Sofia Rosinsky on How The Miniature Wife Challenged Her – INTERVIEW

Sofia Rosinsky reflects on what conversations she hopes The Miniature Wife inspires.

Sofia Rosinsky portrays Lulu in The Miniature Wife, which is based on the short story written by Manuel Gonzales. The Peacock dramedy examines the power (im)balances between spouses after a technological accident prompts the ultimate relationship crisis. I asked the actress about the story’s family dynamic, which scenes she was most excited to film, what her dollhouse would look like, and more.

Lulu as a Disruptive Force in the Family Dynamic

When you read the script, what was the first thing that stood out to you about how Lulu fit into the plot? 

Rosinsky: She’s a threat. Les has built this house of cards and is actually managing to keep things under control – until Lulu shows up. Character-wise, I thought that she was fascinating, because she’s the mini version of her parents, and has inherited their intelligence and their destructiveness. It’s easy to dislike her at first, but as we learn more about the family, we understand her rough edges.

Did you draw any specific details from the short story as research or to apply when telling the story for TV?

Rosinsky: I loved the short story – Lulu isn’t in it, so I couldn’t really draw on any specific parts character-wise, but I thought that the script did a wonderful job of bringing the short story’s disturbing charm to the screen.

How was it to create the family dynamic with Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen, especially since Lindy and Les’ marriage is at the center of the conflict?

Rosinsky: Because Jennifer and Steve crafted this beautiful dynamic, and Elizabeth and Matthew are such genius actors, all that was left for me to do was listen and react to everything they brought to each scene. I know for Lulu, when she is with her parents, she shrinks (not literally) and feels completely powerless.

Les and Lindy are in this major marital power struggle, and the running theme is that they both have made each other feel small – but Lulu takes all the fallout, and I think she’s felt small for most of her life.

Designing Lulu’s Dream Dollhouse

What sort of items would be in your dollhouse that you can’t live without? What would your dollhouse look like? 

Rosinsky: My dollhouse is a Spanish bungalow. A lot of plants, flowers, and vines, and a pool in the back. Inside, I have candles, my cat, posters of some of my favorite movies (The Ladykillers (1955), Seven Beauties, and Wait Until Dark), a teapot, my camera and books, a walkie-talkie, and a tiny sleep bonnet.

What new challenge did this character teach you as an actor?

Rosinsky: The comedy of the show can look so broad and wacky, but it really is so delicate. Kind of like the heightened reality screwball comedies of the 1930s. Lulu is usually dropped into chaotic situations where she is either totally in the dark on what is going on or is just catching up with everything that has happened.

I think just getting out of my own way and diving into the scene was an important thing I learned to do. I thought the script was just stellar, and I really wanted to do the character justice, and sometimes psyched myself out. I think this character taught me to go into some things blind and take a swing.

Themes of Communication and Feeling Small

Are there any conversations that you hope the series inspires? 

Rosinsky: The central idea of feeling small and being aware of how your words and actions make others feel. I hope that the show encourages viewers to listen and recognize the difference between communicating and talking past someone. The relationships in the show are salvageable once the characters take the time to really listen.

A great thing about The Miniature Wife is [that] it’s able to touch on these universal feelings/dynamics without giving people those awkward watching-it-with-their-families-and-feeling-called-out moments.

For Lulu, was there a scene you were most excited or intimidated to bring to life, and why? 

Rosinsky: I was really excited for Lulu’s encounter with RPW (played by the incredible O-T Fagbenle). It was one of my favorite scenes to film; O-T was throwing in improvisation, and it was like watching a great chef at work. I also was very excited and nervous to film Lulu’s homecoming scene with Les.

I am, and have been, a longtime admirer of both Matthew and Elizabeth’s work, so filming with Matthew for the first time was a surreal and magical experience. They are both absolutely brilliant. I did NOT want to screw it up.

Were there any ideas you were able to bring to the character or script that made the final cut? 

Rosinsky: Jennifer Ames and Steve Turner had done such a terrific job. The script was already so fleshed out and layered, I didn’t need to help it! But I did add in Lulu throwing her cap after her graduation speech – I talked with the episode’s wonderful director, Bertie Ellwood, about it, and she told me to go for it.

All episodes of The Miniature Wife are now streaming on Peacock.

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