Luke Kirby Reflects on the Relationship Between Midge and Lenny in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Through The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s five-season run, audiences wondered where the relationship between Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) and Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby) would go. The two are close friends, who share a passion for stand-up, but the undeniable chemistry between the two often led viewers hoping for more. While most of the series is fictional, Bruce’s character is inspired by the real-life comedian of the same name who rose to popularity through the 1950s and 1960s in New York’s comedy scene. Bruce passed away in 1966, when he was 40, following an overdose.

During the fifth and final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Kirby’s screen time is brief, and we last see him during a flashback scene where he shares a meal with Midge. Midge keeps a token from that meal, the fortune from inside a cookie, that we see her holding before a pivotal moment in her career, demonstrating the special bond between the two. In a recent conversation with TVInsider, Kirby reflects on the relationship between Midge and Lenny.

“I feel like they love each other. They clearly share a kind of chemistry that’s at times hot. But they also share an affection for each other’s pursuits and yearnings that are born out of crazy ideas about what it is to be a person. The fact that they have each other, I think it really feels lucky. They’re like two trains running side by side. There’s a love there that’s equal to the love that they have for the work that they are pursuing.”

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel premiered in 2017 and quickly became a favorite among critics and viewers. Kirby earned an Emmy Award in 2019 for his guest role on the series, while Brosnahan earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress and two consecutive Golden Globe Awards in 2018 and 2019. Luke Kirby will soon reunite with series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino for Amazon Studios’ Étoile. The series, which has received a two-season, 16-episode order, follows the dancers and staff of two world-renowned ballet companies located in New York City and Paris. Kirby stars alongside The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel alum Gideon Glick, and Camille Cottin, Simon Callow, Lou de Laâge, and David Alvarez.

Related: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Creator Blames The Rings of Power for Show’s Sudden Ending

Lenny Bruce: On and Off-Screen

While The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel doesn’t explore Bruce’s untimely death, those familiar with the comedian knew that Midge and Lenny would likely not end up together. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel kept their story of the renowned comedian relatively light and only touched on his drug use during a season four scene where Midge finds paraphernalia in a shared hotel room.

Just as he is depicted on the series, Bruce was known as an advocate for free speech who openly discussed things like religion, politics, and sex, in a matter often considered inappropriate. This often led to Bruce’s difficulty securing gigs, especially on television. Through the early 1960s, Bruce was arrested multiple times on obscenity charges and was eventually convicted for a 1964 incident. In 2003, New York Governor George Pataki granted Bruce a posthumous pardon for the conviction. In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked Bruce the third-greatest comedian of all time, trailing only Richard Pryor and George Carlin.