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Inside Madeline Brewer's life from mental health struggles to OITNB star’s career-saving advice

Madeline Brewer is welcomed into the fold of Netflix’s You for the final ever season

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from You season five.


Madeline Brewer is behind Bronte in You season five who plays a crucial role in the last chapter of Joe Goldberg’s psychological thriller.


You season five has come to an end, with all 10 episodes of the final series dropping on Netflix on Thursday, April 24.


Following his stint as the “Eat The Rich Killer” in London three years prior, Joe Goldberg (played by Penn Badgley) is back in London New York with wife Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Ritchie), who is now the CEO of Lockwood Corporation.

They appear to be living the perfect life as the world’s latest “power couple” but as things start to take a downward spiral for the pair, Joe crosses paths with Bronte (Madeline Brewer), an aspiring writer who he quickly takes a liking to.

With Bronte a key player in You season five, here’s a look at everything there is to know about actress Madeline Brewer.


Abortion

Madeline Brewer, of The Handmaid’s Tale and Orange Is The New Black fame, grew up with a passion for acting, taking part in school plays and musicals from the age of seven.

She then attended a theatre school in New York when she was 18 and 15 months later, got her first paid job in Connecticut.

Actress Madeline Brewer plays Tricia Miller in Netflix's Orange Is The New Black.
Actress Madeline Brewer plays Tricia Miller in Netflix's Orange Is The New Black. (Image: NETFLIX)

Brewer described it as the “thrill of my life” to Education And Career News, and continued to do auditions while juggling a job at Victoria’s Secret and working at a pub in the evenings.

But when she was 20-years-old, the You actress fell pregnant and while it was a hard decision, she chose to have a termination.

Opening up to Self, she shared: “Even though I knew the decision was right for me, I still had a difficult time processing it afterward.


“Nearly everything I had seen in my life about what it means to be a ‘woman’ involved having a baby.

“Every single woman before me in my family married a man and had children; I’d never seen anyone in my life not do it.

“I felt a deep well of shame—feelings that I binged and drank my way through.”


“Ten years later, I no longer carry any shame about my abortion thanks to time, therapy, and the wonderful, supportive people in my life, especially my mom.”

Depression

The 32-year-old has been open when discussing her mental health and her struggles throughout her life.

“I have generalized anxiety. It’s something that’s very common, especially within artistic people, anxiety and depression—both of which are something that I’ve dealt with,” she told Amda Production.

“I’ve wanted to quit a thousand times. I’ve told myself, ‘I’ll give myself one more month of auditions and, if this doesn’t work out, I’m going to go back to New Jersey and be a yoga teacher.’”

When she was on the verge of leaving the industry altogether though, having not worked for eight months following her time on Orange Is The New Black as Tricia Miller, it was an ex co-star who encouraged to pursue her dreams.

Actress Madeline Brewer has been engaged to cinematographer Jack Thompson-Roylance since January 2024.
Actress Madeline Brewer has been engaged to cinematographer Jack Thompson-Roylance since January 2024. (Image: GETTY)

Brewer recalled: “[While on the set], “Kate Mulgrew [who portrayed Galina ‘Red' Reznikov], took me aside one day and put her hands on my shoulders.

“She was just like, ‘Keep doing it.’ ... [If] someone like Kate Mulgrew would tell me to keep going, why would I ever, ever bother quitting?”

Engagement

Brewer is in a long-term relationship with cinematographer Jack Thompson-Roylance, to whom she got engaged in January 2024.


It was during the season six premiere of The Handmaid’s Tale, where she plays Janine Lindo, that the actress shared how her co-stars were to be involved in their big day.

She told People: “Nina [Kiri] and Bahia [Watson], who played Alma and Brianna, respectively, who unfortunately were hit by a train in season four. They're two of my bridesmaids.

“They're two of my closest friends. And we shared this incredible thing together.


"But it's gone far beyond that. I mean, those are two of the best people in the world, and they're my friends. I get to be friends with them.”

Bronte’s ending in You season 5

Brewer previously told Netflix that she was a “huge fan” of the show before being asked to join the cast as Bronte.

So it would have been even more thrilling to know that she would have a massive part to play in bringing down the infamous Joe Goldberg and survive to tell the tale.


Nevertheless, the star is adamant that Bronte’s life isn’t defined by her experience with Joe, stating: “Bronte is one of the very few women who gets a future after falling in love with Joe, and she is embracing that future.

Actress Madeline Brewer is behind Janine Lindo in The Handmaid's Tale.
Actress Madeline Brewer is behind Janine Lindo in The Handmaid's Tale. (Image: HULU)

“I love that she recognizes that he's just a bad guy that she dated and he doesn't get to be her whole identity, her whole story. Her life doesn't revolve around what was before Joe and now what is after Joe.


“He's some s****y dude and he neither gives nothing nor takes anything from her anymore. That’s her story. It’s hers.”

What’s next

Brewer’s next thriller Anniversary, which has now been completed according to her IMDb page, is about “a very close-knit family that is torn apart as a new movement ‘The Change’ envelops the country”.

She is to star alongside Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor and Bloodline star Kyle Chandler.

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The other upcoming project which Brewer will star in is called I Live Here Now and the disturbing synopsis reads: “A woman finds herself trapped in a remote hotel where the violent echoes of her past come alive, blurring the lines between her darkest nightmares and the waking world.”

You is available to watch on Netflix.

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