Carrie Coon talks ‘Gilded Age' Season 3: ‘We are leaning into the fun parts'
The Gilded Age returned Sunday for its highly anticipated third installment on HBO, plunging straight into the aftermath of last chapter's social and political battles. At the center of the storm is Bertha Russell — played by two-time Emmy nominee Carrie Coon.
Coon recently spoke to Gold Derby and offered fans a taste of what's to come: 'We are leaning into the most fun parts of the plot, and we've had some wonderful theater folks join the cast. We just had the best time welcoming new people. It's always fun to have new energy and we hope everybody watches so that we get a Season 4.'
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That "new energy" includes additions like Merritt Wever as Bertha's sister, Bill Camp as financier J.P. Morgan, Andrea Martin as a medium, and LisaGay Hamilton portraying the real-life prominent Black abolitionist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Their arrivals promise to shake up the already crowded ballroom of Gilded Age society — and expand the show's exploration of power in all its forms.
HBO
But at the center remains Bertha, more driven and commanding than ever. 'She's pretty single-minded,' Coon explained at the ATX TV Festival in Austin earlier this month. 'We know she's determined to marry off Gladys. I'll say without spoiling anything, Bertha usually does get her way. But it doesn't mean there aren't consequences to that.'
Those consequences will unfold not just in the drawing rooms of Fifth Avenue but also within the Russell family itself. Season 3 explores Bertha's increasingly complex dynamic with her daughter, Gladys (Taissa Farmiga), as well as her husband, George (Morgan Spector), whose understanding of power often clashes with Bertha's methods — and her motives.
'George can't really understand the stakes for a woman,' Coon explained during a press conference for the series. 'The woman's purview is very different. He doesn't understand our instinct for survival, which is, in this case, through marriage. Bertha really believes what she's doing is an existential question. She wants her daughter to be safe. She also wants her to be fulfilled and have a sense of purpose.'
It's this combination of maternal protectiveness and relentless ambition that defines Bertha's arc this season, and Coon is quick to defend her character's controversial decisions. 'I have a lot of respect for what Bertha wants for Gladys, and I do believe it's loving,' she said. 'Does she go about it in a way that seems a little bit blunt? Perhaps. But she wants her daughter to be not just safe but fulfilled.'
After wrapping filming on The White Lotus, Coon jumped straight into The Gilded Age with barely a moment to breathe. 'I showed up on set two days later. Thankfully they put me in my pajamas in my Bertha robe because I didn't have any of my costumes built yet,' she said. 'I know it's television, I know that television has to move quickly, but I needed extra time. Everybody was incredibly generous. Hopefully the editors made me look better than I surely was on the first two weeks.'
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