Margaret Qualley, Andie McDowell talk starring roles in ‘Maid’

They sound like any mother-daughter duo. Ask icon Andie MacDowell, 63, her idea of a perfect Sunday, and she insists, “The day ends with a beautiful early dinner with my children.”

Her child is rising actress Margaret Qualley, 26 (“Once Upon a Times in Hollywood”). Her take? “The best Sunday includes dancing around the house and watching bad TV,” she divulges.

In the interest of family harmony, the RJ revealed to Qualley her mother’s answer because they chose to do separate interviews.

“Oh,wow. She said that? Good save. Thank you,” said the dark-haired beauty Qualley, who quickly edited herself. “Please mention that my day ends by having my mother make me a lovely dinner.” Pause. “Did you write that down?”

Some of those dinners during quarantine were on the set together. For the first time, the duo stars together in “Maid,” a 10-part limited Netflix series debuting this weekend and already marked as one of fall’s best new offerings.

In the show, inspired by Stephanie Land’s New York Times best-seller “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive,” Qualley plays Alex, a single mother who becomes a housekeeper after fleeing an emotionally abusive partner (Nick Robinson). She must make a home for her 3-year-old daughter while also dealing with her own undiagnosed bipolar mother Paula (MacDowell).

“We weren’t looking to work together, but you can’t say no to this kind of material,” said MacDowell.

The series confronts some pretty heavy subjects of abuse, poverty and mental illness. What was the draw to this material for you?

MQ: This was an intense look at those topics. It’s brutal at times, but it’s so honest. From the moment I read the script and then the book, I wanted to be a part of it. It turned out to be the most challenging role I might ever do.

AM: To me this is a story about how we make women feel “less than.” It’s about how we’re belittled into thinking we’re doing something wrong when that’s not true. The message is, “This is as good as you deserve.” Alex’s father and boyfriend have a way of making her feel lower. … Well, I loved that those messages are debunked here.

Your character Paula has an undiagnosed bipolar condition and thus helpful one minute, but devastatingly hateful the next. Was that part of the appeal?

AM: She is so complex and broken. There is a child-like quality to Paula that was appealing, plus I loved her darkness. I found her funny and enjoyed her ability to laugh at herself. I put my heart and soul into this series. Above all, Paula as a character is about how people can struggle and be difficult, but they’re still lovable.

What was it like working with the 4-year-old who plays your daughter?

MQ: Exhausting! The key was for us to bond, so we hung out a lot together between takes. You don’t work on the script. You just play games and become good friends. We’d hang out every Sunday all day together. Then, if we had to do scenes where were went to a grocery store, we’d really go to a grocery store the day before and practice. Her favorite thing was when I made her pancakes.

There is a startling statistic that you quote in “Maid” when you state the average women goes back seven times to an abusive partner. Is that because there is such little support for single mothers?

MQ: The system is so incredibly screwed up to the point that this show is actually educational. Yes, that stat is true. It might be hard to understand for some people who ask, “Why would you go back?” The truth is, getting away from one’s abuser is like winning the lottery for many people. And if you get away with your child, what’s next? You have to think about housing, money, jobs. How are you supposed to know what to do? The system has so many hoops to jump through before you get any help.

AM: You leave an abusive partner to save yourself and your child and you might have to face a judge, child custody, housing, food, money concerns — the list goes on and on. You have to be quite bright and sometimes just plain lucky to figure it all out.

On a lighter note, what was it like to work with your mom/daughter?

MQ: Really exciting! I was up in Canada for the quarantine last year when it dawned on me that my mom should play my mom in the series. I pitched our producer and she loved it. Within a couple of day, my mom got the offer. In some ways, it’s the ultimate cheating. Your mom is your mom in the show, but she’s not. Paula is a lot more complicated.

AM: It was stunning to work with my daughter. She’s so clean, good, pure and honest as an actress. I knew someday we’d work together, but I didn’t think it would be this soon. It’s very important for my daughter to forge her own road and be independent, which is exactly what’s she’s doing. With this, I’m quite honored she felt I could do a good job.

Did you always plan to follow in your mother’s footsteps?

MQ: “Actually, no. I grew up dancing. I really didn’t know if I would act. At 17, a boyfriend brought me to his acting class and I fell in love with it.

Andie, you’ve allowed your hair to turn gray. Was this your statement about looking beautiful and natural in your 60s?

AM: I look at pictures of men who have gone gray as my inspiration. The truth is, we don’t have a lot of women out there who are doing it, but I feel great with the gray hair. I feel it suits my face and coloring. Plus, I haven’t had my natural hair color in a long, long time. Bottom is line is, no one should tell you how to age. Everyone has to do what’s right for them. For me, gray is great. It’s liberating. This is what I want to look like now because I’m comfortable and I feel good.

Finally, what is your idea of an ideal Sunday?

MQ: First, I sleep in and then dance around the house when I wake up. Then I have this enormous breakfast. I love cooking eggs and toast, plus the rest of the good stuff that goes with breakfast. After, I’ll go on a long walk and watch a movie late afternoon or go see friends. I go out for a nice dinner with friends. Did you know that Sunday calories don’t count? Later, I fall asleep watching bad TV.

AM: My perfect is Sunday is, I’d be with my three kids, which sometimes is next to impossible these days. I love to hike and walk. Not to sound boring, but I do love to wake up on a Sunday and do some yoga. The day ends with having a beautiful dinner with my children. Did my daughter say that we have dinner together?

Yes! Absolutely, she did.

AMD: Perfect. Did she really say it?