this does not make her body completely soft after transformation.
“Elizabeth Banks is very difficult to control,” jokes Fagbenle.
“The way she plays the role, you don’t get the feeling that Lindy is a victim. She’s very strong and attractive and, even though she’s 6 inches tall, she has the fortitude to pack quite a punch.” Clifford agrees: “Still remaining on par with Les. That’s the joy.”
Their battles are often hilarious as things predictably turn dark for the struggling couple, and for the unlucky fly who ends up experiencing her wrath firsthand.
“Their relationship really hit rock bottom, even though she was the size of a dollar bill. It doesn’t make Les put up with the rock bottom of being upset and angry at each other. So, yeah, it’s pretty dark. But it’s also ridiculous,” points out Macfadyen.
“I had a lot of fun playing opposite the enraged Elizabeth. There’s something inherently funny about someone so small and stomping their feet.”
Fagbenle added: “The absurdity allows us to explore dysfunctional relationships in a way that doesn’t feel too depressing. There are lies and betrayals and deceit, but because it’s contained within this abnormal world, you approach it in a different way.”
Things escalate further when Lindy moves into an actual dollhouse. But the cast always had to play it straight, Macfadyen insists.
“There’s no other way. You can’t play it with your tongue in your cheek,” he says.
“You can’t just play a ‘concept,’ otherwise you get bored quickly. I think that’s what’s so interesting about it, because their relationship is still the same. They’re different sizes, they’re in different predicaments, but they’re the same people.”
Still, the miniature world the team created was a fun experience.
“All of these props and sets were very realistic. In a way, it was another character on the show, this little world, and it was done in a completely original way,” Fagbenle recalled, with Clifford adding, “There were giant AirPods that turned into phones. And there were Lego stairs! It was pretty amazing.”
In this series, viewers will also meet the characters before they changed their lives.
“We dip into their past a little bit. We get to see how things started when this promise was still around. Episode 9 is going to be really exciting. It’s a flashback episode and it’s pretty wild,” Clifford teases.
Fagbenle says, “It’s eye candy, but ultimately what drew me to the script was the complex relationships. I think people are really moved by that. A daughter who’s estranged from her mother, a husband and wife finding a way to navigate career and love. That’s the heart of it all, and the frenzy.”
