The darkly absurd comedy about marriage and divorce is based on the novel by Alissa Nutting. It begins with Hazel–who has been in a suffocating marriage to Byron for 10 years–discovering that her husband has planted a chip in her brain that allows him to track her, watch her and know her “emotional data.” Hazel manages to escape from the prison-like compound where the couple lives with the help of a dolphin–did we mention it was absurd? She makes her way to her desert hometown, where she reunites with her widower father Herbert (Ray Romano) and his life-size doll Diane (think: sex toy). Yeah, we weren’t kidding about the absurdity. Parade.com had the chance to pick Milioti’s brain about the oddball story of love and divorce, and how Hazel’s predicament compares to that of Sarah’s in Palm Springs.
This is a crazy series. What was your reaction when you first read it?
I had never read anything like it. I thought that it was so singular and, to your point, so, so wild. I was so interested in this woman and the different versions of herself that she presents. She’s like this Stepford wife and that isn’t a performance or a performance in a performance. And then she’s like her feral, dirt kid self, where she has to reckon with her estrangement with her father. And then, how do you combine the two of them? And, also, the things she gets to go through. I’d never read anything like it.
Will fans of the book be happy with the series? Does it stay true enough to the material?
One of the most incredible things is that Alissa Nutting, who wrote the novel, is one of our EPs and was very instrumental in writing the episodes. She was there on set every day and she’s an absolute joy. It was wonderful to know that the woman whose brain this sprung from was present and a part of operations. There are definitely differences between the book and the series. When I signed on, I read the book, but I eventually found there are enough differences that I felt like I should actually just focus on what was in front of me. But what’s wonderful is that Hazel, as a character, is completely preserved and very, very similar. Also, it’s still the same wild, strange, dark, funny world that Alissa first created.
Hazel realizes she doesn’t know what she wants. Did she know what she wanted when she said yes to Byron’s proposal on their very first date? Or was it over this period of 10 years that she has come to understand that she doesn’t know what she wants?
What I love about that date scene is that she’s offered the Disney princess fantasy. Right? The guy comes in and says, “You’re never going to want for anything. You’re going to live in a palace. You’re going to have all the money you can think of, all the nicest dresses, you don’t have to do anything except that you can never leave, and you can’t speak to your family. You can’t actually speak to anyone.” I don’t think she understands because she’s in her early 20s and she’s just so desperate to escape her life that she thinks, “How bad can it be?” And, of course, she wants those things. We’re told our entire lives, we want those things. Look at most of the movies and television of the last 50 years. I think it’s an offer that she can’t refuse. Of course, it seems like a dream, but then becomes a nightmare. And, in order to survive it, she cuts herself off from her own feelings so violently in order to get through day-to-day. So, that actually, when we find her having escaped the compound, I don’t think she knows what she wants at all.
What was it like having Ray Romano as your dad?
It was a dream. I think he’s such an exquisite actor and he’s an exquisite person as well. I grew up watching him on Everybody Loves Raymond, and I’ve seen all of his work since then. He is such an incredible actor; it was a joy, truly.
Hazel’s dad has this doll Betty that he treats like a real person. What was it like acting with a doll?
I was saying in an interview earlier that when we first started working on the show, she was very clearly like a sex doll to us. We were like, “Oh, a giant doll.” And if we had to reposition her, they would just move her. And we would touch her weird rubber skin. And as it went on, we actually all became very protective of her and treated her like she was imbued with life, and I started to really get it. The more we worked with her, the more I was like, “Oh, yeah, she stares right into your soul. She’s like a person.” So, I sort of understood more what someone could get from a relationship like that.
What was it like working with Billy?
I’ve known Billy for 10 years. He’s one of my favorite people and he’s also one of my favorite actors. We’re both theater kids. I think we both are always so willing to experiment and we’re game for anything. I felt really safe with him. The stuff that we explored in this marriage was so wonderful.
Hazel’s “prince charming” Byron knows that if he activates his chip, it will kill her. Does he not understand the value of human life?
He thinks that it’s OK because she would still live in his chip. We’re not dealing with a rational character. That’s part of the terrifying nature of Byron–that while you may understand, you may have empathy for the fact that he’s also desperate to connect, he’s also quite lonely and isolated. You’re dealing with someone who’s wildly irrational and who’s used to getting his way. And I think that’s also what makes him so terrifying.
Has being in this series about a woman whose boyfriend planted a chip in her brain that can kill her affected your relationship with technology?
I’m researching how to get this phone called the Light Phone, where you can only text and call, and then it gives you GPS. That’s it. No email, no pictures. And I’m actively pursuing it. I don’t have a great relationship with technology. It frightens me. It’s access to us. It’s unregulated access. It gives me a lot of anxiety.
Having come from the movie Palm Springs, which would you say is worse: living the same day over and over again, or being stuck in the Hub for 10 years?
Being stuck in the Hub. Absolutely. It’s terrible. Her solitude, her aloneness…at least in Palm Springs, they have each other.
You’ve had lead roles in Palm Springs and Made For Love. Does this feel like a turning point for you? What do you want to do next?
I don’t know what I want to do next, but I know that I want it to be different than what I’ve done so far. But as far as how people will react or if it’s a turning point, I don’t know. I don’t have any control over that. I would certainly love to do something next that’s pretty unexpected.
What series are you watching right now?
I’ve been really into–I watched it in like three days–What We Do in the Shadows on FX. That show is so good. I’ve binged all of Search Party and Insecure. I’m a huge fan of It’s Always Sunny fan and I went back and watched all of that. Made for Love debuts with three episodes tonight on HBO Max. The season continues with three episodes on April 8 and concludes with two episodes on April 15. See all the big movies coming to HBO Max soon!
