‘Lucifer’s Lesley-Ann Brandt Teases A Very ‘Tender’ Maze In Season 5: She’s In A ‘Vulnerable Place’

‘Lucifer’ makes its triumphant season 5 return on Aug. 21. HL spoke with Lesley-Ann Brandt about what’s ahead for Maze in the wake of Lucifer’s shocking trip back to Hell at the end of last season.

Get ready to see new sides of Maze in part 1 of Lucifer season 5, which premieres Aug. 21 on Netflix. Lucifer’s return to Hell will have lasting repercussions on his relationship with Mazikeen, especially since he didn’t take her with him. HollywoodLife talked EXCLUSIVELY with Lesley-Ann Brandt about Maze’s emotional journey in season 5 and more.

Lesley-Ann teased Maze and Chloe will be leaning on each other in the wake of Lucifer’s absence, and they’re going to be trying to work through the “hurt and anger” they feel. She also opened up about the impact of Michael’s arrival will have on Maze, given the “vulnerable” state she’s in. Read our Q&A below.

When the show picks up for season 5, how is Maze dealing with the fact that Lucifer left her behind?
Lesley-Ann Brandt: You know, there’s that great season 2 fight that they have — a physical fight — which transitions into seeing for the first time how hurt Mazikeen is because these two characters are so connected. They came from Hell together. They tried to create Hell on Earth together, and then things sort of went awry when he met Chloe. Through that relationship, obviously, they both go on this journey of discovering their individual humanity, but I think when we see her in the beginning of this season, she and Chloe have mirrored feelings about saying goodbye to the people that they both love. With Mazikeen, it’s kind of double-fold. She’s obviously dealing with the Eve issues and then also Lucifer. These are two very prominent relationships in her life. As girlfriends do, Chloe and Maze lean into each other. They are trying to just work through their feelings in a somewhat unhealthy way. They’re just trying to make sense of it all. I think there’s a lot of hurt and anger there for sure. As Maze does, she will acknowledge the pain, but it definitely comes out in physical violence.

Would you say season 5 is more of an emotional journey for Maze than in previous seasons?
Lesley-Ann Brandt: Yes. Every season has been an emotional journey for her, but this I think is the most human [we’ve seen her] while also seeing her most demon side. I have a great scene with God, and there’s a lot going on with my backstory in episode 4. One of my most gory and brutal fights comes at the tail end of this season. So I think this season shows her two sides in ways that I haven’t been able to do as the actress. Maybe that has a lot to do with being on Netflix and just being able to show more gore and show more of what makes her tick.

Is there hope for Maze and Eve in season 5? 
Lesley-Ann Brandt: I think it’s definitely a journey. She has to acknowledge the pain of what that feels like and it’s new. It’s that soul-crushing, the “love of your life doesn’t want you” kind of pain that she’s never experienced because she’s never let anyone in that way. We’ve all been there. It’s that crushing pain that feels like you’re going to die, and it’s never going to be better. And then day-by-day time heals and friends help you heal, and by the end of it hopefully comes reflection and gratitude for a life or relationship that you had but you no longer have. I read a great article in Huffington Post years ago where someone wrote that you don’t always end up with the loves of your life, but you should be grateful to have met them at all because most people never meet the loves of their life. It really has always stuck with me, and I definitely have leaned into that in regards to Maze and Eve.

Lucifer’s twin brother Michael is coming onto the season. What does Maze think of him?
Lesley-Ann Brandt: As you see in the trailer, she doesn’t know that it’s not him. She, again, is dealing with the feelings of her friend once again leaving her. He’s done it time and time again in an emotional way, in a physical way, where he doesn’t put her first in their friendship. Not that he doesn’t put her first, it’s that she isn’t a consideration when he makes decisions. I think that really hurts her in ways. I share such similar qualities with this character where people feel like you’re strong, you’re tough, you can handle a lot of things, and it isn’t until you are really, really hurt that they take pause. Or you react to something that maybe seems like not a big deal, but it’s a huge deal to you because you’ve built this foundation of friendship and care and showing up only to be let down in that way. It knocks you, and it takes a while to recover. You sometimes never come back from that in terms of your friendship, but that’s okay, too. I think for Maze and Lucifer, knowing who they are to each other is there, and they know it underneath. There’s always going to be that tethered connection, but with an injection of someone like Michael, who is manipulative and opportunistic, it’s very easy for people to gaslight. We see this happening socially in the world where you gaslight on people’s vulnerability. You allow them to believe a narrative, and you allow them to maybe say or do things that aren’t right or true or are extremely damaging. I think she’s apprehensive with Michael, but she’s also in a very vulnerable place. So it’s really easy to kind of get one over her.

That’s saying a lot because you usually can’t get much past Maze. 
Lesley-Ann Brandt: Exactly. She’s usually very on top of where she’s at. She’s a smart woman in that she understands how things work and what is going on in all of these relationships. She can read people. She acts when she needs to, in terms of sticking up for someone physically, verbally, whatever. But in this moment, she is tender, and that often is where people get in trouble.