Dept. QonNetflixoffered a deep, dark look at Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck (Matthew Goode) as he tries to reconcile his personal trauma with his professional life. As part of the process, DCI Morck attends mandatory sessions with a therapist played byKelly Macdonald.
Like Dr. Rachel Irving inDept. Q,Macdonald is an observer and a sounding board to Morck. Irving is honest and unrelenting when making Morck face his past and present alike in a way that’s reminiscent of her role inBoardwalk Empire. As Margaret Thompson, Macdonald similarly observed the crime all around her and how it affected those involved.
Boardwalk Empireaired on HBO from 2010 to 2014.For five seasons, Macdonald accompanied Steve Buscemi and a solid ensemble cast, telling the story of crime and politics in Atlantic City.
‘Boardwalk Empire’ Centers Around Atlantic City Politician and Gangster “Nucky” Thompson
Played by Steve Buscemi, Enoch “Nucky” Thompson operates a collection of illegal activities in Atlantic County, working closely with gangsters and other malefactors in cities across the United States. His brother, Elias “Eli” Thompson, is the sheriff who works with Nucky in these endeavors.Kelly Macdonald, a young mother with an abusive husband, goes to Nucky for help at the beginning ofBoardwalk Empire, eventually becoming his lover and then his wife.
Nucky, based on a real New Jersey politician named Enoch Lewis “Nucky” Johnson, is corrupt from the outset ofBoardwalk Empire,but he has a good heart. His charity and care for the poor and immigrant populations in Atlantic City endeared him to the populace, which is why Margaret went to him for aid.
ThroughoutBoardwalk Empire, Nucky becomes increasingly corrupt and violent, all of which Margaret observes from various vantage points. The authorities are lurking at every turn, and while Margaret is happy with Nucky for a time, she struggles with the danger and lack of ethics that surround him.Macdonald is brilliant in bringing this duality to the small screen.While Margaret is far from innocent, she decides to move to New York with her children by the end of Season 3.
Margaret Thompson Picks Up a Trick or Two From Nucky
There are no true innocents inBoardwalk Empire, a glimpse into both the human condition and the Depression-era during which the show is set.Margaret does what she needs to doto survive. This includes having an affair of her own and duping people out of money.
Margaret and Nucky’s marriage crumbles under the strain of his business endeavors and Nucky’s lies. By the end of Season 3, Margaret’s failed efforts to live a life with Nucky reach their breaking point. Margaret is Irish and befriends a volunteer with the Irish Republican Army named Owen Sleater (Charlie Cox). Owen works for Nucky, but as was so often the case with Nucky himself, proximity led to more than being acquaintances.
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When Margaret moves to New York, she takes a job with an investment firm.Her position began in 1924 and involves scamming people into putting money into propertythat will never pay them back. She also gets wrapped up with mobster Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg), something that threatens her job and her life by the time the Great Depression hits several years later. Margaret comes out on top, however, thanks to Nucky. Once again, Nucky is her savior.
Kelly Macdonald Was Nominated for Multiple Awards for Her Role inBoardwalk Empire
In 2011, Kelly Macdonald received nominations for best supporting actress at the Golden Globesand the Emmys. She followed those up with another Golden Globe nomination the following year.
During aninterview withFresh Airin 2012, Macdonald talked about her early acting roles, specifically that of Margaret. At the time, she talked about the types of roles she got,acknowledging that Margaret was something different for her: “I don’t generally get to play the stronger characters… I get very lovely parts, but they’re quite quiet and thoughtful and watchful — and that’s all well and good, but I’ve been enjoying getting my teeth into something else.”
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By playing Margaret, Macdonald is a bit of her usual self and a new type of character.Speaking withRolling Stone,Macdonald explained,
“I think she wants to do good. She’s just got this streak of goodness in her, and she wants to help where she can, and sometimes though, it’s helping her more than it’s helping others, so there is that side to her as well. She can be quite, like I said, devious and unpleasant to get what she wants. I think that she changes a lot from the first season where the impression was that it was all for her family and for security, and then as the seasons have gone on, you realize it’s not the best way to give your children a stable environment. So she’s very hard to pin down, which makes it really interesting work for me.”
This is exactly what makes Macdonald and everything aboutBoardwalk Empireso good.The whole show and so many characters, Margaret included, are full of dualities that keep audiences wanting more. It’s also whyDept. Qis a must-see show. Everything about the show, including Macdonald, exudes this same mix of good, bad, and never knowing which might show up.
