Matthew Macfadyen Reveals How He Filmed Scenes with a Shrunken Elizabeth Banks for The Miniature Wife
Matthew Macfadyen and Elizabeth Banks relied on a little Hollywood magic to pull off scenes in The Miniature Wife.
All 10 episodes of the Peacock series The Miniature Wife are now available on the streaming service and one of its stars has spilled some details on how certain scenes were pulled off.
Starring Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen, the dramedy follows scientist Les (Macfadyen), who accidentally shrinks his wife, Lindy (Banks), in a technological accident — and many of the show's can't-miss moments involve a miniature version of Banks.
"It's a metaphor of feeling small in your relationship, made literal, made real," Macfadyen told TODAY co-anchor Craig Melvin during an April 9 visit to the morning show.
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Melvin also chatted with Macfadyen about how the show's unique plot posed some challenges — considering that the actor's scene partner had to appear to be just six inches tall.
"You are human-size," Melvin points out to Macfadyen of his character during the interview. "Elizabeth Banks, though, your wife, she's tiny. How do you film together?"
Keep reading to find out the answer!
How did Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen film shared scenes in The Miniature Wife?
When asked how he and Banks shot their scenes together, Macfadyen replied, "Well, we didn't. It's a technical challenge. We were in different studios, and I spent a lot of time sort of whispering manically and shouting manically to a cross on a carpet. And she was in a big green-screen studio doing the same thing, shouting at a cross 50 feet in the air."
The sci-fi plot of The Miniature Wife called for an unconventional approach to shooting scenes for much of the series, but for Macfadyen, that just made the scenes with a normal-sized Banks that much more fun to film.
"We missed each other," he explained. "Actually, the scenes we had together were great, 'cause they were few and far between."
RELATED: The Miniature Wife's Elizabeth Banks: Actress, Director, Emmy-Nominated Game Show Host
If, while watching the new Peacock series, you find that Macfadyen looks familiar, that's because there are plenty of other well-known shows and movies that he's been in before.
What other movies and TV shows has Matthew Macfadyen been in?
Macfadyen became a household name thanks to his portrayal of Tom Wambsgans on the TV series Succession, which ran for four seasons between 2018 and 2023. On the show, about a family who owned a media conglomerate, Macfadyen flexed his comedic and dramatic muscles en route to Tom becoming one of the most backstabbing characters on a show filled with them.
The English actor's other prominent parts include a breakout role in 2005's Pride & Prejudice as Mr. Darcy in the period film, as well as roles in the movies Frost/Nixon (2008), Death at a Funeral (2007), Robin Hood (2010), and The Three Musketeers (2011).
RELATED: Matthew Macfadyen's TV & Movie Roles, from Mr. Darcy to Mr. Paradox
