Carrie Coon (‘The Gilded Age’) on portraying a ‘more vulnerable’ Bertha who has ‘more confidence’ and ‘social standing’ in Season 2 [Exclusive Video Interview]
“At heart, Bertha believes that she’s in a meritocracy,” reflects Carrie Coon on her character’s continuing social climb in the second season of “The Gilded Age.” In the latest episodes of the HBO drama series, Bertha Russell parlays some of her newfound social capital into a bigger war with the elites of “old money” New York City society. “In the first season, we really felt her desperation,” says the Emmy nominee, noting that this time around, Bertha “has more confidence, she has more social standing,” aspects that afford her the chance to be “more vulnerable” as a performer. Watch our exclusive video interview.
The overarching plot of the second season centers on a war of dueling New York opera houses with Bertha becoming the benefactor of the new Metropolitan Opera, whereas figures like Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy) and Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) champion the Academy of Music. Coon “had not been to much opera” in her youth and “came to opera very late,” so she “knew very little about it” heading into this season-long arc. She was surprised by not only the fact that this opera war “was an actual social war” during the late 1800s in New York, but also that its function in society was as a “social” event where patrons went “peacocking around” rather than paying attention to the performers.
WATCH our exclusive video interview with Bob Shaw, ‘The Gilded Age’ production designer
The focus on these dueling opera houses gave Coon the opportunity to spend more time on screen with Donna Murphy as Mrs. Astor. The actress shares that in those scenes, “There’s always more going on than the first time you read it,” and series creator Julian Fellowes and director Michael Engler help the performers “unpack what would be a slight, what would be an insult.” She compliments her scene partner as “one of the Grand Dames of the American theatre, so she gets to just live inside that persona with such ease, such regal ease.” The Tony nominee also shared scenes opposite new addition Laura Benanti as a widow seducing Bertha’s son Larry (Harry Richardson). “She was in my first television job ever, which was a guest star spot on ‘The Playboy Club,’ and she was so lovely to me back then,” reflects the actress on why it was so special to welcome Benanti onto “The Gilded Age.”
One of Coon’s greatest scenes this season found Bertha at odds with her husband George (Morgan Spector), which is a rare occurrence for a couple so strongly bonded. Bertha has just heard that something untoward may have occurred between George and her former lady’s maid Turner (Kelley Curran), and Bertha confronts her husband about it in his library. The actress loved that their argument did not focus on “whether or not George did anything,” but rather “the withholding of that information.” It also offered the performer a chance to showcase Bertha’s “big feelings” and to display Bertha’s vulnerability, which “always deepens the character.” “It gave George and Bertha something they had to get back to and we got to enjoy their foreplay,” adds the actress, noting, “George had to earn her trust again by participating in her schemes, and I think that’s fun foreplay.”
WATCH our exclusive video interview with Kasia Walicka Maimone, ‘The Gilded Age’ costume designer
The season finale, “In Terms of Winning and Losing,” finds Bertha with another huge victory as the Metropolitan Opera outstrips the Academy of Music on their dueling opening nights. “She absolutely wins the battle in the biggest city, in the most important city in the world,” observes Coon about Bertha’s triumph. But looking ahead to season three, all might not be so smooth for Bertha, as she has promised to match her daughter Gladys (Taissa Farmiga) with the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb) in exchange for his attendance at the Met’s opening night, a strategy that will deeply anger George. As for Bertha’s other child, the actress is excited about the potential pairing of Larry and Marian (Louisa Jacobson) because it would “marry her family with an old money family” and because it would “force Agnes to her knees.” The Tony nominee would look forward to sharing more scenes with Baranski and Cynthia Nixon because of the “complicated social dynamics” that arise when their characters are in close proximity.
“The Gilded Age” recently earned its first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Drama Ensemble, a nomination that recognized its 34 main performers. Coon says the acknowledgement was so meaningful because “it was the first real validation we had that… our peers were watching the show. When you find out that your peers are paying attention to your work, it’s very gratifying.” Given the challenging economics of theatre currently, she also stresses, “It was extra meaningful for them to uplift a show that’s giving people jobs,” referring to the fact that almost the entire cast of this series is comprised of New York theatre performers.
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