Bollywood: Is Maid Based On A True Story?

Is Netflix's miniseries Maid based on a true story? Maid opens with Alex (Margaret Qualley) fleeing with her young daughter Maddy (Rylea Nevaeh Whittet) from the child's abusive father Sean (Nick Robinson). Previously appearing in supporting roles in works like Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood and Death Note, here Qualley takes center stage as a young mother with no options. With no one reliable to turn to for help and only $18 to her name, Alex struggles with what to do next. Most housing requires a proof of employment, which she can't get without childcare, which she can't get without employment.

Social services eventually directs her toward a cleaning service job, and Maid displays Alex's anticipated income on the screen while her boss explains the expectations to her. The number continually decreases as Alex realizes just how little money she will actually be making, but she takes the job anyway. Dealing with so much heartbreak that countless people are forced to face in real life, the show's situations often feel all too real -- but just how real is it?

Maid was inspired by Stephanie Land's memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive. The show's producers—Margot Robbie from the movies I, Tonya and Birds of Prey, and John Wells from ER and Shameless—fictionalized Land's story for Netflix. Land explained in an interview with Seattle Times that this fictionalization was what led her to agree to sell the rights to them. She wanted a filmed adaptation to expand beyond just her own personal experience, as well as incorporate more diversity into the story. "I really wanted that because it’s not a white person’s story; 90% of domestic workers are people of color," Land said.

Although Maid fictionalizes all of the characters and locations from the book, there are clear homages to the source material. For instance, the Washington city of Port Townsend became Port Hampstead, which writer Molly Smith Metzler explained still feels a lot like the real city. Two of the leading actors are also from Washington: Robinson is originally from Seattle, and Billy Burke, who was Charlie Swan in Twilight and Alex's father in Maid, is from Bellingham. Both actors were able to bring those perspectives into the show as well to add even more authenticity.

Maid's story might not be completely factual, but the true story behind it gave weight to the miniseries that added to its emotional impact. Land served as an executive producer on Maid and answered questions for Metzler and the producers to ensure the show could be as genuine as possible in capturing the difficulties of living with only $2 in one's wallet. In just ten episodes, the series seeks to center the helplessness a person feels when they keep going despite a lack of options. Hopefully, any viewers who see parts of themselves in the show can walk away knowing that they are not alone.

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October 04, 2021 at 02:34AM

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