Brothel madam Faye in “East of Eden” (the 2026 Netflix miniseries based on the John Steinbeck novel “East of Eden”) is totally gorgeous in real life. While Faye is more buttoned-up and doesn’t wear much makeup, the character’s actor, Martha Plimpton, has a much more glamorous side. She proved that at a New York “East of Eden” event in September 2026, when she strutted her stuff in a plunging, black silk corset top and pants under a matching blazer with white lace accents. She also rocked a vampy red lipstick and fluttery faux eyelashes, which we couldn’t imagine seeing on her character.
Also making Plimpton almost unrecognizable compared to her character? Her hair. While Faye sports a very curled and coiffed, piled up brown ‘do that matches the time (“East of Eden” takes place between 1862 and 1918), Plimpton’s go-to style is a much more modern, blond pixie cut. While Plimpton wore her cropped ‘do with side bangs here, she’s also been known to slick her short locks back for a sleeker, edgier vibe.
Plimpton knows she looks nothing like her character in real life, but she’s credited her co-workers for helping her bring Faye to life. “I had wonderful scene partners, especially in Florence [Pugh] … and the book is so extraordinary. So, you know, everything you need to know is in there in the book,” she told Entertainment Tonight of the classic book everyone was reading in summer 2026 and one of Oprah’s Book Club’s top 15 picks. “I just feel lucky that [co-showrunner] Zoe [Kazan] adapted it so beautifully and made this character so rich and so, you know, so complex and so wanting and vulnerable. It was just a really fun thing to get to do,” she added.
You may recognize Martha Plimpton from her other roles
If you didn’t recognize Martha Plimpton in her period costume for “East of Eden,” you may recognize her more from one of her past roles. The actor created quite the impressive résumé before appearing on the Netflix series, including famously playing Stef in “The Goonies.” The star also appeared as Virginia Chance in the TV series “Raising Hope,” starred in six episodes of “The Good Wife,” and has popped up in the likes of “Gray’s Anatomy,” “ER,” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
But it seems playing Faye on “East of Eden,” one of the classic books that got a fresh on-screen adaptation in 2026, may be one of Plimpton’s favorite roles yet — even if it makes her look totally different than in real life. The talented actor shared the trailer for the series on Instagram ahead of the drama’s release, writing, “I could not be more proud to be part of this extraordinary thing. This novel became one of my very favorite works of American fiction, and working on this was a joy and a privilege.” Seeing her dramatic transformation to play Faye though, that was our privilege.
