[This story contains spoilers for HBO Max‘s Minx episode nine, “A Scintillating Conversation About a Lethal Pesticide,” and episode 10, “You Happened to Me.”]
The only thing Jessica Lowe and her Minx character Bambi had in common filming through the pandemic are that neither of them like wearing a bra. “Everything else is the exact opposite,” the actress, laughing, tells The Hollywood Reporter.
Despite how dissimilar she may be in certain ways from Bambi, Lowe is used to playing characters in the vein of the Bottom Dollar model and centerfold manager for its feminist gamble. Yet, her role on the HBO Max series from creator Ellen Rapoport has been a different experience even within that familiar archetype. Bambi’s an irresistibly likable and cheer-worthy character who has been afforded the same level of nuance as her (only seemingly) smarter counterparts over the course of the show’s ten-episode first season.
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“I think I tend to get cast as a well-meaning dum-dum, and I always blame it on my little baby voice,” Lowe explains. “But I feel like Bambi is so nuanced. She’s come from a hard background that’s almost mysterious, and seeing her in the beginning to now, feeling that maybe some of her power can rely outside of her sexuality and her ability to be flirty and attract people — that’s been fascinating to watch.”
Lowe’s character began the season as a tour guide, a role Bambi made up for herself outside of her job as a cover model for the low-rent porn publisher. But with the arrival of Ophelia Lovibond’s Joyce Prigger and her transgressive feminist mag Minx, Bambi has found herself increasingly among a group of smart, savvy and commanding women, including Idara Victor’s Tina and Lennon Parham’s Shelly.
Through their shades of feminism and perspectives on Minx‘s mission and how to keep Bottom Dollar afloat, Bambi “starts to realize that she has something to say,” Lowe says. And by the end of season one, where the model and coordinator lands — and with who — feels like one of the clearest amalgamations of what makes Minx and its group of endearing, rag-tag porn mag hustlers different from its genre predecessors.
Ahead of the final two episodes of Minx, “A Scintillating Conversation About a Lethal Pesticide” and “You Happened to Me,” Lowe spoke to THR about Bambi’s feminism, where she fits into Bottom Dollar’s diverse and dynamic female team and her budding romance with Parham’s Shelly.
Most of the characters on Minx are confident people who also have at least one deep insecurity. What do you think was Bambi’s biggest insecurity this season?
I think that she has only been applauded for her looks, and being quote-unquote attractive has been the foot she’s stood on for so long. I think that once she gets into this office setting, she realizes that she has more to give. It’s funny, I feel Joyce sort of judges her — as many would, initially. She’s an eye roll of a character. Then you realize that there’s a lot going on underneath and in her past, and she has a lot more to give. I think she learns from Joyce, and Joyce learns from her that you can’t judge a book by her cover.
The dichotomy between Joyce and Bambi in the Bottom Dollar offices says a lot about women and power in the porn industry and larger society. What were you hoping Bambi’s experience might say about women in their working environment?
I think it’s very interesting because you can not be fully aware of everything you have to give if you’ve received praise for one aspect of your personality or abilities. You’ll lean on those heavily. It’s only once you’re trying new things and extending yourself that it becomes easier to feel like a full person. It’s just one of those things where [Bambi]’s only been praised and brought into worlds where she’s relying on her looks or her boobs or whatever. I think that there are so many ways to underestimate yourself, and it’s only when you are a fish out of water — you’re meeting people like Joyce, or Shelly, her sister, or Tina — that you’re like, “Oh, wow, I’ve been relying on one thing, and it’s stopping myself from becoming a whole person.”
These women all feel like they’re different prongs or sides of feminism, with Bambi and Joyce on opposite ends of the feminist spectrum in season one. Would you say that Bambi is the more modern, sexually liberated version of feminism?
I agree that Bambi and Joyce are on opposite sides of the spectrum of feminism. I took feminist theory, some stuff at Northwestern, and I remember hearing about the different waves of feminism. My mom is basically Joyce — it’s what I always joke about when I speak to my mother. And I would not say that I’m Bambi, but Bambi is very modern in that she would never slut shame. If you are dressing in a provocative way, it doesn’t mean that you’re losing power. It’s part of your power. I think she embodies the third wave of feminism. She sees this as one of the tools in her belt to get what she wants. Joyce is very intelligent but has been brought up in an affluent environment — she’s a country club member and sort of uptight. Bambi owns her body in a way that is very rare and very powerful then. A woman is not something to be conquered. She’s the cheetah and is happily going through her life because she doesn’t have that shame clouding her. As far as showing a lot of her leg or never wearing a bra, that’s something that Joyce would probably only fall into later on in the series.
Among you, Ophelia Lovibond and Idara Victor, were you ever having conversations about how your characters might represent those different sides of feminism through your respective arcs or were you just going with the writing and playing out your characters’ development from the gut?
I think it was from the gut. I mean, Idara Victor is a genius. I feel like she really portrayed Tina in a way that is fascinating and fucking a delight. I mean, she was saying that she’s a businesswoman. Jake Johnson always talks about how he loves that Doug Renetti (Johnson’s character) is a capitalist, and he sees these body parts as just commodities that he’s trading. Like when Joyce asked her for coffee in the pilot, and she said, “I’m not a secretary. I’m just Black.” She has so much power in this world that she can even joke about what it would be like in any other office in 1972. I think that it’s handled so well, and the partnership between Tina and Doug is so important. They just have this mutual respect. He can’t get anything by her. She’s smarter than he is, and he knows it. She’s such a strength, and she can pull strings she needs to. She gave him that folder of how he could fix things. And then with Shelly, even — bringing Shelly into the office, she just felt needed. She felt lost — like I’m a mother and a housekeeper — but was being exposed to this type of environment where everyone could have an idea, put it on the table, and the best one wins.
Joyce’s arrival has seemingly helped Bambi get more agency at Bottom Dollar, even though they approach their power differently. But do you feel like Bambi has actually gotten more respect over the season?
I think it’s growing. I do feel like Doug and Tina have set up an egalitarian, sex-positive commune for all of these wayward characters. And I do feel like Bambi has been given the ability to write her own story in this environment versus all of these guys — like all of her stalkers, say — see her as a different type of being. But Doug, specifically, allows her to be the centerfold coordinator for a new periodical. He’s basically like, “name your price? What do you want to do here?” Because he can just see the talent in people, and I feel like she grows when she has this ability to grow.
That respect seems to be challenged in the last few episodes when Joyce splits from Bottom Dollar, and Doug starts to let the staffing that made Minx so special slip away, including dismissing Bambi as centerfold coordinator. Do you think that Bambi would return to her previous role with Joyce back, or even without Joyce back?
I have no idea. That’s such a good question. I think that Ellen [Rapoport]’s going to come up with something great if we get a season two. (Laughs.) I think Bambi has a really pure heart, and she has a good sense of people. She’s loyal to a fault. I think that Doug basically broke her heart in a way in that scene in his office. Everyone knows he did the wrong thing hiring Billy Brenton as the third centerfold without consulting Joyce first. But I don’t know what would bring her back. I think she would have to have some promotion, some elevated role at Bottom Dollar. But yeah, I don’t know. I think she just wants to hang out with Richie and Joyce — and now she’s in love with Shelly. It’s a very complicated ending for Bambi and season one.
Let’s talk about Richie [Oscar Montoya], her bestie, who has gone on a similar journey, despite being somewhat Bambi’s opposite. What was your favorite part about exploring those two together onscreen?
Well, first of all, I fell head over heels with Oscar. Like truly, there is no one better to hang out with in a green room. He’s just so talented and so aggressively funny. Anything with him is a blast. I love going to that fancy party in episode seven, “God Save the Queen of Dicks.” It was hysterical to see him shine with me acting as the wing woman as we walked in and then immediately abandoning him. (Laughs.) Watching this man who wore three layers of black to a pool party of pastel gorgeous costumes was just a delight. It’s fun because, clearly, Richie and Bambi have had a long history together, and they’re true friends. They have different insecurities, and they’re hand-in-hand figuring out what they’re good at during the course of the season. It’s so great that he’s finally getting to realize that he’s a creative artist. He’s super talented behind the lens. He used to just be a makeup artist who would put rouge on nips, and now he gets to be this talented photographer like he’s always dreamed of being.
You also mentioned Shelly, who ended up being Bambi’s big plot turn in these final episodes. How early on did you know about their romance?
It’s wild because Ellen told Lennon [Parham], I think from the jump, that this is where Shelly was going — that she would hook up with Bambi. I only found out about it a couple weeks in, and Lennon was like, “Well, what about Shelly and Bambi?” I’m like, “What do you mean?” (Laughs.) She said, “Ellen didn’t tell you?” It makes sense, and Lennon could not be a better scene partner. I’m so excited that I got to work with one of my idols, let alone kiss her. It was last-minute — they told me, and I was like, “Oh, interesting. Great. It’s gonna be the best.”
In terms of creative conversations around Bambi’s identity, is what she feels for Shelly more of something that sprung up unexpectedly between these women or does Bambi explicitly identify as a queer woman?
Ellen told me that Bambi’s had every type of sexual experience. So yeah, I definitely think she’s queer. I think that she likes people. And it didn’t feel from the way it was written that it was surprising to her. She just falls in love with people. When she’s taking photos of Shelly, it starts out as a fun idea. She was like, “I would love to take these gorgeous photos because you’re stunning.” And then just, in that moment, it was very romantic. This beautiful woman is sitting in front of her, and so she follows her heart, and she loves hard, I think.
That scene between Shelly and Bambi highlights something about Minx‘s approach to sex. It’s all very blunt when it comes to physical anatomy and what’s in the magazine. But what happens between the show’s leading characters is much more intimate, with the camera not lingering long. Do you feel like that line between the overt sexuality of Bottom Dollar versus the private intimacy of its workers’ relationships is intentional, and if so, what does it add to the show?
I haven’t actually thought about that before. But I do think that it’s supposed to be taboo to see private parts, so this is like exposure therapy, especially during the first couple of episodes. We are just exposed to so many different types and shapes and sizes of dicks and boobs that we’re like, “Oh, well, they’re just funny little bits that we all have, huh?” (Laughs.) And that isn’t necessarily — it’s not hyper-sexualized. I know the prosthetics they use on some of our centerfolds are ridiculous and huge — I would guess an idealized version for male phallus? But I think so much with these relationships, say that hot kiss between Doug and Tina, and these other moments that we’re showing — when [Bambi falls] in love — it is sweeter and almost more passionate to leave it to the viewers’ imagination. I think a kiss is so romantic and so hot. It’s not like a thrusting scene where you like full-on see every part of the woman and then like part of the guy. I think it’s fantastic that they’re leaving it at a kiss and a tease.
Between Bambi’s relationships with Joyce and Tina and now her romance with Shelly, how do you feel like Bambi’s story helps viewers see the myriad of ways women’s relationships exist?
Based on my own experience, you have varying depths of feelings about different women that you are friends with, so I think that it’s important to show these varying shades of partnership between women, whether it’s learning the ropes from the boys or learning about different ways to own your intelligence with Joyce. Or from Tina to be business savvy and don’t take any shit from people. Then with Shelly, she’s fully attracted to this person. She has a lot of fun with them. She wasn’t blamed when they went to jail. It’s just undeniable that they have more of a romantic connection.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Minx is available to stream on HBO Max.
