Julian Fellowes' 'The Gilded Age' newly cast characters set for a clash between old and new money
Mark Twain was the one who coined the term 'The Gilded Age' to refer to the late 19th century. He was referring to the surface glitter of the time that 'gilded' the underlying corruption, excesses and unfettered capitalism that characterized the era. In post Civil War America, 'old money' and class structures were overturned and fortunes were made (and lost) overnight. Visible progress in the shape of railroads, industrialization (with much higher wages than Europe) and banking networks expanded across the country.
But this progress and celebration of capitalism also meant the advent of the "robber barons" of the North, who became the exploitative force in this new America taking over from the slave plantation owners of the South who lost their sway after the Civil War. These monopolistic businessmen crushed competitors, rigged markets, and bent the democratic government to their will. In many ways, the stories of that age are the foundational stories of America itself.
There were hints of these tremendous changes 'over the pond' in Julian Fellowes' 'Downtown Abbey' with Cora Crawley's 'new money' dowry rescuing the Earl of Grantham's 'old money' estate in Victorian England. But the clash between old values and new, and how the "nouveau riche" who made their money in new industries like shipping, railroads, and banking slowly overtook and negated feudal hierarchies set by the 'old money', land (and slave) owning planter families, was a fascinating aspect of the era. One that 'Downtown Abbey', set in stodgy ol' Britain, was never really affected by, holding on to rigid class structures till the "roaring 20s."
So its no wonder that Julian Fellowes for his next project, 'The Gilded Age' that starts in 1882, chose to focus on this fascinating period of American history. According to Fellowes, making the series had been a "dream" of his for some time. "I am fascinated by this brutal and intensely glamorous period of America’s history. It will be about ambition, of course, and envy and hatred and, perhaps most of all, about love."
The show's central character is young Marian Brook, the orphaned daughter of a Southern general, who moves into the home of her rigidly conventional aunts in New York City in 1882. Both the aunts represent New York's 'old money' set. With new cast members being signed, we are finally getting to hear more about these personalities who will shape the series. Brook's two aunts will be played by Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon. Baranski will play Agnes van Rhijn, a proud and stubborn aristocrat who refuses to accept that the world is changing and the values she has lived by her whole life are no longer valid. As the daughter of a plantation owner, she might be old money. But when the plantation fails, she is left penniless but manages to catch a husband just in time. She is devoted to her son Oscar, but it is a one-sided devotion. Cynthia Nixon will portray Ada Brook, Marian Brook's "spinster aunt". Ada, also a victim of the collapse of the Old South, and unmarried, is forced to depend on her sister’s charity. The character description released states that while she is "not naturally confrontational," she is capable of standing up for what she believes in.
Representing new money will be Morgan Spector portraying George Russell, the millionaire "robber baron" who is a ruthless railroad tycoon. He is pleasant enough at social gatherings and fond of his wife and his children. His ruthlessness only comes out in business affairs as he schemes and plots to turn his millions into billions. His wife, Bertha Russell, will be played by Amanda Peet, a middle-class woman who married George, a merchant's son, because she believed that he had the financial acumen to create a fortune. When her instincts pay off, her ambitious nature pushes her to try and break into New York's upper crust society who thwart her at every turn. The husband and wife duo are Brook's aunts' neighbors who dazzle Marion with their stupendously lavish lifestyle.
There are two main characters who are yet to be cast. One is Marion herself, who will represent how the younger generation responded to this clash between old traditions and its deeply held notions around class and propriety and the new brash values centering around excessive and conspicuous wealth and consumption. The other is Peggy Scott, a mysterious African-American woman masquerading as her maid. Peggy will probably provide insight into the African-American population of the time, most of whom had just become free men and women and grappled with the legacy of slavery and its associated (and continued) prejudices.
The series, slated to have ten episodes, was pitched as a prequel of sorts to Downtown Abbey. So it could have brief scenes featuring a younger version of the sharp-tongued Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, and her two children -- her son Robert and daughter Rosamund, who would be in their early teens in the 1880s. The series that was supposed to premiere in 2019 on NBC, will now start filming in 2020 and be broadcast on HBO.