Mare of Easttown's Mackenzie Lansing Talks Working With Kate Winslet

Mackenzie Lansing’s star is rising. The French-American actress has spent many years navigating the industry before finding her groove and landing the role of Brianna Delrasso on HBO's limited drama series Mare of Easttown. Directed by Craig Zobel and written by Brad Ingelsby, the show follows Mare (Kate Winslet), a small-town Pennsylvania detective whose life falls apart while investigating the murder of a young girl. Brianna is a nasty young woman who is the prime suspect in the killing and a big thorn in Mare’s side.

Being far removed from the character she plays, Lansing takes being one of the hated characters in America in stride. "It's fun! Most of the messages I've gotten from fans have been supportive. However, there've been a few people who don't seem to realize it's a TV show and say, 'How could you do that to that poor girl?!' I'm like wait, I didn't kill anyone!"

Lansing identifies as a lesbian and at the beginning of her career, she was discouraged from speaking publicly about her sexuality and pushed to take roles that made her uncomfortable. "I was encouraged to take cheerleader roles and I was so unhappy. When you're unhappy and inauthentic, people can tell. As a result, I wasn't booking." Now that she is out and proud, she feels a sense of responsibility to be as vocal as she can as she realizes that honesty is why she continues to be successful. "I opened up, and started over with hope in mind and things started to take off for me. Now I'm prepared, and I am proud. The self-doubt is outweighed by my pride — and I will never go back to the old way again.”

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PRIDE sat down with the actress to talk about her role on the show, working with Oscar-winning screen legend Kate Winslet, her plans for the future, and more! 

Mare of Easttown airs Sundays at 10pm on HBO Max!