Why Jane From Mr. & Mrs. Smith Looks So Familiar
"Mr. & Mrs. Smith" might not be the most obvious IP to be remade as a Prime Video series, given the critical flop of 2005's action comedy film starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. However, the series is here — and with "Atlanta" creator and star Donald Glover in charge and playing John Smith, the story about two married expert agents is a wild one.
Glover was originally going to star with Phoebe Waller-Bridge of "Fleabag" fame, but she left the project over differing creative visions. Instead, Maya Erskine took on the role of Jane Smith as a comparatively last-minute replacement. Erskine told The Guardian that she was somewhat intimidated by stepping into a notoriously Jolie role. However, the people behind the project convinced her that the remake would be worth a shot. "It was Donald and Francesca [Sloane], who had worked together on 'Atlanta' so I knew it was going to be different," Erskine said. "It was so nice to have them say from the beginning that it was as if we were the reject versions of [Pitt and Jolie]. And that's always a happy, safe space for me."
For viewers who want to familiarize themselves with Erskine's work before "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," here's a look at her greatest hits.
Pen 15: Erskine and Anna Konkle formed a formidable comedic duo
Hulu's "Pen15" is a relatable and well-regarded comedy series about the everyday turmoil of middle school kids' lives in 2000. The show's stars and co-creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle make sure that the audience stays hooked by drawing heavily from their lives and playing barely fictionalized 13-year-old versions of themselves ... despite clearly being adults. (Erskine's real-life mother Mutsuko Erskine even plays her character's mom.)
In an interview with Deadline, Erskine recounted how the pair crafted the show from their lived experiences. "At the time we were conceiving it, we were so insecure," she said. "We would go to these parties and feel like we were back in middle school. It was this really odd time. I still feel that way sometimes. We were having an epiphany that, 'Oh, this never leaves you'. That 13-year-old self inside of you is always there. The first time you got embarrassed, the first time you felt heartbroken, that's in you. It felt like the only thing we wanted to write about."
One might not expect a TV show to wrap up on its own terms after a couple of seasons, but that's exactly what happened here. "Pen15" ended after two seasons for a simple reason: Erskine and Konkle had told the three story arcs they set out to make.
Wine Country: one heck of an ensemble film
In 2019, Maya Erskine joined a powerful ensemble cast in Amy Poehler's "Wine Country." The comedy-drama focuses on a group of ladies who take a wine trip to Napa Valley — only to get caught in a series of increasingly absurd circumstances as they navigate vineyards and their increasingly pressing relationship issues. The movie stars an all-star cast of female comedians like Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Paula Pell, and Ana Gasteyer, so Erskine is in extremely good company.
Within "Wine Country," Erskine portrays Jade, a local artist and waitress Val (Pell) is infatuated with from the moment they meet. Though critics and audiences didn't find "Wine Country" as great as its cast would suggest, and Erskine is only a supporting character, a role in a movie made by some of the best female comedians out there is by no means a wine stain on her CV.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: She traveled to the galaxy far, far away
Disney+ "Star Wars" show "Obi-Wan Kenobi" fills in the titular exiled Jedi's (Ewan McGregor) life between the fall of the Republic and the beginning of "Star Wars: Part IV – A New Hope." Within this venture, Maya Erskine plays a character called Sully Stark — a member of the Hidden Path, an Underground Railroad-style good guy group that secretly helps the survivors of Order 66 and the Great Jedi Purge. She appears in the final three episodes of the six-episode season.
On Marc Malkin's podcast "Just for Variety," Erskine said that the show made a point of letting some fans of the franchise in on the action. "The extras were incredible on the set, and a lot of them were mega 'Star Wars' fans," Erskine said. "One guy, he was so nice and he lifted up his sleeves and had 'Star Wars' tattoos over his whole body." As for her recurring role in the series, she downplayed it as very small. However, even if it had been a two-second cameo, she probably would have taken it to preserve peace within the family. "My brother, who's a mega fan, was like, 'If you don't take this, I will disown you. You have to be part of this universe'," she said.
Maya Erskine's other roles
Erskine is a prolific voice actor who can be heard in projects that range from Netflix's "Blue Eye Samurai" (where she voices Mizu) to "DC League of Super-Pets" (as Mercy Graves), but she's also had her share of on-screen appearances. One of her larger live-action roles is on "Man Seeking Woman," a surreal romantic comedy show that focuses on Jay Baruchel's Josh, a Chicago twentysomething recovering from a heartbreak. Erskine is a notable part of the show's first season as Maggie, aka Josh's ex.
The "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" star has also had prominent roles in Prime Video's "Betas," a one-season Silicon Valley sitcom, and Hulu's comedy-drama "Casual." She's also appeared on The CW's "Hart of Dixie," Bernard Rose's movie "Frankenstein," the hospital drama "Heartbeat," Issa Rae's HBO show "Insecure," and the Netflix miniseries "Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later," among others.
The first season of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" is now streaming on Prime Video.