Lessons in Chemistry is set in America’s slowly dispersing atomic age of the 1960s where we find Brie Larson starring in the role of Elizabeth Zott, whose dreams of fulfilling her ambition to become a chemist are stalled when she falls pregnant and is fired from her position in the lab where she works. Based on the book of the same name by Bonnie Garmus, the show sticks as close as it can to the original content, although there are some diversions, most of the characters and themes are intact — including the character of Mad.
Warning, there are major spoilers ahead!
Mad – Lessons in Chemistry Character Explained
Mad Zott is Calvin and Elizabeth’s daughter in the series. Mad is an intelligent child smart beyond her years due to her mother’s experiential teaching.
By the age of 4, Mad — short for Madeleine — knew how to read, write, and reason.
The stress and struggle of being a single parent leads Mad to be left in the care of Harriet, who thankfully is able to help raise Mad, giving Elizabeth more time to process her life.
In the original novel, while Elizabeth is still pregnant with Mad, the family dog, Six Thirty, communicates with the baby, teaching her words, and offering an explanation for Mad’s raised intelligence.
Also in the novel is the sub-plot with Mads’s lunch being eaten by another child at school, which leads Elizabeth to visit the parent of the child, and being offered the job as a television chef.
After Elizabeth leaves the TV show, continuing with her research, she is helped by a mysterious investor. That person turns out to be Calvin Evans’s mother, who managed to track the family down after Mad sends a letter to her thanking her for funding the orphanage.
Her investment allows Elizabeth to continue with the work she wants to do
Who plays Mad in Lessons in Chemistry?
The young, precocious, and incredibly intelligent Mad is played wonderfully by Alice Halsey. She was born in 2014 in Los Angeles.
Mad appears in five episodes of the show and is managed by LBI Entertainment and A3 Artists Agency in Los Angeles.
Young Alice has an Instagram account @thealicehalsey, and the account is managed by her parents.
What is Alice Halsey known for?
This looks like the first work that Alice has done, but it’s a great start for a career.
The high-profile Apple TV+ series will no doubt find the young performer gaining more work.
