Laura Linney is one of the biggest names in Hollywood to star in Ozark, besides Jason Bateman. Her role in Ozarks as Marty Byrde’s ruthless wife Wendy earned the Emmy nominated actress too many praises. Her progression from a mere housewife, who was unsatisfied with her husband, to a crime boss was phenomenal. The highly acclaimed Netflix show follows Marty Byrde, an accountant who gets embroiled with a cartel. He was forced to move his family to the Ozarks to launder money for the cartel. What comes next are lots of deaths and betrayals.

Laura Linney breaks down her character

Wendy was merely a disillusioned wife who had to grapple with the fact that his husband was a criminal. She blamed Marty for bringing this fate upon the family. But as the series progressed, she became ruthless and more ambitious. The tables turned when Marty wanted out and Wendy saw this as the only way to survive and save her family. She even cut her brother’s life short and was willing to give up her young son to the FBI to survive.

“She is constantly changing, going deeper and deeper into a vulnerable place where a survival instinct hijacked her entire being. Which I think fuelled her intellectual decisions, her emotional outbursts,  her strategy. She is very shrewd but makes terrible decisions. She’s immature; she’s not wise.”

Wendy’s family had a history of mental illness

Wendy’s family history is revealed as we delve deeper into Byrdes.

“As the series goes on, you learn about her mental illnesses and her family: that allowed me a wider berth in which to veer out into more impulsive behaviors,” Laura Linney added.

Wendy grew up with an abusive father. In fact, her father made an appearance in Ozark season 4 and tormented her by threatening to take her kids away. That led her to check into a mental institution. Moreover, in season 3, we met her bipolar brother Ben. Which again showed the childhood both the siblings had. 

The final episodes of Ozark dropped on April 29. You can stream them here.