'The Great' star Phoebe Fox says Marial would probably betray Catherine again if she had to

• Marial (Phoebe Fox) escapes serfdom and becomes a lady again on season two of "The Great."
• Fox believes Marial will always act in self-interest rather than loyalty to others.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for season two of "The Great."

On Hulu's "The Great," Catherine (Elle Fanning) may have won some court support with her progressive ideals, but, for others, it was their own self-serving motives that swayed them to join her coup.

During a Zoom interview with Insider, Phoebe Fox (who plays Catherine's servant and closest friend Marial), said she believes her character will always put herself first.

Yes, even before the empress.

"I always say that Marial's No. 1 priority is Marial," Fox said.

She added, "It's lucky that she is so sassy and there are a lot of things to love about her because fundamentally her moral compass is somewhat askew."

After Marial's father crosses the emperor, the ruler strips her of her title and, as punishment, makes her into a serf. Suddenly, Marial serves those she once called friends, and she can't stand the demotion.

At the end of season one, she sees an opportunity to become a lady again by telling Peter (Nicholas Hoult) about Catherine's pregnancy and plans to ascend the throne.

In doing so, she betrays her best friend.

Though Marial eventually works her way back to Catherine's good graces (and has her ladyhood restored on season two), Fox isn't convinced that her sharp-tongued character regrets her actions, or that she wouldn't make the same decision all over again.

"Although we love to talk about what a beautiful friendship she has with Catherine, fundamentally Marial has, and probably will again, throw her under the bus if the moment called for it," Fox said.

Tony McNamara, the show's creator, seems to agree. From the time he conceived Marial's character, he knew she would be laser-focused on her own survival rather than getting Catherine on the throne.

"The thing about the Marial story is like the rest of the court, she's basically based everything in self-interest, and in saving yourself and being safe in a court that's dangerous. So I think ultimately for her, she's not trying to win for Russia, she's trying to win for herself," he told Collider during a 2020 interview.

Marial rationalizes her decision by telling herself that no matter how angry Peter is, he's unlikely to kill Catherine, as she's pregnant with his heir, Paul. Between keeping her friend alive and getting her own title back, the plan is a "totally logical thing to do" in her mind, McNamara said.

"If she can do all that in one stroke, that makes sense to her. But from Catherine's point of view, that's betrayal, but I was always like Marial never buys in to the philosophy of this. She literally just wants her shit back," the screenwriter added.

He continued: "Despite her friendship and love for Catherine, she lives where she lives as far as she's concerned, and she's got to deal with it. So yeah, I was always going to do it, like it was plotted from the get-go."

Season two of "The Great" is currently available to stream on Hulu.