From 'Scream 2' and 'Monster' to 'Big Mistakes,' How Laurie Metcalf Has Mastered the Art of the Complicated Mother

Laurie Metcalf enters Netflix’s Big Mistakes with the weight of legacy, acknowledging she has 'big shoes to fill' as Dan Levy’s TV mother. She contrasts this with Catherine O’Hara’s Moira Rose from Schitt’s Creek, stressing a commitment to bring new dynamics rather than mere imitation. In Big Mistakes, Metcalf portrays Linda Morelli, a brash mayoral candidate who fiercely protects her children even as their world spirals into crime. The role sits alongside her work in Monster: The Ed Gein Story, where she plays Augusta Gein and approaches darkness with empathy rather than pure villainy. Metcalf emphasizes that grounding these maternal figures in humanity is essential to the drama’s emotional stakes and narrative depth.