Rachel Brosnahan Was Told She 'Wasn't Funny' Years Before Starring In 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'

Despite her comedic role on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," Rachel Brosnahan recently revealed that she wasn't initially seen as funny material. Her performance as Miriam "Midge" Maisel garnered her praise and earned her an Emmy and two Golden Globe awards.

The first season of the period comedy-drama was released in 2017 and followed Brosnahan as Midge on her journey towards becoming a stand-up comedian. The former housewife and mother of two discovered her talent for stand-up comedy and decided to go professional.

While the comic role seemingly fit like a glove for the actress, Brosnahan recently revealed that she was told she wasn't funny severally at the start of her career. The 31-year-old also said she felt indebted to the show's executive producers for taking a chance on her.

Brosnahan just opened up about being told that she wasn't funny at the start of her career. The actress plays the role of an upcoming stand-up comedian named Midge, who attempted to make a name for herself in stand-up comedy during the late 1950s.

While on the show's FYC event held at the Steiner Studios in Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday, the actress was present on a cast panel. There, Brosnahan mentioned (via People) that she "spent the first couple years of my career being told I was not funny." She added that while it wasn't necessarily an insult, several professionals advised her to go another route.

The 31-year-old said, "It wasn't like an insulting thing. It was really just a lot of people who were professionals kind of saying, 'You might want to head in a different direction. Maybe consider something over here.' I think it's been a really challenging and incredible exercise over the last couple of years."

Brosnahan also mentioned how grateful she was to "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's" executive producers, Amy Sherman Palladino and Daniel Palladino, for accepting and "taking that kind of chance in someone" like her.

Brosnahan revealed that when she found out she got the role, she'd just lost out on another part that same morning because she "wasn't funny enough." "They wanted someone funnier," she said.

In a different part of the panel, moderator, Danny Strong, shed some light on a conversation with Amy and Dan concerning how challenging it was for them while casting Brosnahan's character, Midge. Strong revealed that he was having dinner with the duo when Amy asserted that she would simply not do the show if she didn't find "someone great" to play the lead.

"Then we had dinner; I don't know, a month later, three weeks later. And she was like, 'I found her. We're all good.' So literally, if she hadn't found [Rachel], there may never have been the show," he added.

While recalling how Brosnahan got the role, Amy said that the actress's ability to "step into a microphone" was what set her aside from the other contenders. "Everyone else moved away from the microphone," she said.

The 56-year-old continued, "She was the only one who knew if you're going to be a stand-up, you're going to lean into that f--king microphone. And if you don't have the balls to do that, you got to get off the stage."

Amy added that immediately after Brosnahan did that, she bagged the audition, and nothing else mattered. "It was just like the minute she did that, we were kind of like, 'We're sold,' because it didn't matter what happened after that," she said. "If it didn't work, it didn't matter. All we know is she was the one who had the balls. She had the toughness. She understood the basic thing about comedy."

After releasing episodes for season 3 in 2019, the fourth installment of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" was reportedly held off due to the coronavirus pandemic. The trailer for season four was released on Monday and showed Midge's attempt to do things her way.

The description of the new season read, "It's 1960, and change is in the air. Looking to hone her act, Midge (Brosnahan) finds a gig with total creative freedom. But her commitment to her craft—and the places it takes her—creates a rift between her and the family and friends around her."

Midge was shown telling her manager Susie Myerson, played by Alex Borstein, about her intention to not hold back on her words. "You know what's great about me? It's when I'm me. Every single show, I'm gonna say exactly what's on my mind," she said.

Besides Brosnahan and Borstein, other actors set to return to the newest season include Tony Shalhoub, Marin Hinkle, Kevin Pollack, Michael Zegen, Luke Kirby, and Caroline Aaron. Some actors who will make guest appearances on the show include Kelly Bishop, John Waters, Milo Ventimiglia, and Jason Alexander.