Podcast Summary: “Carrie Coon on Season Two of 'The Gilded Age'”

Podcast: All Of It, WNYC
Host: Alison Stewart
Guest: Carrie Coon
Date: September 13, 2024

Overview

In this episode of All Of It, host Alison Stewart interviews Carrie Coon, Emmy-nominated for her role as Bertha Russell in HBO’s The Gilded Age. The conversation dives deeply into Coon’s process embodying a fiercely ambitious “new money” social climber, her collaboration with co-stars and creators, the show’s approach to depicting class and race in 1880s New York, and the complexity (and costuming) of her character’s journey in season two.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Bertha Russell: Characterization and Drive

• Alison asks for adjectives to describe Bertha Russell.
  • Carrie Coon: “Feisty, tenacious, determined, myopic, relentless, charming.” (05:32)
• Bertha’s motivation:
  • “She is rabidly ambitious… If she were born in another time, she would have been a CEO or a senator or president. But those avenues are not open to her, so the social sphere is her purview, and she plans to dominate.” (05:50)

2. Building Bertha: Coon’s Personal Connection and Backstory

• Bertha’s imagined background:
  • “She had been decidedly middle class, really borderline. She had come, of course, from probably Irish immigrants… I always laughed because the woman who plays Turner, Kelly Curran, she has the most beautiful hands… and I personally come from a working class family. That always made me feel appropriately out of place in my own house.” (06:33)
• Understanding Bertha’s perspective:
  • “She thinks she’s living in a meritocracy… But she’s not really thinking about everyone, of course... She’s really just thinking about the other women she has to dispatch with to get to the top.” (07:19)
• Coon’s competitive streak as connective tissue:
  • “I hated running. But I loved winning, and we won all the time. I’m not a sore loser at all... when someone beats me fair and square, I'll accept it.” (08:22)

3. Inside Production: Research, Locations, and Repetition

• On historical research:
  • “Our assistant director, Luke Harlan, had assembled a wonderful research packet along with Erica Dunbar, a magnificent historian... Both fiction and nonfiction. Portrait of a Lady is my favorite book. I reread it every few years... I dressed up as Edith Wharton in fourth or fifth grade for a book report.” (11:06)
  • “We had a consultant on set for etiquette, and of course, you would hear from Julian [Fellowes]... He was always watching. You never knew when you'd hear from him.” (12:09)
• Shooting challenges:
  • “It was 130 degrees in there the night before we shot [the Easter parade]; they had to rig air conditioning so we didn’t all pass out. Women didn’t wear those dresses for 14 hours straight, but we do, don’t we?” (10:23)

4. Portrayal of African American History

• Call-in on racial representation:
  • Caller Harry appreciates the show’s depiction of Black middle/upper class life in the 1880s.
• Coon’s response:
  • “It’s my favorite part of the show… We rarely see the African American diaspora depicted in this time period as particularly as middle or upper class. To see all those beautiful young people dressed up that way — I know my friends growing up always had to imagine themselves in stories dominated by white writers and actors. I’m really moved that a young woman might look at our show and see herself in it…” (13:03)
  • Praises Danae Benton, Erica Dunbar, Sonja Warfield, and other cast/crew for authenticity.

5. Season Two: Vulnerability and Evolution

• Bertha’s journey in Season Two:
  • “I think she’s been made more vulnerable this season. Especially with the complication of Turner and her marriage with George… They gave us more moments when she’s feeling insecure... that always complicates a character, especially an antagonist or villain.” (15:34)
  • Notes more grace notes, such as Bertha giving opera tickets to her housekeeper. (15:34)

6. Performance Details: Voice, Dialogue, Coaching

• On adopting the period dialect:
  • “We had a coach, Howard Samuelson, every day to notice any ‘t’ or strange Midwestern ‘a’ creeping in… At first, it felt awkward… The language has a certain size, you can’t just mumble through it… It does require a bit of theatricality.” (16:41)
  • “I settled in the second season... but it is hard when you go away… and come back to production, it takes a few days of warming up, where you don’t entirely feel human.” (16:41)

7. Chemistry with Morgan Spector (George Russell)

• Developing the marriage dynamic:
  • Caller Suzanne praises the authentic marriage dynamic on the show.
  • Carrie Coon: “I really adore Morgan personally... Our spouses are friends, our kids are the same age. We became good friends before this show. When I found out it was Morgan, it was one of the reasons I took the job.” (18:58)
  • Notes the marriage is modern and egalitarian, a rarity, and “respect has become elusive and sexy.” (18:58)

8. Spoiler Section: Bertha, the Opera Wars, and Familial Deals

• On Bertha’s maneuvering:
  • “He [the Duke] wasn’t the only Englishman fishing around for a family fortune... anyone who knows the history of Alva Vanderbilt knows she did that famously with her daughter Consuelo and married her off to the Duke of Marlborough—a very unhappy marriage.” (25:12)
  • “George doesn’t approve of this arrangement… Gladys is being sold across the ocean.” (25:12)
• Why Bertha is so direct:
  • “Bertha believes that the truth is powerful when convenient... She also knows the world is set up for Larry—he’s a rich, young, white man, he’s going to be fine. But she will not let him make a match that will stain the family name.” (21:44–22:54)

9. On Costumes — Bertha’s Visual Power

• Reaction to her elaborate wardrobe:
  • “The fittings are really shocking... Kasia [Walicka-Maimone, costume designer] always has these boards... every choice she makes is justifiable in the historical record, even when she’s pushing the period... With Bertha, it’s always more. Most of the characters have one dressmaker; I have three or four. They all have a different personality and purpose.” (23:19)

10. Broadway Hopes and Previous Work

• On returning to stage:
  • “It’s very hard to get a straight play up on Broadway right now... I’d love to bring Bug or see a revival of August: Osage County...” (27:18)
• Leftovers fandom:
  • “In my entire career, it will always be a Leftovers fan who recognizes me. Those exchanges are never trivial... People who are connected to that show have a strong and powerful experience.” (26:26)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “She thinks she’s living in a meritocracy… She believes if you work hard, you should be able to work your way to the top—though she’s not really thinking about everyone.” – Carrie Coon (07:19)
• “You can’t just mumble through it like you’re doing a contemporary television show. It takes a bit of theatricality.” – Carrie Coon on period dialogue (16:41)
• “When I found out it was Morgan [Spector], it was one of the reasons I took the job.” – Carrie Coon on her on-screen marriage (18:58)
• “With Bertha, it’s always more [in the costumes].” – Carrie Coon (23:19)
• “I may have peaked early and it’s all downhill from here.” – Carrie Coon, joking about her Leftovers legacy (26:26)
• “So yes, of course, it’s astonishing…every time I go in, she’s [the designer] always adding things.” – Carrie Coon, about costumes (23:19)
• “Respect has become elusive and sexy.” – Carrie Coon, on Bertha and George’s marriage (18:58)
• “I’m really moved that a young woman might look at our show and see herself in it—in a way a Black girl hasn’t had that opportunity in the past.” (13:03)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Bertha Russell: Character & Motivation – 05:32—05:50
• Bertha’s Backstory & Actor’s Connection – 06:33—07:19
• Competition and Athletics – 08:22
• Historical Research and Etiquette – 11:06—12:09
• Representation of Black New Yorkers – 13:03
• Season 2: Vulnerability & Grace Notes – 15:34
• On Voice & Period Dialogue – 16:41
• Bertha & George’s Marriage – 18:58
• Spoiler: Opera Wars & Family Intrigue – 25:12
• Costume Insights – 23:19
• Leftovers Fandom and Broadway Hopes – 26:26—27:18

Episode Tone

The conversation is warm, intellectual, and spirited—Carrie Coon offers insightful, candid reflections laced with humor and humility. The dynamic between host and guest is inviting, with questions that elicit detailed, thoughtful answers. Listener calls add a community feel and further context about the scope and resonance of The Gilded Age and Coon’s work.

Summary prepared for listeners who want a comprehensive sense of the episode’s themes and takeaways—without spoilers for unaired plot developments.