Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches unmasked Carlotta Mayfair before her niece Rowan in episode 4, "Curiouser and Curiouser," after an extended round of disturbing pleasantries. As part of AMC's Immortal Universe, Mayfair Witches serves as a sister show to last year's breakout hit, Interview with the Vampire. Though the two Anne Rice-inspired and New Orleans-based shows have not intersected yet, seeing as their first seasons are meant to build up individual stories, there is no doubt that a crossover is on its way.
Mayfair Witches follows Rowan Fielding (played by The White Lotus star Alexandra Daddario), who discovers that she comes from a long line of witches who have made a pact with the spirit Lasher, and she is this generation's "Designee." Carlotta (played by the iconic Beth Grant, who has left her mark in everything from Donnie Darko to Dollface) is the one Mayfair who will do whatever it takes to end Lasher's reign once and for all. In her desperate hope for Rowan to be the family's savior in the one-woman battle against Lasher, Carlotta tried to kill Rowan before Lasher fully took hold of her and helped her power grow. Of course, neither Lasher nor Ciprien would allow such a thing to happen, and now Carlotta is at the mercy of the demonic being she sought to destroy.
Screen Rant spoke to Grant about Carlotta's shocking yet inevitable betrayal of Rowan in episode 4 of Mayfair Witches, what she knows of her character's family history, and how her misguided faith is still relatable.
Beth Grant on Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches
Screen Rant: The enmity between Carlotta and Cortland is so delicious to watch that I'm sad to lose it so soon. Can you talk about working with Harry Hamlin and what is at the heart of this family feud?
Beth Grant: I love Harry so much, and he's game for anything. I have a brother, and I definitely experienced a lot of jealousy when he was born. In fact, when I was grabbing Deirdre's shoulder and then smiled, my brother called me and said, "I know that look! I know how hateful you can be underneath a smile." I didn't plan to do that; I didn't even know I did that until I saw it, so I think that some of it just comes naturally.
Harry's got that great square jaw, and I've got a square jaw too, so we both probably do have Scottish ancestry. It's very easy to fall into some sibling rivalry, and very easy for me to be jealous of white male movie stars. [Laughs]
Obviously, Carlotta has some screws loose, but she's a very fascinating character. I feel like I understand what she's going for; she's just doing her best. How do you approach the method to her madness? Because she believes she's doing the right thing, as a woman of the Lord fighting Satan.
Beth Grant: Understood at long last! To be honest, it's in my bones. I am a woman from the Deep South. My mother and father were both from Georgia, and we moved to North Carolina. But I'm talking a Southern matriarchal society with a long line of very strong women all the way back to the ancestors on the continent. So, I really did understand her immediately — but, of course, I worked on her.
She was an attorney, and she was probably a little jealous of Antha; her frail sister. A sister I also said was demented! Was that true? Was that true of Deirdre? Not sure about that. And then she was very jealous of Stella, so I think that she's fraught with the seven deadly sins: jealousy and pride and greed and anger. She suppresses it, which I have done as a Southern woman. We were taught to suppress our sexuality, and we were taught to suppress our anger; to suppress anything except being a good girl. My grandmother would say, every phone conversation, "Now, you be a good little girl." That's what we were taught!
We're all human, so these things are gonna seep through the cracks. unfortunately, I think it gets the better of Carlotta. Her faith is not just Catholicism, it's fanaticism. She gets caught up in it and loses herself, when underneath she's just a little girl who's jealous and probably wants her mama.
In episode 4, Carlotta takes it upon herself to bring Rowan into the family. This is really your first opportunity to face off with Alexandra Daddario. What was it like to play that dynamic? Does Carlotta really believe Rowan is the key to ending the family curse?
Beth Grant: I think she does. Rowan's a miracle to her, and she doesn't expect how it turns out. It's so easy with Alexandra, who is the most beautiful woman on the planet. I loved her work so much, but I couldn't have imagined how much I would love her as a person. She's so down-to-earth and loving and funny — and those eyes!
When Carlotta first sees her face, it's unexpected, but she does feel love and hope for her. She really does want her to come to the house, because she's thinking, "I can train her up, and we can save the family. This is the one that can save the family." Lasher wants to be flesh, and I want to save the family. Rowan's the hero, and this is a hero's journey for this intuitive neurosurgeon who's gifted with sensitivity and sexuality. She can do it!
When we have our discussion, I bring her into the parlor and tell her, "Don't trust everybody. There are people who lie to you. Trust me." I think that I have great hope, so I say, "Make yourself at home. Go look in your mother's bedroom." I give her free rein, which is why I'm so heartbroken when I call her for dinner, and she's got on the damn necklace. It just breaks my heart, and I thank our director Axelle Carolyn for helping me with that moment. She doesn't know exactly what she's going to do, but she sent the servants home and is canceling the dinner plans.
She's in turmoil; she's in pain sitting at that table. And she does the prayers and incantations for Antha and Stella, and she gets lost in her prayers. She gets lost in her fanaticism, and it's just too easy to catch that tapestry on fire and throw that lantern. I don't think the knife was planned, and I know she didn't want to kill Ciprien She didn't even know him! That's a total accident. But this is what happens if we get lost in our fanaticism about anything. It's easy to get lost in religious fanaticism, and if we suppress ourselves, who knows what can happen?
I remember when I was doing the movie Speed — I always say it's the movie Speed, not the drug — my daughter was a baby. Sandra Bullock said, "You know she'll have a dark side," and at the time as a new mother, I was like, "No!" But we're all human beings, and we all have a dark side. The thing I love about Rowan, though, is that she's a sailor who knows how to handle that wind. She knows how to sail, so she's gonna learn to control this power. And she's going to use her healing powers, just like her ancestor Suzanne did. I have great faith in her still, even though I'm cast aside.
Speaking of Suzanne, those flashbacks are giving us a glimpse of how the Mayfair family tree began to bear fruit. We've heard about Julian and Antha, but is there any chance we could get a flashback of Carlotta with them in her younger days?
Beth Grant: Well, I have a monologue I've written right here... [Laughs] No, I really hadn't thought about that. I do think that she had a very rich and painful life, which would certainly be interesting to see. That's completely up to Mark Johnson and the Immortal Universe at AMC, but I'm game for anything. I love Carlotta, and I would play her for the rest of my life. Whatever they want to do with me, I'm fine.
But I'm also very complete with her. I really enjoyed the full and rich experience I had with this. I loved it from the moment I was cast and met Esta Spalding. She was the first person I got to talk to about Carlotta, and I was immediately asking, "What's your vision?" I was so nervous and excited, and I'm sure I overwhelmed her. But every single person, from health and safety to props. I fell in love with every single person. It was the most glorious three months, and I fell in love with New Orleans. Even though it was hot as hell and COVID was raging, I was having the greatest time in Audubon Park or at the galleries. The whole thing was just a miraculous experience, and I have completion with it.
Do you have a favorite Mayfair that we haven't met yet?
Beth Grant: I really like Mary Beth. She's the ultimate, huh? Woo, baby! She uses Lasher to wreak havoc on her enemies, so you better not make an enemy out of Mary Beth Mayfair. My daughter's name is Mary Elizabeth... Uh oh!
Were you an Anne Rice enthusiast before Mayfair Witches, or was this series your way into her stories?
Beth Grant: I had great respect for her. Any Southern woman that can accomplish what she accomplished? My hat was always off to her. This was more my way in to really study these characters and the lineage — and I had missed a lot, believe me.
Her characters are so rich, and there's so much story to the family. These 8 episodes are just The Witching Hour, and there's so much there. She was something else. I believe she's with us, blessing all of this. This is such an homage to her, truly.
About Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches
The series will focus on an intuitive young neurosurgeon who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches. As she grapples with her newfound powers, she must contend with a sinister presence that has haunted her family for generations.
Check out our other Mayfair Witches interviews here:
- Alexandra Daddario, Harry Hamlin & Tongayi Chirisa
- Annabeth Gish on Episode 2
- Tongayi Chirisa on Episode 3
Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches airs new episodes on Sundays at 9pm on AMC, though they are available a week early on AMC+.