Category: The Gilded Age

Interview The Gilded Age

Collider: Taissa Farmiga to Team With ‘White Noise’ Producer for Ukrainian Film ‘Anna’

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Mar 9, 2023
by MyAnn

The film is written and will be directed by Dekel Berenson.

Taissa Farmiga has found her next project, as it was reported by Deadline that the actress is set to executive produce and star in the upcoming Ukrainian drama film Anna, a coming-of-age story revolving around the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The film will follow the titular Anna, played by Farmiga, a Ukrainian immigrant who moves to the United States to join the U.S. Army. However, as Russia gears up to invade Ukraine, Anna is sexually assaulted by an officer at the military base she is training at. Following the assault, Anna “struggles to complete her course as she reconsiders her values, identity and place in an American army and society that’s not fighting for her, too,” according to a summary of the film obtained by Deadline. No other plot details or additional cast members have been announced

The screenplay for Anna was written by Dekel Berenson, who is also onboard to direct the film. Anna will be based on Berenson’s 2019 short film of the same name, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival before making its way to the Toronto International Film Festival and others. Berenson has also directed award-winning shorts such as Ashmina and The Girls Were Doing Nothing. Anna will be his feature debut. However, while Farmiga will be executive producing, she will not be alone, as Uri Singer has also boarded as a producer. Singer recently made waves by producing Noah Baumbach’s well regarded comedy-drama White Noise, and is also attached to Universal Pictures’ in-the-works project The King of Oil alongside John Krasinski. He additionally produced the Ethan Hawke-led biopic Tesla, about the life of the titular scientist.

The 28-year-old Farmiga, the younger sister of Vera Farmiga, is best known for her role in Warner Bros.’ 2018 horror film The Nun, a spinoff of The Conjuring franchise in which her sister has a starring role. Farmiga’s additional film credits include The Mule starring Clint Eastwood and the psychological thriller John and the Hole. She is slated to reprise her role in The Nun 2 this September and she also has a main role as Gladys Russell on HBO’s historical drama The Gilded Age, the second season of which was greenlit last year but does not yet have a release date. Farmiga is also known for her roles in FX’s American Horror Story franchise, in which she appeared in numerous episodes from 2011 to 2018. She has additionally boarded the upcoming romance film She Taught Love.

No release window for Anna has been announced. Collider’s interview with Taissa Farmiga about The Gilded Age can be seen below:

Source: Collider

The Gilded Age The Nun 2

The Hollywood Reporter: Taissa Farmiga on ‘The Gilded Age’ and ‘The Nun’ Sequel Talks

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Jan 9, 2023
by MyAnn

The article was posted in February 2022.

The actor explains how being the youngest of seven Farmiga children prepared her for Gladys Russell on the HBO ‘Downton Abbey’ spinoff.

Taissa Farmiga grew up on Ryan Murphy and Brad Fulchak’s FX horror series American Horror Story, but because of its anthology nature, she never got the chance to play the same character over the course of a multi-season arc. Nearly 11 years after her first foray into television, the New Jersey native is finally in a position to play the same character for many seasons on Julian Fellowes’ Downton Abbey spinoff prequel, The Gilded Age. Set in 1880s New York City, Farmiga plays 17-year-old Gladys Russell, who’s ready to make her debut in society, but her “new money” family — namely her mother Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) — refuses to compromise on the matter until the circumstances are just right. For Farmiga, the chance to evolve with Gladys is something she couldn’t resist, especially in a world that is so far removed from her past work.

“I’ve never gone with one character to a subsequent season and lived out that arc,” Farmiga tells The Hollywood Reporter. “When I did American Horror Story, I did season one, and then I wasn’t there for season two. And then I went back for season three as a different character. So what I’m most excited for, right now, is to see how Gladys evolves in season two.”

Besides the Marvel Cinematic Universe, an argument can be made that the Conjuring franchise is the second-most successful cinematic universe at the moment. Farmiga’s older sister Vera, alongside James Wan and Patrick Wilson, set the franchise in motion with 2013’s The Conjuring, the first of eight films (and counting). But to many people’s surprise, the youngest Farmiga’s The Nun (2018), directed by Corin Hardy, actually has the franchise’s best outing at the box office with $363 million. While the development on a sequel seems to have slowed in recent years, Farmiga indicates that there’s been movement in the last year.

“There have definitely been whisperings and talks in the last year, but the pandemic has obviously affected everything including filming and such,” Farmiga shares. “So I heard mentions of it back in the fall, maybe, and there were talks of potentially trying to see what my availability was. But I also haven’t seen a script. So I haven’t heard anything definitive or anyone say, ‘Hey, this is going.’ So I don’t know, but I would love to go back and visit Sister Irene. It’s been years.”

In a recent conversation with THR, Farmiga also explains how being the youngest of seven Farmiga children prepared her for Gladys Russell. Then she looks back at her experience with Sofia Coppola on The Bling Ring set.

So The Gilded Age is a very different world and genre for you. Since actors are often categorized according to their past work, did you have to pursue this project at all?

I definitely had to audition and do my part and work for the opportunity. I was originally sent an old, old draft of the script and sides for the audition for the character of Marian [Louisa Jacobson]. So I was excited about the overall world and the idea of The Gilded Age being done by Julian Fellowes with HBO, and being set in a time period and a world that I’m not normally associated with. When I tried to do the audition for Marian, I didn’t really feel like I clicked with the character. I had a hard time in the self-tape audition. I just wasn’t feeling like I was doing a good job. I wasn’t feeling like I was understanding Marian. So I tried a couple of times, and I ended up getting something on tape and sent it off. I didn’t feel great about it, but it was alright. And then casting got back to my team and said, “Look, we really love her, but she just doesn’t feel right for Marian. Would you mind reading for Gladys?” And I was like, “Yeah, absolutely.” And immediately, I saw a lot of my young teenage self in Gladys and that desire to break free and find independence and experience the world through your own eyes, as opposed to the eyes of your family. So I auditioned for her, and I got the director session where I met up with [EP-Director] Michael Engler. And I remember being very, very nervous in the audition room, but Michael was very kind. And then he asked me, “Oh, do you have any sort of obsession with this time period? Do you love period dramas? You fall into it so easily.” So I kind of laughed and said, “No, I watch Rick and Morty and cartoons and comedies. It’s not really what I know.” But as an actor, it was a new opportunity, and I like to grow. It’s nice to push yourself, and this was a world that I wanted to push myself to experience.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Interview The Gilded Age Videos

Collider | Taissa Farmiga Explains Why She Had a Hard Time with Her ‘Gilded Age’ Audition Until Something Special Clicked

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Feb 8, 2022
by MyAnn

Farmiga also reveals the project that solidified her passion for acting.



I’ve been lucky enough to cross paths with Taissa Farmiga quite a bit over the years for interviews, but a Collider Ladies Night conversation is different. Farmiga’s had a one-of-a-kind journey in this industry and during our 40-minute chat, we covered as much of it as possible leading up to her latest project, the HBO series, The Gilded Age.

From Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, The Gilded Age kicks off in the United States in 1882, a time that involved a significant conflict between old money and new ways of amassing enormous fortunes. In the Upper East Side of New York City, the former group includes the Van Rhijn household, led by Christine Baranski’s Agnes van Rhijn. Agnes holds tight to the past and keeps an eye out for newcomers who don’t belong, like her new neighbors the Russells.

That’s where we meet Farmiga’s character, Gladys Russell. She’s the teenage daughter of George (Morgan Spector) and Bertha (Carrie Coon). At this point, Gladys should have made her society debut, but Bertha refuses to let Gladys out of lockdown until she can fill her massive ballroom for the occasion. Trouble is, given that the Russells are new to the area, Bertha is finding it rather difficult to earn a place in the local elite social circle.

During our Collider Ladies Night chat, we went back to the beginning for Farmiga. Even though it’s quite clear she’s oozing with raw talent, Farmiga initially had minimal interest in acting. Even when her sister, Vera Farmiga, encouraged her to join the cast of her directorial debut, High Ground, she agreed to do so more for the experience, not necessarily for a passion for acting.

“For me I have such an interesting start with it because I don’t think the ‘aha moment’ of I need this in my life came until I was already working a bit. My older sister Vera’s obviously an actress and she directed her first film, this indie film called Higher Ground 10, 11 years ago, and it was my first job when I was 15, and it was to play the younger version of her character. I think I filmed the movie [in] eight days. She asked me to be in it and it was more just because I looked like her and she asked me to. I couldn’t say no. I was like, ‘Okay, this is a cool experience,’ and then after that I went back to my normal life.”

“Normal life” didn’t last much longer after that. Higher Ground made its way to the Sundance Film Festival and the industry took notice of Farmiga’s work. But even then, it’d take a little more time for Farmiga to come to the realization that she didn’t just enjoy acting, it was something she needed and she was determined to pour everything she had into her craft.

“I think it was the first time I worked with an acting coach, and it was for In the Valley of Violence. I was a little nervous because the character was a little bit bigger than anything I’ve done. In the Valley of Violence is done by Ti West who’s a great horror director, but it was kind of like a weird hipster Western movie, and it was the first time where I got to see how someone — not just going on natural instincts. You break down the scene, you break down the emotions and to me, the emotions started feeling like a mathematical equation. It was like, ‘Oh, if you had this and you’re feeling this and you add a little bit of this person’s response,’ you know? It kind of felt like an equation to me and I loved that. And it was after working with the coach and really building up my skills to do this job because, sure, you have natural instincts, but if you don’t work at it, if you don’t practice and if you don’t learn how to properly start approaching a scene, you can only run for so long. I had the natural part of it, but once I got the book smart part of it, it really just sort of cemented, ‘I’m so f*cking lucky. This is it! This is what I want to do!’ I don’t know what it was. By the end of the job I was like, ‘Oh, I want to hold onto this. I need to do everything I can to work hard and be able to keep moving forward.’”

A little over five years later, that drive and willingness to grow hasn’t changed. In fact, you can see Farmiga’s ability to learn from her experiences on full display in her story about her Gilded Age audition. Originally, Farmiga auditioned for the role of Marion Brook, now played by Louisa Jacobson. But there was absolutely no defeat in that for Farmiga, rather, an ability to recognize when something doesn’t quite click and make the necessary pivot for the better. She explained:

“When I was auditioning for it, I had a hard time. I remember I read once with my husband. I didn’t like the tape … I tried to make the self-tape twice and I wasn’t happy with it. I don’t know why I wasn’t clicking or responding to Marion. I sent in a tape and I was like, ‘I feel fine about it. It is what it is.’ And then casting, the producers they really liked it, but it was like, ‘It’s clearly not right for Marion, but we really, really like you. Will you read this character?’ And I was like, ‘Okay! Why not?’ I was down to try it because, again, perfectionist, I felt like, not that I failed at the other tape, but I was like, I didn’t fully connect. So I was happy to have a second shot with Gladys and that taped in two seconds and I was like, ‘Oh, I know this girl. She’s so many versions of 16, 17-year-old Taissa.’”

You can see Farmiga shining in the role of Gladys on The Gilded Age every Monday on HBO. If you’re looking for even more on Farmiga’s journey from thinking she wanted to be an accountant as a teenager to joining the American Horror Story ensemble and more, check out her episode of Collider Ladies Night at the top of this article or listen to our full 40-minute conversation uncut in podcast form below.

Source: Collider

The Gilded Age Videos

The Gilded Age | Official Trailer #1

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Dec 1, 2021
by MyAnn


In a new world, a new age is about to begin. The Gilded Age begins in 1882 with young Marian Brook (Jacobson) moving from rural Pennsylvania to New York City after the death of her father to live with her thoroughly old money aunts Agnes van Rhijn (Baranski) and Ada Brook (Nixon). Exposed to a world on the brink of the modern age, will Marian follow the established rules of society, or forge her own path?

The Gilded Age debuts Monday January 24 on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

The Gilded Age

New Project Series: HBO’s “The Gilded Age”

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Jan 31, 2020
by MyAnn

‘The Gilded Age’: Harry Richardson, Thomas Cocquerel & Jack Gilpin Join HBO Drama Series

EXCLUSIVE: Harry Richardson (Poldark), Thomas Cocquerel (Alive) and Jack Gilpin (Billions) are set as series regulars in Julian Fellowes’ The Gilded Age drama series at HBO. The project is a co-production between HBO and Universal TV.

The fictional epic of the millionaire titans of New York City in the 1880s hails from the Downton Abbey team of Fellowes, producer Gareth Neame and director Michael Engler. They join previously announced series regulars Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Amanda Peet, Morgan Spector, Denée Benton, Louisa Jacobson, Taissa Farmiga, Blake Ritson and Simon Jones.

Created, written and executive produced by Fellowes, The Gilded Age centers on a period of immense economic change in America, of huge fortunes made and lost and the rise of disparity between old money and new. Against this backdrop of change, the story begins in 1882 – introducing young Marian Brook, the orphaned daughter of a Southern general who moves into the home of her rigidly conventional aunts in New York City. Accompanied by the mysterious Peggy Scott, an African-American woman masquerading as her maid, Marian gets caught up in the dazzling lives of her stupendously rich neighbors, led by a ruthless railroad tycoon and his ambitious wife struggling for acceptance by the Astor and Vanderbilt set. Will Marian follow the established rules of society or forge her own path in this exciting new world that is on the brink of transformation into the modern age?

Richardson will play Larry Russell. Appealing and good natured with an easy charm, Larry is a recent Harvard graduate eager to make his way in the world. Above all, Larry is his mother’s child, her Achilles’ heel, the one person she loves without limit. And he loves her as well. He is protective of his little sister, Gladys, and like her he is a classic child of the rich. He thinks he doesn’t care about money, because he has always had plenty of it.

Cocquerel is Tom Raikes, a sensible young lawyer from Doylestown, PA. He’s been a solitary and career-driven practical man but is smitten when he meets Marian, his late client’s orphaned daughter. He relocates to New York City in pursuit of a relationship with her. Tom understands that Marian’s family, specifically her two aunts, are very conservative, and he’s careful not to overstep any boundaries along the way. He’ll put up a fight to get what he wants, but he’s an appealing, charming gentleman above all else.

Gilpin portrays Church, the Russell family’s butler. He is American, from a dismal background, but evades his past by excelling at his job. He has no time for nonsense in the workplace due to his attention and care for his job. Above all, he is Bertha’s ally, and he intends to stay reasonably true to her every step of the way, unlike her own maid.

Fellowes, Neame, Engler and David Crockett executive produce, and Engler also directs.

Richardson played the role of Drake Carne for three seasons on BBC One’s Poldark. Most recently he was seen in six-part TV series Total Control for Blackfella Films in Australia, alongside Rachel Griffiths and Deborah Mailman, an official selection in the Television section of the 2019 Toronto Film Festival. Richardson is repped by Hamilton Hodell, ICM and Morrissey Management.

Cocquerel recently wrapped shooting Escape Room 2 for Sony Pictures Entertainment. He most recently was seen as the lead in the independent feature Alive opposite Angus MacFayden, as well as playing the leads in In Like Flynn, an Australian/US co-production, and the independent film The Divorce Party. On the television side, he just wrapped a season-long arc on the CW’s The 100. Cocquerel is repped by CAA, Management 360 and Shanahan (Australia).

Gilpin most recently was seen as Sean Ayles on Billions, and he also has appeared Madam Secretary, The Night Of and The Good Wife, among others. His film credits include, Adventureland, 21, Quiz Show, The Juror and Something Wild. Gilpin is represented by Buchwald.

Source: Deadline