You probably know the actress Maggie Siff as biker mama Tara Knowles Teller on the highly acclaimed Sons of Anarchy or as department store heiress Rachel Menken, the only mistress of Mad Men’s Don Draper, who he actually loved. But if you haven’t seen her as Wendy Rhoades on Billions — seriously, call your cable company.
Wendy — psychiatrist-cum-powerhouse performance coach — rolls with the competitive high-rollers at Bobby Axelrod’s hedge fund, Axe Capital. At home, she’s mother, wife and dominatrix to her husband, U.S. Attorney and Axelrod nemesis, Chuck Rhoades.
Smart, beautiful, successful, here’s why you want to follow in Wendy’s stilettos.
Wendy does nothing halfway
She’s the best performance coach in the business; that’s why top executives are always trying to hire her away from Bobby, who, in turn, sweetens her “comp.” This woman got more raises in 12 episodes than I think I received in the past five years. When she and Chuck wanted to add some kink to their lovemaking repertoire, she took lessons. As the S&M mistress who ran the workshop said: “[Wendy] was an all-star.”
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Wendy knows how to say no
That goes for both her husband and her boss.
She refused to sacrifice her lucrative career for Chuck’s crusade against Bobby.
She erases a recording of Chuck that Bobby could use to save himself and the company, even though Bobby offers her 15 million dollars, because, “He’s the father of my children.”
Wendy takes care of Wendy
Before quitting Axe Capital because Bobby unjustly accused her of being disloyal, she made sure that he first transferred her 5 million-dollar bonus into her bank account. When she realized Chuck betrayed her by taking her private session notes with Bobby off her computer, there was no, “How can you do this to me?” It was more like: “Pack your shit…be gone.”
Wendy’s a woman who helps other women
When she realizes that a female broker is being set up for a fall at Axe Capital, Wendy walks a fine line between going against the company and guiding the woman toward a new position at a different firm. Knowing that Bobby’s wife Lara is jealous of her, Wendy never takes the bait when Lara makes comments. She knows when two women get down in the mud, all they’ll get is dirty.
Wendy’s treated as an equal because she acts like one
Sure she got teary when she found out that Chuck was spying on her and Bobby when they worked late, and retaliated by going to a sex club. And yes, she was shocked and saddened when she realized that Bobby had a dossier on her that could ruin her career. It only made her stand taller, keep her voice even and her eye contact unflinching. Like the men she goes toe to toe with, Wendy doesn’t back down.
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Siff herself says of Wendy: “She’s a very powerful person who’s really not ashamed at any of the ways in which she’s powerful.”
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