‘The Gilded Age’ Star Denée Benton Talks Peggy’s New Romance, Sparring With Phylicia Rashad: She’s the ‘Agnes of Newport’

Note: This story contains spoilers from “The Gilded Age Season 3, Episode 3.”

“The Gilded Age” hard-launched a new romantic interest for Peggy Scott, bringing a whole family of baggage along with him.

Sparks flew almost immediately between Peggy (Denée Benton) and Dr. William Kirkland (Jordan Donica) after he treated her severe case of pneumonia earlier in Season 3. But a trip to the beach town of Newport in Episode 3, titled “Love Is Never Easy,” sealed the start of their courtship after the doctor invited Peggy on a walk along the cliffs.

“That was such a beautiful day, truly, because it actually does look as stunning as it does in the episode,” Benton told TheWrap of filming the idyllic first date. “To see it with us in those really vibrant costumes, and all the other Black couples and their costumes like eating grapes and sitting, it was transporting.”

“I think it was about time she had some joy … often that comes out of strange circumstances,” series co-writer Sonja Warfield told TheWrap of the romantic twist following Peggy’s health scare.

Peggy’s new love interest was a welcome one for Benton and new cast addition Jordan Donica, who stepped into the role of William after previously working together in “Into the Woods” on Broadway. The rapport from that prior experience helped the duo step into the vulnerability of playing romantic interests more seamlessly.

“I was so thrilled when I was asked to join and be a part of this cast. [Denée] made it so easy from day one,” Donica told TheWrap.

“It’s so vulnerable to play a love interest, so feeling safe with each other and the chemistry certainly helps,” Benton added.

Complications arose after Peggy’s introduction to William’s prominent Newport family, led by Elizabeth (Phylicia Rashad) and pastor Frederick Kirkland (Brian Stokes Mitchell). Slight tensions boiled between Elizabeth, Peggy and her parents Arthur (John Douglas Thompson) and Dorothy (Audra McDonald) when they sensed her looking down on them for their differing family histories: Specifically, that Elizabeth’s family has been free and living in Rhode Island for five generations, while Arthur had started his own pharmacy in Brooklyn after becoming free himself as a young man.

Elizabeth also showed signs of colorism, admonishing the family nanny for letting her grandchildren play outside for too long — risking their skin tones getting darker.

“She feels like the Agnes of Newport to me in that she doesn’t apologize in the slightest for her limited points of view,” Benton said. “It was incredible watching Phylicia play it with such sincerity. It creates such a beautiful tension to play against, having that kind of obstacle is really thrilling.”

For Warfield, the storyline offered an opportunity to explore the perspective of the Black elites who existed in that era — as well as the divide that existed between free Black people and the recently emancipated. The “real issue” of colorism within the Black community also became a prevalent theme for the season.

“I feel like people love our show because of the beautiful, camp drama. And then I also do they think they come to learn something,” Benton added. “Exploring the nuances of the Black communities in that time, Black wealth and the white supremacy that still found its way into those dynamics, is really interesting meat to get into.”

“The Gilded Age” airs Sundays on HBO and Max.

The post ‘The Gilded Age’ Star Denée Benton Talks Peggy’s New Romance, Sparring With Phylicia Rashad: She’s the ‘Agnes of Newport’ appeared first on TheWrap.