Margo Martindale, ‘The Sticky’ creators of Maple Syrup Heist thriller

Margo Martindale has a long history of playing characters that are raw, memorable and slightly unhinged. In Prime Video’s new series “The Sticky,” however, the three-time Emmy winner steps into the lead role with one of her meatiest roles yet: a desperate maple syrup farmer.

“This is a woman at the end of her life who finds a way to fight for her life,” Martindale said Variety. “The desperation makes me laugh, but this was also a world I knew nothing about.”

The Canadian series is loosely based on a famous maple syrup heist that took place in Quebec in 2011 and 2012. Over several months, thieves stole more than $18.7 million in liquid gold (pure Canadian maple syrup is almost 30 times more expensive than oil). , and then sold it to legitimate – and unwitting – distributors.

The TV series is a reinvented version of those events, with fictionalized underdogs behind the heist. They are led by Ruth Landry of Martindale, a woman fighting to keep her maple syrup farm in Quebec afloat while caring for an ailing husband. Early on, she joins forces with a struggling security guard named Remy Bouchard (Guillame Cyr) and a low-ranking Boston gangster named Mike Byrne (Chris Diamantopoulos).

The series was co-created by Brian Donovan and Ed Herro after Donovan learned of his Canadian brother-in-law’s robbery during Christmas six years ago. The criminal elements in and around Montreal caught his attention, and a week later he and Herro began creating new characters for the story.

“To be honest, the real heist was very methodical and boring. They stole syrup slowly and quietly over several months,” Herro said. “They got caught and the story was over.”

“These characters are people you would never imagine succeeding in these types of ventures,” says Donovan. “I mean, a $20 million heist isn’t easy.”

Getting Martindale on board was a dream for the creators, who remember her pouring into the character. The actor had never heard of the heist and reveals that there were many conversations about creating a “Fargo” feel to the story, full of dark comedy and epic Quebec landscapes.

Heist movies were clearly a huge inspiration, but the creators went way beyond that, especially in terms of the tone of the show. “We are big fans of the Coen Brothers and Noah Hawley. Of course we wanted to make it our own, but ‘Fargo’ had a big influence,” says Herro. He adds that they also talked about ‘Breaking Bad’, ‘Better Call Saul’, ‘Silence of the Lambs’ and Quentin Tarantino’s use of music in creating the look and feel of ‘The Sticky’.

“We had never done a heist before, so we wanted to make sure we knew the pantheon of heist movies and shows,” he adds.

“There’s also a Sam Shepard feel to it, like ‘True West’ and the desperation of those two brothers,” says Martindale. “I’ve been to that show many times with John Malkovich and Gary Sinise, and I cried laughing at the despair.”

When viewers first meet Ruth Landry, that desperation is palpable. A corrupt maple syrup bureaucrat named Léonard Gauthier (Guy Nadon) is strong-arming her into selling her farm, she’s struggling to provide for her husband, and the infuriating red tape has put the value of an entire season’s worth of syrup at risk.

One moment Ruth lies soft and tender at her husband’s bedside. The next time she screams her head off and chops down a tree in the snow up to her waist, pushing her anger to the limit. A few scenes later, she calmly plots a crime. Part of the fun of the character is that you feel for her without knowing what she might do next.

“Somehow it’s easy for me,” Martindale says, laughing. “Playing a psychopath, sort of. Ruth has a little anger and then a little emotion. It’s a lot of fun to do.”

It’s the kind of role casting directors have been eyeing for Martindale since she embraced the role of the terrible mother in Clint Eastwood’s “Million Dollar Baby.” Over the years, she has become known for portraying complex women on series such as ‘The Americans’, ‘Justified’, ‘Fargo’ and ‘The Good Wife’. The difference is that this time she transitions from supporting character to protagonist.

“Over the past decade, the invisibility of the older woman has become a topic, and I think we’re proving them wrong,” says Martindale. Now 73, she says she always saw herself doing well in her life. The ability to do this while tackling complicated female characters with dark sides was an unexpected but enjoyable ride.

“Maybe people can relate to these characters because I find joy and fun in them,” she adds. “I can slit someone’s throat and watch him bleed out and tell him why I hate him. That’s the best and only one in your fantasy world, right?”

“The Sticky” debuts on Prime Video on December 6.