Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg

There are facts, and then there are truths. The difference between the two can be deceptively small. Au fond, that tension is the heartbeat of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, a series that knows the most compelling stories often live in the space between what can be proven and what can only be felt.

Apple TV+'s series understands that facts can be concrete. Truth, however, is made by perspective. It belongs to whoever's living inside it at the time, which means it changes shape depending on who's doing the telling—and the show's dangerous suggestion is that more than one of those versions can be true simultaneously, that nobody actually has to be lying for everybody to be wrong.

Those questions persist throughout Paula Saunders' (Tatiana Maslany) story. A divorced fact-checker living in Queens, New York, Paula gets pulled into a murder investigation the way you get pulled into a riptide—not all at once, and then all at once. At the same time, her contentious custody battle with her ex-husband Karl over their daughter Hazel reveals another version of that same conflict: two people can experience the same relationship and walk away with entirely different understandings of what happened.

Everyone in Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed is, in some way, an unreliable narrator of their own life. The show isn't in the business of adjudicating who's right. It instead tackles why people believe the things they believe, which is a much harder mystery to solve than a murder.

That extends to Paula's coworkers Rudy (Charlie Hall) and Geri (Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg), who initially approach her increasingly chaotic situation with a sense of curiosity and even disport. What begins as workplace intrigue—a strange mystery to poke at while gnawing on a disproportionate sandwich bread-to-content ratio slowly transforms into a genuine friendship.

For Geri, though, none of it stays simple. As a young journalist at The Margin, she can see the career-making piece sitting right there inside her friend's worst year, and she can't quite look away from it. She becomes a votary to it, chasing the story past the point of comfort, even as she's forced to reckon with the fact that the story has a face, and the face is someone she’s grown to care about.

But here is the one unequivocal truth in this whole unreliable enterprise that doesn't need a fact check: Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg is a gem.

Goldberg brings a combination of dry wit and sincerity to Geri’s temerity. She is a character who can confidently walk into a potentially dangerous situation because her curiosity outweighs her fear, all while delivering a perfectly timed sarcastic remark revealing the vulnerability underneath.

Geri may spend the season questioning whether she has what it takes to make her mark at The Margin, but Goldberg leaves zero question about her own trajectory. The fact is, she can take on anything. And the truth is, whatever characters she chooses to excavate next, the result will be maximum pleasure guaranteed.

Timid Magazine: I noticed Geri’s last name is Soto, which can be either Spanish or Japanese, so I was curious if you had any influence on her name or if that was already written into the character?

Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg: Geri didn't have a last name when I was cast. What was really cool is that, shortly after I got the job, David Rosen, our showrunner, called me and asked if I wanted to have any input on what the character's last name would be, given that I come from a mixed background. He said, "What last name fits Geri?" So we talked a little bit about it, and then he gave me a short list of names he was deciding between. I thought Geri Soto sounded great, and it is a nod to the Japanese side of her background, so we chose that one. Her race and background wasn't part of the character until I came on board, which was so cool. As an auditioning actor, sometimes you're reading for roles that are written specifically for your background, and that's the kind of person they're looking for. Other times, it has nothing to do with it. It was really cool because Geri ultimately became who I am, what I look like, and what my background is.

TM: I love Geri and Rudy's dynamic together. It's not easy to pull off a comedic duo without one character overpowering the other or their personalities clashing. How did you and Charlie find that balance in your tone, rhythm, and overall chemistry so the two characters felt so harmonious playing off one another?

KHG: That's a good question. I think Charlie and I were very lucky in the sense that we had great chemistry from the beginning. We hung out a week or so before we started filming just to get to know each other, and there was already a natural rapport. Charlie loves a bit as much as Rudy loves a bit, so that shared sensibility for humor was already there. I think so much of it came from the freedom of the writing. The circumstances are what they are, and they become more real and dire as time goes on, but in the beginning we were given such a safe space to play with Rudy and Geri.

We got to throw out a lot of improv, take little jabs at Paula, take little jabs at each other, and really discover what their sense of humor was. Then it became about grounding those characters in the circumstances of the mystery as it unfolded. Charlie and I were honestly just as excited as Rudy and Geri were to find out what was going to happen next because we weren't given all of that information at the beginning of the season. It was unfolding in real time as we were filming, so we were also on the edge of our seats.

TM: I love that the show really plays with the idea of truth and how everyone has their own version of it. I especially loved the exchange between Paula and Suzie about the difference between a fact and a truth. Geri is also a character who's full of contradictions, so as an actor, how did you distinguish between the factual details of who Geri is and what you felt was her deeper emotional truth as the season unfolded?

KHG: That's a good question. I think, just to touch on the fact side of things, there's something so of the moment about talking about truth and fact, and how, more often than not these days, those things are up for debate. Having these characters work as fact-checkers is such a strong and unique choice from our showrunner, David Rosen, because it makes the skill they're bringing to the table a really useful tool for solving a mystery. Of course, you also have the perspectives they bring to different situations, where things become a little more open to interpretation. Paula is saying, "This is a fact. This is true." But her experience of it and her opinions about it are something different. I think sometimes those lines get blurred. It was one of the things that really drew me to the show.

In terms of Geri's moral dilemma and those contradictions, I've always thought that, in a really contradictory way, two things are happening at once. She's making genuine friendships and real connections that continue to grow over time. At the same time, this incredible career opportunity has literally landed in her lap, within her own social circle, and it could be the thing that moves the needle for her at the beginning of what she hopes will be a long career in journalism.

It's such a saturated field, so to have something that's unique, different, and compelling is hard to walk away from. I'm really intrigued to see what could happen for Geri as those two things continue to bump up against each other, because you see glimpses of it in the first season, and it's complicated.

TM: On that note, Rudy reminds her that she is more than one assignment or one exposé. Attaching your sense of self-worth to a particular job or opportunity is something a lot of people struggle with. What have you learned throughout your own career about separating those two things?

KHG: That’s a lovely question. I think, speaking for myself as an actor, there are times when opportunities can feel few and far between. You can get really attached to something, or something can feel really precious, and you almost forget that another opportunity could be right around the corner because the thing in front of you is the only thing you can see at that moment. Of course, it comes from a place of care. You want something to be the best possible version of that experience, but it also puts you in a really vulnerable space. I'm really thinking about this question because it's something that I'm still intrigued by and figuring out.

TM: It’s something that resonated with me. I’ve also attached myself to assignments or some dream interview before and if it doesn’t happen for whatever reason…

KHG: That was the plan that you played out in your mind, and especially when we're talking about auditioning, you're expected to put your best foot forward but also not get too attached. It's a really tricky dance because you want to invest yourself and put in the work, but then also let it go without thinking, "Okay, here's the set of dates, this shoots here, and that could be the next six months of my life or the next year."

It's so human to play out what that opportunity could be. I think one thing I can speak to from my own personal experience is that there were quite a few jobs I had that mindset about before Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed came around—things that I was sure were the right thing, where I was thinking, "How do I manifest this? How do I make it happen? How do I make it right?" And it just wasn't. It just wasn't my job to get it. It was someone else's.

With Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, I never could have planned it out. All the pieces—the beautiful cast and crew that I got to work with, and a role like Geri that I was able to dive so deeply into—it was better than anything I could have planned for. As someone who does like to be in the driver's seat, it was a really lovely affirmation of surrender. You don't know what seeds are being planted or what opportunity is just around the corner that could be the thing that moves the needle.

And maybe for Geri, there's something like that too. Since we've been thinking out loud about this, maybe it's this story and maybe it's something else. It's an interesting world because there are so many new things that could pop up for her.

TM: Even as things get more intense, you play Geri as very calm and level-headed. She has this temerity about her where she's like, "No, I can walk into this scary motel and I'm not going to be afraid." Why did that feel like the right tone and approach for Geri rather than playing her as someone who was more terrified by the moment?

KHG: That's a good question. I think there has to be a reason why Paula chooses Rudy and Geri to be the people to help her, and maybe part of it is because she doesn't have many other options.

But knowing that Rudy is a little bit more on the frightened, timid side, maybe Geri is the opposite. Maybe she's a little more willfully ignorant in the sense that she believes things will work out and that the risk is worth the reward. Her mind is so focused on the prize of needing to find answers and maybe help with the story—or even just driven by sheer curiosity. I think that's the force behind her thinking, "I'm going to walk into this place that could be scary."

That curiosity far outweighs the thought of, "Am I going to get murdered?" I don't think her brain even goes there. I think she's just thinking, "What's the answer? Let's get closer to uncovering this." Geri is much braver than I am. I love solving a mystery from the comfort of my home, but I'm not sure I could be as boots-on-the-ground as Geri and Rudy are.

TM: Geri and Rudy are willing to believe Paula and stick by her, even as everything starts to unfold. Unlike some of Paula's other friends, who become scared of her or start to question whether she could be responsible. Why do you think they connect with her in that way?

KHG: I think the side of Paula that they see at work doesn't lend itself to them being frightened of her. She's a little clumsy, a little silly, and a little surprising. I think they're more entertained by her and curious about her than they are thinking, "Oh, we should stay away."

And then the fact that the three of them end up having so much fun together is an added bonus. I don't want to sell short how much that part of their relationship keeps them around and keeps them coming back to help her. It's like, "Oh, the three of us have a great time together." That was also so true for Tatiana, Charlie, and me. In real time, we got to feel the friendship between the three of us grow at the same time that the Geri, Rudy, and Paula trio was growing on screen.

TM: If Rudy does leave the office and becomes a paralegal in season two, do you think that will in turn cause Geri’s worst tendencies to come out more? Rudy keeps her accountable and brings out the best in her. If he’s not around, I worry she could spiral.

KHG: I hate to imagine a world where Geri and Rudy are separated for too long. I think they really bring out the best in one another, and I think Rudy is an incredible accountability buddy. It goes both ways. You see Geri calling Rudy out, like, "You can't delete your LinkedIn. That's so stupid." But then you also have Rudy, and you can see how much it gets through to Geri when he says, "Hey, I see you. You're a better person than this." I think it's clear that Geri isn't getting that level of accountability from anywhere else, so she might be a little lost without him.

TM: Another thought I had about season two is Souter Group buying The Margin. If that happens, that would put a target on Geri’s back if she does publish the piece about Paula.

KHG: Wow. I'm just stuck on your theory. It's a very interesting theory. I wish I knew.

TM: Ending on a positive note, coming off of this project, can you share a moment when someone gave you your flowers or offered you a piece of validation that really stuck with you?

KHG: Oh my gosh. My brain is going a few places.I saw a comment on one of Tatiana's Instagram posts from Denise Gough—I'm probably mispronouncing her last name—saying that she watches our show. I have been a huge fan of hers since I saw her in People, Places & Things at St. Ann's when I lived in New York back in 2017. It was one of those performances that truly changed the way I looked at this craft and the kind of things you can do on stage. I sent her a message just saying, "I cannot believe you are watching our show," and she sent the kindest message back.

So that was a pretty surreal moment that just happened a couple of days ago. It's very surreal to see someone whose work you admire so much watching and enjoying Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. I think that's probably the one that has stuck with me the most. It was so cool.