Margo Martindale discovered that her character Mags Bennett would die on Justified only after reading the Season 2 finale script. The actress shared the story in a recent interview with the Television Academy.
Martindale portrayed Mags Bennett, a criminal who opposed Raylan Givens in the show's second season. She learned of the character's death when she reached the end of the script.
In the interview, Martindale recalled a conversation with co-star Timothy Olyphant. "Tim said to me, 'How are you today?' I said, 'Well, I'm dead,'" she said. She noted that creator Graham Yost had not given her advance notice.
Martindale said the timing was ideal. "It couldn't have been more perfect," she added. "I would have hated to see her limp into Season 3."
Her performance earned an Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series in 2011. The role also led to her casting on The Americans through Yost.