May 5, 2025

Q&A with Margo Martindale

We talk to the esteemed actress about her storied career, and Litchfield County 

By Linda Tuccio-Koonz

“Poetically beautiful” is how Margo Martindale describes Dead Letters, the indie movie she’s just finished filming in New Mexico. She stars as a long-haul trucker grappling with loss.

But she shares her talents in lighter fare, too, voicing spiteful Mrs. Twit in a funny, animated adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Twits, streaming on Netflix in October.

When not on set or doing voicework, Martindale retreats to Manhattan with her husband, or to their home in Kent. “I love it so much,” says the three-time Emmy winner.

How did you wind up in Kent?

We took our daughter to camp; I think in Lakeville … and came back through this little town called Kent. We stopped at The Villager and had breakfast, and we both said, ‘This feels like home.’ My husband said, ‘If we ever buy a house, I think this is where we’ll buy it.’ Years later, it was my birthday, and he said, ‘Let’s go look for our house for your birthday.’ 

Favorite spots?

Fife ’n Drum is like the hub of Kent. We always go there to see Elissa Potts; she fills us in on all the news of the town. I love Wilson’s; they have great sandwiches.

You’ve played wildly diverse roles, from park ranger Liz (Cocaine Bear, 2023), to crime matriarch Mags Bennett (Justified, 2010-2015). How did you discover acting? 

I discovered acting in high school in Jacksonville, Texas. The choir director said, ‘Why don’t you audition for the musical?’ He said, ‘You’ve got a loud voice’ because I was a cheerleader. I auditioned for Bye, Bye Birdie, got the lead, and the rest is history. I fell in love and never veered from that love of acting. 

In 2024, you nailed it as a disgruntled syrup farmer in The Sticky. How was that? 

I loved the people I worked with. It was a very Fargo-esque comedy drama, a joy from beginning to end. Everything you saw me do, I mostly did …I didn’t saw down  a tree, but I did stand in the snow with a chainsaw.

What can you disclose about Dead Letters?

It’s about a woman who’s trying to hide from the sadness of her life, really. She’s always been a truck driver, but her daughter was murdered, and she drives, you know, to get away … It’s beautifully written, by David Drake. I don’t know when it will come out. Probably a year.

How about The Twits?

Voiceover is tough. It’s wildly fun, but tiring, because the whole thing is your voice, so it takes that much more push. We did it over two years; I was in the studio maybe 20 times. David Byrne wrote all the music, so that was exciting. 

If Margot of today could talk to 20-year-old Margot, what advice would she give?

You’re doing it right, take the next job, take the next job. This is the way I did it. I just took what was ahead of me to keep going and keep at it. I was never worried that I wouldn’t succeed. Being prepared is the most important thing.

What are you most proud of? What matters most?

My family: my daughter, Maggie, and my husband, Bill. And all of our friends.