Wigs. If Cynthia Nixon is going to pull off starring in three series at one time it’s going to be thanks to the power of wigs. The Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning actress has already starred in the highly popular Ryan Murphy series “Ratched” which debuted this past fall. Soon, she’ll be seen in Julian Fellowes’ late 1800’s New York melodrama “The Gilded Age” and following that, she’ll return to a character she first portrayed 23 years ago, Miranda Hobbes in the “Sex and the City” sequel, “Just Like That…” To say Nixon stays busy is an understatement.
READ MORE: Ryan Murphy’s ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ prequel offers a garish, unnecessary origin story [Review]
A progressive political activist, Nixon ran for the Democratic nomination for the Governor of New York in 2018. She lost to now-embattled Governor Andrew Cuomo, but as she explains in our interview from earlier this week, the race helped serve a very important purpose. Oh, and if you’re unaware – we certainly weren’t – because of the positive ramifications of that race, she says she’ll never run for political office again.
Nixon spent a generous amount of time during our interview detailing her current political aspirations (again, none), celebrating the queer love story that survived “Ratched” (well, for season one, at least) and whether “Just Like That…” will need to dramatically change for the times or not.
[This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]
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The Playlist: Even though I’m originally from New York, I’ve clearly lived in Los Angeles too long. I’m at a loss to understand contemporary New York City politics whatsoever. But I’m curious, considering the state of the race, do you feel like maybe you should have run for mayor of New York City?
Cynthia Nixon: 100% not.
Why not?
Because the whole reason that I ran for governor of New York State was the governor controls the purse strings and controls the budget. I’ve been fighting for 20 years for the four-plus billion dollars that New York school kids were owed. The single reason that we are not being paid that was that the governor fixed the legislature to not allow that to happen. So, what happened is when I did run three years ago, we brought attention to how [Andrew] Cuomo had essentially – I’m sure this is so much more information than you want – but how Cuomo had essentially incentivized a group of Democrats in the New York State Senate to vote with the Republicans, which gave the Republicans the majority, even though there were more Democrats than Republicans. So, he used that group of people called the IDC, the Independent Democratic Caucus, to block many pieces of progressive legislation, like the education funding, like a Green New Deal, like ending cash bail. I mean, the list goes on, and on, and on, and like rent regulation. Almost all those things have now passed, and this $4 billion that I’ve been fighting for since 2001, other people have been fighting for it since 1993, we got it this year. So, I don’t want to run New York City, I think it’s a nightmare, nor do I think I’m in any way qualified to run New York City. What I wanted was to expose all the progressive things that could and should be happening in New York State, if only we didn’t have a governor who was pretending to be a Democrat, was really a Republican, and his overarching goal was keeping taxes low to please his donors, and millionaires, and billionaires, rather than funding things like the schools, like healthcare, like a Green New Deal, like affordable housing, that would actually impact a great number of New Yorkers positively and be something that they want if they weren’t fooled by a Republican in Democratic clothing.
My one last follow-up on this is, in that context, knowing that you’re really happy with what’s been achieved in the legislature over the past three years and knowing that you have potentially three continuing series on your docket is the door still open to ever run again in the future?
No, absolutely not, never.
Never? That was it.
Right, because what I wanted to achieve has been achieved, and while I very much want Cuomo to not be the governor anymore…what has happened is, because we elected so many progressive people to both the Senate and the Assembly, it’s not just the old guard anymore. It’s no longer people who are afraid to speak out on the whole myriad of issues on which Cuomo is a nightmare, not just for the people who have to work with him, but a nightmare for New York State itself. What’s happened just in the last few short years since I ran, is we have now a growing pack of legislators who are willing to do that. This is why the truth has been told about Cuomo, and why he stands a very good chance of, if not actually being impeached and removed from office, he has a very good chance of being ousted by somebody else who will run. One of the main reasons that I ran is that no one in politics would, because the retribution from the governor for even thinking about running was so severe, much less actually running. But now that he has been so weakened, not only in the legislature but also with voters, it has opened the door for a person who is actually in politics to run. So, it was never so much that I really wanted to be the governor of New York State, I wanted someone who was actually progressive to run against Cuomo and hopefully oust him. But if one could not oust him, to bring attention to all these things that New York voters actually really want and care about, and that’s happened.
Congratulations on that, because that’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears that you gave to make that happen.
It was, yes, it was. But there were a lot of people fighting alongside me and our campaign, and they are still there, which is why we’re having all these victories.
Which is fantastic and now the most horrible transition to the real purpose of our conversation today. So, you run for governor, it doesn’t work out, but long-term it does, and you are looking to get back into acting. How did ‘Ratched’ even come your way?
Well, right, so I think the other thing was, I always tried as hard as I could to win, but I always felt that the chances of my winning were very, very small, and we were being outspent 20 to one. So, basically, when the primary came, and I did not win the Democratic nomination, then I took a little break, sat on my couch for a bit, which was very welcome. A few months after that, I remember actually when Ryan Murphy called me. I was actually in Banana Republic, I was Christmas shopping, so it must’ve been December, I guess. He offered me this plum role of Gwendolyn, and I was thrilled because it was him. I was thrilled by the sound of the part. Then, of course, he sent me the scripts. I was thrilled, first and foremost, to be acting opposite Sarah Paulson, who is a great and longtime friend. But also, for the chance to work with Judy Davis, because some of the other luminaries had not yet been cast. But I have been a huge fan of Judy Davis since I was a kid. Since I saw her in “My Brilliant Career,” so it sounded like a dream job. Also, I mean, I’ve never shot a series in Los Angeles, because I’m a New Yorker, and I’ve always said, “No,” but this one seemed too good to pass up. It was only supposed to be for a year because my character was supposed to die at the end of the first year. But then I think Ryan and the other powers that be wonderfully said, “To have two queer women playing these two queer women who fall in love, that is such a rarity in and of itself, and we don’t want to then have it be this beautiful thing, but then one of them tragically dies.” I think Ryan is very aware that that’s an unhappy gay trope. When he thought about it actually decided, “Yeah, we don’t want to do that, we want to do the opposite, we want to let them actually be happy.”
In that context, was your understanding that she was supposed to die when she got shot in episode 5?
They didn’t tell me that. Maybe this is, I don’t know, a funny thing to say, but I was actually afraid that maybe Mildred killed me. Which I don’t think it was ever in anybody else’s mind than my own, but I was imagining that we are in love, but then something happens, and I realize what she’s been up to, and I’m going to out her as a person who kills people and that she was going to kill me to keep me silent. That’s what I was imagining, although, then I did know that there was going to be cancer, and then of course I did find out I was going to be shot. So, I think there were a lot of ways I could have gone, but I was worried I was going to die at Mildred’s hands, actually. Not that anybody ever said anything like that to me.
Well, hey, Gwendolyn went through enough just being in Mildred’s circle.
Exactly, trying to get the woman to put out a little bit.
I know, exactly! So, I saw this interview where you said that your inspiration for her was Lorena Hickok. Where did that inspiration come from? Had you read a book or was she always in the back of your mind?
In 2005, I played Eleanor Roosevelt in an HBO film called “Warm Springs” with Kenneth Branagh who played FDR. It was about his polio, and it was about his quest to walk again, which was not successful. It was a very star-studded, beautifully written, beautifully directed film. Our writer very much wanted to do a sequel to it about the campaign leading up to the victory as president, and then the 100 days at the White House. It’s exactly that time period that Eleanor fell in love with Lorena Hickok, who was a reporter, who was assigned to follow Eleanor and cover her during the campaign. So, I was very aware of Lorena from that, and I was really fascinated, and I did a lot of reading about her. I read their letters and all kinds of things. Actually, I guess I only read Lorena’s letters, because, sadly, the night that Eleanor Roosevelt died, Lorena burned all of Eleanor’s letters. Because I think she felt that they were too incriminating. We don’t always know when we’re going to die, and Lorena thought that if something happened to her and the letters were found… She was trying to protect Eleanor’s legacy, she thought. So, yes, I’ve been aware of her for a long time since 2004 at least.
Nixon continues: I thought she’s a great prototype. I mean, she’s from a slightly earlier period, but only slightly. I thought this is a woman like Gwendolyn who has enormous professional success, she’s in politics. Politics and journalism are just a hop, skip, and a jump away from each other. The way Lorena dressed, which was in a somewhat butch manner, but she had lipstick, and her hair was done, and all that stuff. So, I thought this is a great prototype for how a queer woman. At least what we did with Gwendolyn in her off time. When she’s at work and dealing with the press, she’s dressed like a lady of the period, but when she’s in her off hours, it’s Lorena Hickok all the way.
What about Nurse Ratchet do you think Gwendolyn is attracted to? Why do you think she puts up with all of this? Granted, it’s a happy-ish ending in a way, but…
Right, for the moment. I mean, I think it’s mutual. I think that she feels something for Mildred, and I think Mildred notices her too. It’s like you notice when you notice somebody and they notice you back. But if I had to say the qualities, I mean, other than she’s played by Sarah Paulson, and she’s beautiful and sexy, and all that stuff. I think that it’s the unique combination of Mildred’s seeming super confidence, and authority, but also that when you get a little closer to her and you look in her eyes, she does look like a deer in the headlights. I think that Gwendolyn finds that very attractive, and compelling, and also mysterious.
You’ve talked about the fact that it was supposed to be a one-season role, and clearly, at the end of the season, there are now two triumvirates set up against each other.
Totally, the chaos and control. Exactly.
So, you’re also very busy with “The Gilded Cage” and “Just Like That…”
Yeah, I am. [Laughs.]
Sarah’s also very busy. That complicates things. Do you know when season two is even going to go back into production?
I don’t actually, there was some talk that it would be the end of the summer, the beginning of the fall. That would work well for me, but I’m also hearing maybe not be until January or February, which would be more challenging, as that’s when the second season I think of “The Gilded Age” will start. I mean, luckily for me with these three projects, these three really wonderful and really different from each other projects that I’m juggling, I wear wigs in two of them. I mean, it sounds like a minor thing, it’s actually completely crucial. Also, hopefully, COVID will be in an increasingly under control [and in] a good place. Because if I’m doing “The Gilded Age” and “Ratchet,” I could ostensibly be flying back and forth, and just putting on different wigs, depending on which one I’m in. I wouldn’t have to have my hair be a particular way. I mean if I’m using my own hair in even one of them, it would be very difficult.
I did want to ask about The Gilded Age, but I’m going to lose you soon, so let’s talk about “Just Like That…” for a minute. I know you can’t say much about it, but has shooting begun yet?
No, we start on the 22nd. Excuse me, the 21st. I’m working on a political campaign, and election day is the 22nd, and so these two dates are staring down the barrel at me.
The series went with a different title and that teases something new and different. Do you think it will have a different tone from the original “Sex and the City” series or movies?
That’s such a hard question to answer. If you exclude the films, we haven’t shot the series since the same year I mentioned before, 2004. That’s however many years that is, 14 years, I guess?
No, it’s 16, 17.
17 years, right. So, we’re different people, the world is a very different place, and we have many new characters that are new to the series. So, it’s hard to imagine. I guess we’re going to be striving for the same spirit that we had before, and spirit and tone are pretty close to each other. So, I guess we’re aiming in that general direction, but it’s hard to know. This is a unique set of people that are coming together for the first time, and so it’s hard to predict the tone. But, certainly, we’re going for something that is both humorous, and shocking, and incisive, and all of the things that make the previous series so successful in its time, and also something that people all these years later continue to tune into, and still find satisfying and intriguing.
Absolutely, and hey, the good news is, I’m guessing at least, you won’t have to wear a wig.
I will not. [Laughs.]
“Ratched” is available on Netflix worldwide.