Outside of The X Files, David Duchovny is perhaps best known for his role as down-and-out author Hank Moody on Showtime’s Californication. Fans of the show will remember his on-screen daughter, Becca, played by Madeleine Martin, a former Broadway child star who became one of TV’s most in-demand young actors.
Today, we’re seeing what Madeleine has been getting up to since the hit show ended – from a fan-favourite voice acting role to a surprising new career pivot.
© Getty ImagesMadeleine at the afterparty for "The Pillowman" in 2005
Broadway career
A native New Yorker, Madeleine began her showbiz career at just seven years old, appearing in the Broadway National Tour of The Sound of Music (1999–2000); she later made her Broadway debut as the lead in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (2003).
Alongside her stage career, Madeleine appeared in TV hits like Law & Order (2003) and the animated Disney series Jojo’s Circus (2003). She was later praised by critics for her "remarkable” performance in The Pillowman on Broadway (2005), alongside Jeff Goldblum and Billy Crudup
“I don't get scared because it's just acting," a 12-year-old Madeleine told The New York Times of her role in the horror play. "I just love hearing people in the audience scream, because it means that I'm doing a good job."
© WireImageMadeleine and David at Showtime's 2011 Winter TCA
Californication
Madeleine starred in all seven seasons of Californication (2007–2014), bringing Rebecca “Becca” Moody to life as the character navigated her complicated relationship with her father.
“I tease her because she never makes a mistake,” David told the Los Angeles Times of his on-screen daughter. “Never shows nerves, always prepared…she’s ready at the table read to shoot”.
Beginning her stint in the famously suggestive show as a teenager, Madeleine revealed that she was only allowed to watch her own scenes, and had to listen to her iPod during parts of the table read. “My mom TiVos the show,” the actress told TODAY in 2008. “My friends don’t watch it either. I think they saw a commercial once, and I guess it was inappropriate. They called me up and said, ’Oh my god!’”
© Getty Images for ReedPopMadeleine balances a popular voice role with teaching theatre and performance
Later career
After the Emmy-winning show wrapped in 2014, Madeleine went on to play Shelley Godfrey in the Netflix thriller Hemlock Grove (2014–2016) and later joined the third season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2019) alongside Rachel Brosnahan.
Since 2023, she’s also voiced the character Fionna in the animated series Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake. Alongside acting, she also earned a MFA in Theatre and Performance from York University, and is currently an Assistant Professor at the School of Theatre at Florida State University.
Speaking to students, Madeleine described acting as “not a linear trajectory” per FSView, adding “maybe it means pivoting a little bit, but not to view that as a decline…I feel like the actors and artists who embrace that, they're the ones who last.”
