'The Marvelous Mrs Maisel' star Tony Shalhoub on how he reinvented his character as Midge's dad for Season 3
Actor Tony Shalhoub is best known for his work as a "character actor" with roles in films such as 'Quick Change' (1990), 'Barton Fink' (1991), 'Big Night (1996), 'Men in Black' (1997), 'The Man Who Wasn't There' (all 2001), 'Cars' (2006) and 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' (2014).
He plays the role of Abraham "Abe" Weissman, Midge's father, a mathematics professor at Columbia University and researcher at Bell Labs in the 2019 Amazon Prime Comedy 'The Marvelous Mrs Maisel'.
While speaking to MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) from the red carpet of the 25th Annual Critics' Choice Awards in Los Angeles, Shalhoub shared how his character had to reinvent himself on screen in the third season.
He also talked about how he relates to the struggles of Abe in his own life, and how he sees his career as a rollercoaster ride with many ups and downs.
"At the end of season two, we see this character going through a kind of huge midlife crisis, becoming disenchanted with his role as a father, disenchanted with his jobs, his chosen profession," he said.
"And so in season three, it's all about reinventing himself and struggling to figure out what his path might be and how he can do something that he feels is more impactful and more important," said Shalhoub on how he thinks his character, Abe, expanded in the third season of 'The Marvelous Mrs Maisel'
With an intense storyline and character, Shalhoub talked about the ways he relates to the character, "Well we all have those questions. Are we doing anything that's really making a difference and can we do more? And, you know what I mean?"
"We're in a profession that, at its worst, is just sort of a distraction or whether you've kind of created diversion and, at its best, really touches people and maybe moves people to action," he continued.
"It reflects back what their lives may be about and then there's a large scope of stuff in between. So we always question whether what we're doing is, is worthwhile," he added.
Having a successful career under his belt, Shalhoub went on to speak about how he dealt with the ups and downs of being in the entertainment industry.
"I always see my career as a kind of roller coaster ride. There are highs and there are lows, and there's a lot of time when you're on the way down or on the way up. So I've made peace with the idea that there is always going to be highs and lows — Not to get too cocky or complacent in the highs and not to fall into despair when it's not so good."