Why Hedy From The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Looks So Familiar
If there's one thing viewers of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" can count on, it's that the show's tangled web of character relationships can always stand to get just a bit more complicated. That has certainly been the case with the show's fifth and final season, which, despite having the task of tying up many of the show's loose ends, still takes the time to introduce a couple of fresh faces to the mix. One such character is Hedy Ford, the wife of Gordon Ford (Reid Scott) who shares an intriguing history with Alex Borstein's Susie.
Hedy's presence opens up plenty of narrative doors for Gordon and Susie in particular, but some viewers may have come away from her episodic appearances wondering what they've seen the character's actor in before. Indeed, Hedy's actor Nina Arianda has appeared in a handful of notable projects that readers may be familiar with, ranging from a cult classic rom-com to one of the biggest thriller series of the 2010s.
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Early on in Nina Arianda's career, she attained quite the notable film credit as part of the cast for Woody Allen's 2011 romance movie "Midnight in Paris." The flick stars Owen Wilson as Gil, a novelist whose trip to Paris with his wife Inez (Rachel McAdams) turns fantastical as he learns he can time travel into the city's past.
One important element of the film is the dynamic between Gil, Inez, and her friends that she invites to go sightseeing with them — Paul (Michael Sheen) and Carol (played by Arianda). For all intents and purposes, the couple appears stable and well-adjusted, if a bit pretentious in their consumption of Parisian culture. However, some infidelity-related revelations later on in the movie troubles their picturesque dynamic, and casts Carol in a much more sympathetic light.
Arianda had high praise for the film at the time of its release. "I really like the movie," she said in an interview with The Hudson Union. "I never like anything I'm in."
Hannibal (2015)
In a far less romantic turn from "Midnight in Paris," 2015 saw Nina Arianda return to the small screen for a recurring role on the "Silence of the Lambs" prequel series "Hannibal." Specifically, she appeared for several episodes of the show's third and final season as a character with a very important connection to Hugh Dancy's lead character Will Graham.
In the final few episodes of "Hannibal," viewers finally meet Will's semi-estranged wife Molly, portrayed by Arianda. Despite clear difficulties in their marriage, Molly is frequently shown to be supportive of Will as he deals with his increasingly complex duties as an FBI profiler. Of course, those who have viewed the ending of "Hannibal" will know that Will's ultimate decisions take him in a direction that decidedly doesn't end in a happy reunion with his wife.
Coincidentally, "Hannibal" actually wasn't the first time that Arianda and Dancy starred opposite one another as lovers. The pair both appeared as the main duo of characters in David Ives' very-NSFW Broadway play "Venus in Fur" during its run in the early 2010s.
Goliath (2016)
Following her brief turn in "Hannibal," Nina Arianda jumped over to Amazon Prime Video for a starring role in its original series "Goliath." A legal drama, the show focuses on Billy Bob Thornton's character of disillusioned lawyer Billy McBride as he embarks on a journey of redemption through an intriguing new case.
Arianda stars throughout the series as Patty Solis-Papagian, a lawyer-slash-real-estate-agent who ends up becoming a very close ally of McBride. By the final stages of the show, Patty finds themselves going up against the complicated world of pharmaceutical companies, all while juggling the struggles of her own personal and family life.
While "Goliath" has since wrapped up, Arianda looks back on her time with the series quite fondly."I had a really great time for so many years working slightly from the outside in, if that makes sense," she told Screen Rant. "Being able to work with Lindy [McMichael], our costume designer, in such a seamless and collaborative way was so fun."
Billions (2019)
Rounding out this list of credit highlights for Nina Arianda is one of her most recent roles of note — a recurring role on the Showtime drama "Billions." The series stars Damian Lewis as Bobby Axelrod, a hedge fund mogul who engages in white-collar crime to build his empire. Mirroring several of her previously mentioned roles, Arianda once again played one of the main character's love interests for a sizable slice of the series.
Throughout "Billions" Season 4, Arianda recurs as Rebecca Cantu, an elite billionaire who ends up sparking a relationship with Bobby. Of course, things quickly get complicated between the two, as Bobby ends up involving her in his devious plan to take down former ally Taylor Amber Mason (Asia Kate Dillon). It goes about as well as one might expect, with Bobby destroying Rebecca's dream company and robbing the pair of any chance at a happily ever after.