George and Bertha Russell enter Season 4 of The Gilded Age at odds and separated by an ocean. Bertha, played by Carrie Coon, is in England with their daughter, who has married a duke, while George, played by Morgan Spector, faces pressure as he tries to maintain his railroad empire. The couple’s strained relationship marks a change from the united front they presented earlier in the series.
Coon and Spector see the Russells as outsiders and disruptors, despite their wealth and influence. They say the characters are still trying to gain acceptance, with Bertha’s drive to belong tied to what they describe as an American experience.
The actors also connected the show’s 19th-century setting to present-day questions of power. Spector said he believes government does not work for ordinary people and argued that looking at how people in the past sought to regain power can offer lessons.
Sources: Refinery29.