Exclusive Interview: Martha Millan Talks ‘The Cleaning Lady’ Season 3, Amplifying Marginalized Voices, the Team’s Commitment to Truth and Authenticity, and More

For three seasons, Martha Millan has mesmerized audiences with her compelling and nuanced performance as Fiona De La Rosa in Fox’s critically-acclaimed series, The Cleaning Lady.

Now in its third season, The Cleaning Lady escalates the tension to unprecedented levels. Thony (Élodie Yung) directs her efforts toward bringing Fiona (Martha Millan) back to the U.S. after her deportation to the Philippines. Collaborating with Arman (Adan Canto) and utilizing Nadia’s (Eva De Dominici) plane, they devise an extraction plan. However, when Arman mysteriously vanishes, Thony and Nadia reluctantly join forces in the search for him. Meanwhile, Fiona grapples with the aftermath of her deportation while Thony explores drastic measures to reunite her with her family and uncover the truth about Arman’s disappearance. Despite the relief of Luca’s (Sebastien & Valentino LaSalle) improved medical condition, Thony and Luca face a daunting new threat that jeopardizes their bond. Amidst the turmoil, Chris (Sean Lew) makes a reckless decision to aid Fiona, putting their futures—and that of Jaz (Faith Bryant)—at risk. As Thony’s journey unfolds, she finds herself isolated and embroiled in a dangerous alliance with a menacing Cartel, challenging her to protect her loved ones at any cost.

Pop Culturalist had the privilege of catching up with Martha to delve into The Cleaning Lady Season 3, exploring its impact in amplifying marginalized voices, the commitment to authenticity and truth in storytelling, and much more.

PC: Season 3 returns to the heart of the series, focusing on the realities and struggles of undocumented immigrants who come to the U.S. for a better life. Your portrayal of that journey has been so impactful and heartbreaking. There’s an element of art that’s supposed to be entertainment, but there’s also a part of it that can spark a lot of necessary conversations. Have you felt the weight of this role and the series grow as you continue to step back into Fiona’s shoes?
Martha: Wow. First of all, thank you so much for that. You never know as an actor what impact you will have with how you are portraying a character. But I really, really appreciate that point of view. For me, it’s a responsibility to portray the authenticity of the struggles and the precarious situations that a lot of the undocumented people go through in everyday life.

But in the situation with Fiona, she was deported from her family. I believe we’re on Episode 3 where she’s literally deserted in the desert. These are situations that are not taken lightly. The decisions that those who do travel to be reunited with their family to give them better opportunities for themselves can be life-threatening situations.

That was something that I really wanted to make sure was conveyed with emotional authenticity. It’s a responsibility to show what they go through.

PC: This is such a heightened world that these characters get to live in. You’ve said in the past that it’s your job as an actor to find truth and convey that authentically. Fiona finds herself in a lot of situations that I’m sure you haven’t experienced. What are the tools that you’re using to tap into that honesty?
Martha: That’s such a good point. Sometimes I look back and I’m like, “What can I compare this to? There’s nothing! There’s nothing in my life that I can compare to Fiona’s situation.” But it’s just about believing your situation.

For me, I always reflect on my mother and the struggles and sacrifices that both my parents have gone through. I understand emotionally how she responds to certain things. Even the fact that she can watch my show in Australia makes her emotional and so full of pride. [laughs] That’s the true essence of a mother. You go through the highs and lows with your child.

Every time Fiona goes through something like that with Chris, I always think about how my mother would have reacted under those circumstances. It’s just amplifying them because my mother would never be in that situation… I hope. [laughs]

PC: She’s not tying people up in bathtubs? [laughs] Miranda [Kwok] and the writing team have done such a fantastic job incorporating moments of levity and joy throughout the story, which feels so needed in a show where everything is so high stakes. That contrast feels like such a slice of life. Do you feel that same impact as the actor who is embodying and living this character day in and day out?
Martha: I do. When I’m not filming, I laugh so much to the point where I have to go be by myself because I don’t want to distract people. I need to laugh and enjoy my surroundings because of how dark the content is and how strong the material is emotionally. As an actor and a person, if you don’t allow yourself to find those moments of levity, you’ll definitely be sucked into it.

But going back to the writing, there’s a moment where Fiona changes her accent in order to protect her son. Straight away, I was like, what kind of accent would Fiona think an American would sound like? I decided to go with Texan. Those moments, even though they’re in this heightened level of drama, provide a hint of levity that brings out the humanity in people. It also reminds people that it’s a TV show. It’s entertaining, but it allows for people to be provoked and impacted by the content and writing.

PC: It’s also so rare in television these days that we get multiple seasons and because of the success of The Cleaning Lady, we get to see new characters and dynamics emerge, which often means more people of color are able to do guest spots and recurring roles, and we see the breadth of talent from these various actors. One of the new characters that’s joining this season is Chris’ dad, Paolo. As a cast that has three seasons under its belt, how are you extending that sense of family to the cast members who are popping in for an episode or two? How does the scarcity of these roles create that innate trust between you all? What has it been like getting to collaborate with JB [Tadena]?
Martha: Going back to the Philippines for Fiona, I didn’t experience that growing up because I moved to Australia when I was four. So reliving these real moments of being back in the Philippines was also new for me. That’s something I also had to recreate for myself and work off of JB. We had such an amazing time because we were freezing while filming these summer smelting scenes. It was literally 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and he’s in a tank top. It’s supposed to be hot and sweaty. In between scenes, we’re holding hands in front of the heat and trying to stay warm. We’re putting hand warmers on my nose so it doesn’t look like I’m cold. Those are the moments that bring actors together. We’re trying to get it right straight away. The connection and rapport that we built in between takes definitely helps.

But I’ve also grown up doing a lot of guest-starring roles where you enter as a guest and not a series regular, you feel that pressure to do your best. So anytime we have guest stars or background actors, I want them to feel like they’re part of the show. I want them to feel at home so it’s conducive to bringing good performances and that authenticity. That’s so important. It’s always on my mind.

PC: As you were saying, because Fiona gets deported in Season 2, we get to see glimpses of her life in the Philippines. The creative team did such a beautiful job bringing that country to Albuquerque. What was your reaction upon seeing that set for the first time? Did the cast have a hand in shaping and bringing that authenticity? I know your parents visited; did they get to see the Philippines?
Martha: It was incredible. First of all, shout out to Roshelle Berliner. Everything she designed was so detailed and authentic, from the toys being sold to the little chips. It was incredible. With a set like that, it made it so easy to immerse yourself in the role and believe that you were in the Philippines. That’s why it’s a collaborative process. Yes, the actors are in front of the camera, but everything that goes on behind the scenes really contributes to our performances.

My parents came on set to visit. It was incredible for them to see Fiona’s house. My mother was like, “Oh my God. It’s a real house. I thought it was just little boxes.” Again, it goes back to the authenticity. They were speechless and so grateful for the details that Roshelle Berliner and the team brought. That’s why I always believe it’s a collaborative process.

PC: It’s gotten your parents’ stamp of approval, so we know it’s authentic. When we’ve chatted in the past, you’ve said each season has been a learning experience. In Season 1, it was about how to communicate with the creative team. Season 2 was about adapting to your character’s journey. What’s been the big takeaway from Season 3?
Martha: It’s been adapting to the elements from filming in the desert to freezing temperatures, night scenes, and fight scenes. As an actor, it’s an incredible journey because you get to experience all of those emotions. You’re not just playing one beat. You’re playing multiple facets of life in such an amplified way. For me, it’s been an amazing challenge filming in all these elements. Being around such an incredible crew, you can’t help but smile, or at least try to, with everyone else. [laughs]

PC: It also lends to that performance. There’s a moment when Paolo and Chris are talking about the idea of putting somebody before yourself. That’s been such a running theme throughout this series, both in front of and behind the camera. What’s been the moment on set that someone has gone above and beyond for you?
Martha: Sean Lew (who plays Chris) and I have been put in such extreme conditions, both on screen and off screen. He’s been such a good TV son. He’s always making sure that I’m okay and that I’m warm enough. He was very aware of our elements. I don’t have children, but this is the first time when I was like my son is doing a good job taking care of me. Going through all those elements and physical challenges, he was like a son off-screen to me, which was very surprising. I had never experienced that before. He went above and beyond for his “TV mom” who kept falling over everything. I tripped over every rock. I also fell in cow poop. There are also things I haven’t shared, but that’s okay.

PC: You’re a city girl. This series is such a celebration of powerful women, especially this season. You continue to deliver incredible performance after incredible performance. Of all the work that you’ve done on screen, what is the one that you’re most proud of?
Martha: The first couple of episodes this season, I’m separated and in the Philippines with my son. It has to be the scene where Chris confronts me on why I haven’t told him about his father. It was right after he discovers that Paolo is his dad. That was one of the strongest emotionally-connected moments that I’ve ever experienced. But there have been so many. Fiona’s had so many emotional moments. But as a woman, you look back and you don’t question the choices you’ve made. You may regret them now, but in the moment, as Fiona explaining this to her son, you have no answer other than the love that you have for him and who you are as a person. You can’t change things. This is something that we all go through.

PC: Yeah, you make the best decision that you can at the time. We know you can’t say too much about the rest of Season 3, but what’s ahead for Fiona?
Martha: There are going to be so many surprises. Worlds will be colliding, there’ll be collusions and alliances. I feel like that’s always a good teaser because even I get surprised as I’m reading it. In terms of challenges, we’re going to explore Thony and Fiona’s relationship. With the introduction of JB and her past with Ryan Sand’s character JD, we’ll see what happens. She’s been asking for happiness, and we’ll see if happiness is what she really wants.

To keep up with Martha, follow her on X and Instagram. New episodes of The Cleaning Lady air every Tuesday at 8/7c on Fox.