The cast of The Gilded Age marked the upcoming fourth season with celebrations on both coasts. In New York, a red carpet and party took place at The Plaza, while in Los Angeles, an outdoor screening was held at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. The series returns on November 1.
At The Plaza, Carrie Coon wore an Acne Studios gown and told Vogue that red-carpet preparation can be more demanding than her daily costume routine, noting that long events in high heels can become unbearable. Cynthia Nixon chose a floor-length white fringe dress by Edeline Lee. Louisa Jacobson wore a cropped Conner Ives blazer with high-waisted trousers, Kelley Curran opted for a mint set by Lein, and Morgan Spector gave formalwear an avant-garde twist in an all-white Maison Margiela look with dramatic coattails. Denée Benton channeled Cher in a 1980s-era Bob Mackie gown, Audra McDonald wore a sheer Bibhu Mohapatra gown, and Ben Ahlers embraced graphic prints in an optic-patterned Kenzo look.
The Plaza’s Grand Ballroom, with crystal chandeliers and gold detailing, was decorated with hundreds of hydrangeas and lisianthuses and a centerpiece of oak foliage. The dessert spread included cakes, mousses, spiced chai apple crumble, and fondant top hats.
Season 4 consists of eight episodes and picks up about six months after season 3. Bertha Russell (Coon) is determined to salvage her fractured marriage to George Russell (Spector). Coon teased that Bertha never gives up but does not always win. Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) hopes to reclaim influence among Manhattan’s elite by hosting a dinner for President Grover Cleveland, while Bertha plans a grander affair to advance George’s business interests, setting up another clash between old money and new. Coon said she enjoys sparring with Baranski and that Baranski’s character will experience a change of fortune.
Ada Forte (Nixon) is entering a more independent chapter, which Nixon described as walking a tightrope and playing with fire. Marian Brook (Jacobson) and Larry Russell (Richardson) have ended their engagement, but feelings remain. Richardson said Larry desperately wants to be with Marian, though societal pressures keep them apart, and Jacobson noted that expectations for women in 1886, particularly around sexuality and purity, were very different. Oscar van Rhijn (Blake Ritson) proposed a marriage of convenience to the widowed Enid Winterton (Curran), a union that will challenge social conventions. Curran joked that she has been called a hussy in the grocery store. Jack Trotter (Ahlers) is adjusting to life among Manhattan’s elite after selling his clock invention, and Ahlers said he had to learn proper etiquette himself as Jack steps into his new life.
The series also spotlights a thriving Black elite. Audra McDonald, who plays Dorothy Scott, said she is proud that the show presents Black excellence, joy, and love rather than only suffering. Denée Benton, who plays Peggy Scott, said advocating for that storyline has been the honor of her career and feels like righting a collective gaslighting in history.
In Beverly Hills, more than 250 guests gathered at Greystone Mansion, a Tudor-style estate commissioned by an oil tycoon in the 1920s, spanning 16 acres of formal English gardens. They were led through Fleurs de Villes’ botanical exhibit inspired by the period drama—open to the public through November 4—before gathering on the terrace for city views and themed cocktails. Taissa Farmiga, Kelley Curran, Harry Richardson, and Ben Ahlers attended. Farmiga, who plays Gladys Russell, said it was strange to be so far from New York City and imagined Gladys taking one of her father’s trains west. After a Champagne toast, the cast led guests to the gardens for a preview screening, the first outdoor screening hosted at Greystone. Curran, wearing a plunging sequined Edeline Lee dress, called the estate a piece of history and described the event as meta-theatrical given the show’s sumptuousness.
Sources: Vogue.