Exclusive Interview: Allison Gabriel Chats Sweet Magnolias Season 2, Mary Vaughn’s Arc, and the Fan Response

Allison Gabriel has quickly emerged as one of the industry’s most dynamic storytellers. She’s brought iconic characters to life in projects including Drop Dead Diva, Midnight Special, The Purge, and Better Call Saul.

This year, she can be seen reprising her role as Mary Vaughn Lewis in Season 2 of Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias. As the mayor’s wife, Mary Vaughn Lewis treats the town of Serenity like her kingdom and has a long-standing rivalry with Maddie Townsend (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Dana Sue Sullivan (Brooke Elliott), and Helen Decatur (Heather Headley).

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Allison about her career, Sweet Magnolias, and the fan reaction to her character.

PC: How did you discover your passion for storytelling and the arts?
Allison: I liked to play pretend when I was little. My favorite toy was my costume box. My mom was quite the seamstress. She made her own prom dress. She made me all my costumes when I was younger. She kept everything that was extra in that box. It was my absolute favorite thing. I never stopped playing pretend. I figured out that there was such a thing as acting classes and I got into it.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influences on your career?
Allison: Madeline Kahn is one of my all-time favorite actors. I’m obsessed with Clue and Paper Moon. She’s so unusual. She’s always doing something weird. I was obsessed with her as a younger girl.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is another one of my favorite actresses. I have so many. But I love Maggie Gyllenhaal for the risks she was able to take at such a young age. I like to think of myself as someone who takes risks, but not in the way that she does. She’s always been high on my list.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Allison: When I first started out, I was auditioning a ton. I spent ten years trying to get auditions. I remember one of the first real jobs I had was working on Midnight Special. I remember sitting down on my back porch at some point. I remember looking at the trees and wondering if I was on the right path. The next week, I booked Midnight Special. I saw that as a sign.

I had been following writer-director Jeff Nichols’ career and Michael Shannon who stars in it—even the cinematographer. I knew of their earlier work and I loved it. This was a beautiful gift that all came together in a package. It’s still one of my favorite movies that I’ve ever been in. It’s such a beautiful story that’s well shot and well told. That was the first time that I felt like I could do this.

PC: You’re one of the stars of Sweet Magnolias. The series has been incredibly well received. What do you think is resonating most with audiences?
Allison: Gosh, I don’t know. It’s wild. Last season, it felt like we did really well. This season, it feels like it’s even bigger. I have to assume it’s the centerpiece of the entire show, which is the friendship between these three women. They show up for each other. They really love each other in the best way.

I think it provides this escapism. We’re all still somewhat isolated. To see this whole town of people together, even if it’s centered on these three women, there’s something about that togetherness that’s really resonating.

PC: You read all of the books that included your character. When you’re adapting a character from page to the screen, how challenging is it to strike that balance between paying homage to the source material while making it your own?
Allison: That’s a good question. The book was a starting point. But then it has to be about what you’re making now. It can’t be about what the book was. We have incredible writers. You don’t need to find the balance because the books are the backstory. The scripts are what’s happening now. It always has to come down to what’s happening right now. The rest of it is my creative juices, and it’s always about honoring what they’ve written and trying to make it as interesting for the audience as possible.

PC: You’ve also said in previous interviews that there are more differences than similarities between you and Mary Vaughn. When you’re playing a character like that, is that more or less challenging? Is that more or less fun?
Allison: That’s a great question. I will say the first season felt really easy and fun. The second season felt harder. When you’re filming, it’s hard to see the big picture. When I rewatched the second season, I really saw the edges of Mary Vaughn.

She presents this extremely polished exterior. There’s never a crack to be seen. In the second season, you really see her begin to fall apart. People change. That’s the point. We’re all constantly growing. You’re seeing the character grow over time. That growth made me a little bit nervous. I wasn’t sure I was doing a good job. But I think it’s interesting to see this person who’s tightly wound start to shake off that shell.

PC: You and the rest of the cast are in such a unique position where you get to see the fan response via social media in real-time. We’ve been able to see more layers to Mary Vaughn this season. Has the response from the fans changed from Season 1 to Season 2?
Allison: In Season 1, I felt like everyone loved to hate Mary Vaughn. Now they just hate her. [laughs] I’ll do searches for Mary Vaughn on Twitter and it’s just outright hate. I’ve been responding with some funny GIFs to keep it light. Once they realize that the actor is responding, it instantly changes the energy of the interaction. We’re both laughing at the same thing about this character. It’s interesting.

People do not like her. I was compared to Nellie Oleson by someone. I was like, “Wow. I hated Nellie Oleson.” She’s not likable. I am curious to see where it goes in the future if we’re lucky to get some more seasons. Every villain has an arc unless you’re doing a superhero movie. The villain is ultimately the person with an opposing point of view to you. The writers have a plan, I assume. I’m curious to see where she goes.

PC: How satisfying is that for you as an actor to invoke such a strong emotion from audiences?
Allison: It’s nothing but effervescent for me. It’s so much fun. I don’t take it personally at all because I’m so separate from her. In some ways, you could say it would be easier to play someone like Maddie because JoAnna [Garcia Swisher] is just like Maddie. Jo is lovely, generous, and warm. She’s everyone’s best friend. It’s much harder to have to be someone so outside of your experience. I love it. Again, in Season 1, they loved to hate me. Now they just hate me. [laughs] It’s super fun.

PC: If we’re lucky enough to get a third season, where do you want to see Mary Vaughn’s character arc go?
Allison: If I know the writers well, I would say there’s a redemption arc on its way. It feels like they’re building to a large reveal and a new place for Mary Vaughn in the series. I feel like, what would be the point of having her go through all of this if there’s no growth or change for the character? That’s not good writing, and these are good writers. I’m going to assume and theorize that. They have told me nothing, but they’re great writers. I assume that would be the case.

To keep up with Allison, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Sweet Magnolias on Netflix today.

Photo Credit: Emily Sandifer