Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Living... in Los Angeles once again after some time back home in Duluth, Minnesota. She had a breakdown of sorts and had to get treatment for bipolar disorder. She moved back in with her family and got a “square” job before she was ready to return to work as an actress and comedian.
Profession...comedian trying to find her place in the industry. Back before her time in treatment, she hit it big as the spokesperson for a major big box store. But that success and exposure led to her breakdown. Now she’s working with her manager Bruce to take any work that comes her way, including the show Lady Dynamite.
Interests… connecting with others, funny voices, sitting on the bench she’s placed outside her house with her friends.
Relationship Status... single and looking for love. It’s not easy, though. The guy who’s shown the most interest in her only did so when she did (what she thought was) a funny voice. Now she has to keep it up so the relationship doesn’t fall apart.
Challenge... getting her life back together after her time in Duluth. Mental illness is an ongoing struggle for Maria, but she confronts it head-on and integrates her problems into her act. Comedian Patton Oswalt says she should stay away from stand-up in her new show, but it’s one of the best and most direct ways for her to communicate her inner life.
Personality... quirky, curious, eager to please. Her motto of sorts is, “I don’t know what I’m doing more than half of the time.” But she pushes forward with the help of Bruce and her life coach Karen, because as an actress over 40, “more than half the time” is a pretty good clip. She describes herself as someone whose “skin is getting softer, yet my bones are jutting out, so I’m half-soft, half-sharp!” That kind of self-reflective comedy is what keeps her as sane as she can be.
