Exclusive: How Donna Murphy Brings Mrs. Astor to Life in THE GILDED AGE

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Gilded Age Season 3 Finale

Donna Murphy loves research. So when the Tony-winner first learned that she would be auditioning for the Mrs. Astor in HBO's The Gilded Age, she dove right in, even if most of what she found were secondhand accounts. "She's not somebody who ever wrote an autobiography. She was infamous for really being very tight-lipped about many, many things, although she's certainly been quoted," Murphy recently told BroadwayWorld. "She did very few actual interviews herself. And, when she did, she spoke with this very high bar of what she viewed as having integrity and what needed to be maintained for this society to be one of value."

Throughout her time on the show, the performer has delved into the intricacies of the Astor legacy, from her behavior in society to her more private family life. "I was curious if we were going to see William, her husband, after the first season. Some people thought she was a widow and would ask me about that. And Julian [Fellowes] said he was never at these social events because he'd proven himself to be very undependable in terms of how he would behave. He was an alcoholic. As we learned this season, there are references to his womanizing. He was an adulterer, and they clearly had some kind of an agreement. And she never spoke negatively of him in public. Never."

Even without her husband's presence in the series, Lina Astor's family life was not without strife, even in the public sphere. In Season 3, which just concluded on Sunday, the stakes were higher than ever for the Astor family, as they navigated multiple scandals, from Charlotte's affair to the release of Ward McAllister's tell-all book. Both of these developments came to a head in the last two episodes of the season.

First was the affair of Mrs. Astor's daughter Charlotte (Hannah Shealy), a potential storyline that had been on Murphy's mind since shooting season two. Domestic issues are a prominent theme in this season across the board, as Charlotte's scandal and Aurora Fane's divorce spark controversy and scrutiny from society. Both played out in the public eye, and to the disapproval of Mrs. Astor. 

"I was delighted that [Julian] did choose to deal with Charlotte's story and then the conflicts that brought up for Mrs. Astor, saying to [Aurora], 'You're out. It doesn't matter that your husband is the adulterer. Society cannot accept you, and we can't have you in these spaces,'" said Murphy. 

In the show, Charlotte's infidelity ultimately causes Mrs. Astor to pass the duties of hosting her annual ball to Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon). With her daughter's ongoing scandal, she feels she has no other choice. Even so, she doesn't let her guard down. "Her mask is so pronounced and so consistent in all of these different social situations. She's got some shit going on back home, but she doesn't bring it to work in a way. That's her job in society, and it's the only place a woman in those days could put their intelligence, their ambition, their principles to work," Murphy explained.

That "mask" was one of the things that Murphy explored when shooting the scene with Ward McAllister (played by Nathan Lane) in Episode 7. During that moment, the two longtime friends share a tense (and heartbreaking) moment as Mrs. Astor attempts to push Ward outside her inner circle after he publishes a tell-all book exposing her secrets. He retaliates, cruelly insulting her marriage and breaking any small amount of trust that may have been left. 

"Sally Richardson Whitfield, our incredible director, said to me, 'It's like lovers breaking up.' I remember there were takes when I chose not to look at him after he said that I was a lonely woman whose husband would rather spend time on his boats. In one of the takes, I remember that when he left and I lifted my head up, I was just bathed in tears."

Murphy also recalled doing another version of the scene with those emotions held back. "At one point, [Sally] was like, 'Let's try one where it's right behind your eyes, but you don't fully release it.'" This take ultimately ended up in the final cut, but Murphy hopes to portray the more emotional side of Mrs. Astor again in the future.

"There's a part of me that does want, at some point, for the audience to see her completely fall apart because she's human, and it had to have happened at some moment. She has the emotions, but she does not let people experience what she's feeling when it's not something pleasant, when it's something that reveals her vulnerability. Each time she is confronted, you know that she feels something."

In the finale episode, viewers can finally witness the aforementioned ball, hosted by Bertha. Always challenging society's rules and expectations, she invites the ousted Charlotte and Aurora Fane to the event, against Mrs. Astor's wishes. At first, Mrs. Astor refuses to go, as it wouldn't, in her belief, be proper to allow divorce or infidelity in the inner circle. 

But, despite her "better judgment," Mrs. Astor shows up anyway, likely to the relief of many anxious viewers. In a tender moment, she reassures her daughter that she isn't an embarrassment, a gesture that speaks volumes. "Ultimately, even though initially she thinks it's a horrible idea that Bertha is proposing, she sees the needs of her daughter," shared Murphy. "She decides that the most important message is the message to her daughter: that she loves her more than she's embarrassed by her, and she's going to stand with her."

Murphy noted that this is an aspect of the character in which she can relate. "Like all of us, I've certainly had times in my life where I say, 'I will never ever do such and such a thing.' And then there's a reason why I changed my mind," she said. "The contradictions in all of our lives are what make us, I think, most interesting, and the struggles to figure out what's most important to us and the choices we make based on that, which change over time."

Throughout these three seasons, Murphy has continued to feel close to her character. On repeated occasions, she has heard directly from an Astor descendant, who has praised her for her nuanced portrayal of their relative. "[The descendant] said, 'In the seventh episode of this season, there were some things that you did that reminded me so much of my father and my grandfather. It means a lot because, based on what has been told down through the family, she was a complicated lady, but there was a lot of honor in her as well.' [She] thanked me for doing something that she said could only be instinctive," Murphy explained. 

Now, with a fourth season on the way, Murphy looks forward to mining aspects of the infamous socialite even further. "The more I take in, the more of a core sense of who this woman was has grown, and I want to continue to deepen her and invest in her," she shared. "It's been very exciting, and we're all so grateful and excited to be able to carry on the storytelling."

All three seasons of The Gilded Age are now available on HBO Max. The show is created, written, and executive produced by Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey) and stars many Broadway and theater performers, including Audra McDonald, Kelli O'Hara, Donna Murphy, Nathan Lane, and more.

This season, more Broadway alums join the series, including Victoria Clark, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Phylicia Rashad, Kate Baldwin, and Andrea Martin, to name a few. Take a look here to learn about all of the Broadway stars this season and check out BroadwayWorld's exclusive conversation about Season 3 with actor Ben Ahlers, who plays Jack Trotter in the series. 

Photo credit: Karolina Wojtasik/HBO