(L-R) Darius de Haas, Charlotte Ray Rosenberg, Troy Iwata, Lydia Gaston, Doug Plaut, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Ace Wild, Veronica Reyes-How and Paul Schnee attend the "Mother, May I Have A Kidney?" premiere during the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival at Spring Studios on June 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dominik Bindl/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)
Doug Plaut , Tina Benko , Darius de Haas , Charlotte Ray Rosenberg , Troy Iwata , and features Myra Lucretia Taylor, Lydia Gaston, and Drew McVety. Casting by Rachel Goldman
Q&A with Ouchmagazine.com
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 08: (L-R) Annabelle Attanasio and attend the "Mother, May I Have A Kidney?" premiere during the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival at Spring Studios on June 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dominik Bindl/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)
To Doug Plaut:
Your character’s journey balances dark humor with raw vulnerability. What drew you to Doug, and how did you prepare for such a multifaceted role in the series?
(Doug Plaut) I think raw vulnerability is a huge part of who Doug Plaut is in his daily life. A friend of mine once said to me "You're someone who people feel compelled to save from walking into traffic." and that is a quality I've come to like about myself that I think the writing captures. (I've never been hit by a car. Yet!)
I think Doug Plaut splits from Doug Andrews in the dark humor part. Doug Plaut has a bit of a jaundiced worldview, but he meets it with a sort of relentless optimism that feels pretty natural. I think Veronica did a wonderful job bringing a bit more of a somber underbelly to what the character is going through that really grounds the story. That was a lot of third person. Whoops
To Tina Benko (Doug’s mother):
Your character is both a biological match and an emotional riddle in Doug’s life. How did you approach this nuanced role — especially with so much unspoken history between mother and son?
To the ensemble cast (Charlotte Ray Rosenberg, Darius DeHaas, Troy Iwata, Myra Lucretia Taylor):
Mother, May I Have a Kidney? dives into the messiness of family and forgiveness. How did you all build the trust and chemistry needed to portray such a layered and sometimes volatile dynamic?
(Lydia Gaston) Doug's roommate Goldie, is a longtime New Yorker, savvy and practical. I wanted to highlight Goldie's earnestness, despite her tendency to exaggerate certain stories. She proves to be a loyal friend to her younger roommate (Doug) when the crisis arises.
To Veronica Reyes-How (with optional addition to cast):
Mother, May I Have a Kidney? walks a fine line between humor and heartbreak. Veronica, as the creator and showrunner, how did you establish that tone from the outset? And to the cast — how did that creative vision shape your performances on set?
(Veronica Reyes-How) All of my work centers on finding humor within tragedy. I have a variety of projects, tv and film, that try to strike the balance of keeping people entertained, but getting them to look at these heavier situations in life that all of us go through. I don't always know if I can be successful doing it, but that's something I attempt in every project.
To Doug Plaut:
Doug’s transformation is central to the emotional impact of the story. Was there a particular scene that challenged you or revealed something new to you as an actor?
I think every human on this planet forms rigid ideas of what relationships are in their life in order to get through the day. I think what Doug Andrews goes through is that he is forced, through dire medical circumstances, to be more flexible in how he views his past relationships. I remember the last day of shooting on the bench with the marvelous Charlotte Ray Rosenberg playing my sister, having built a bit of a bond, with a wig cap on my head, and marveling at how some whimsy can marry with a really vulnerable situation.
To the supporting cast:
Each character plays a unique role in Doug’s journey. How did you interpret your character’s place in his process of resistance, growth, or healing?
(Lydia Gaston) Goldie is very aware of Doug's conflicted relationship with his mother. Despite being old enough to be a mom herself, Goldie does not really "mother" Doug. Instead she often shows Doug her pragmatic attitude towards life, her capacity to enjoy things like online dating (at her age). I think this makes Doug consider his own problems and tackle them head on.
To the full cast:
Were there any scenes or themes in the series that struck a personal chord or mirrored something from your own family experiences?
(Lydia Gaston) My mother was a great storyteller because she loved to embellish. She had some Goldie in her for sure. I enjoyed playing the scene where Goldie relates stories she says she knows of, of people who've had organ transplants. She puts a strange, positive spin on each of them -- to make Doug feel less worried perhaps. I think at my age I'm actually one of those people who has many stories. I may embellish a bit....for entertainment's sake.
Doug's strained relationship with his mom: Growing up I would hear the grown-ups talk about family tensions. I couldn't understand why. Now being older, of course I understand how easily family can hurt each other and be misunderstood.
To Doug Plaut and Tina Benko:
Your relationship drives the emotional core of the show — strained, yet deeply intertwined. How did you both build the trust and complexity needed to portray such a fragile bond?
(Doug Plaut) Anytime I come across an actress I love (I am a very gay person, and no exception to the rule- my primary fascination is actresses) I find myself marvelling at either their complete originality or how somehow they are an analog to an actress of the past. With Tina- it's both. Who else is like her? No one. At the same time, she's how I imagine Carole Lombard would have played this part if she hadn't died in a plane crash in 1942. We share some mutual friends, both usually only watch old movies and have had shared life experiences that bonded us. It's easy to play vulnerable scenes with someone like that. I hope this answers the question. I love Tina Benko a lot.
To any cast member:
The show touches on uncomfortable yet universal themes of obligation, forgiveness, and re-connection. What do you hope audiences reflect on after watching?
(Lydia Gaston) Family feuds, grudges -- sometimes they've been going on for so long we forget why and what caused them. But as we go on living we evolve and are no longer those people who disagreed with each other, a long time ago. So maybe it's time to reconnect and check out who they've become now.
To Veronica Reyes-How (or full team if you prefer):
If you had to summarize Mother, May I Have a Kidney? in just one sentence, what would it be — and what makes this story resonate right now?
(Veronica Reyes-How) Estrangement is more commonplace in today's political climate, it's an important topic to explore, and think about who, in our own lives, we need to forgive.
