Video: THE GILDED AGE Stars Denée Benton and Louisa Jacobson Talk Season 3, Working with Broadway Legends & More

The Gilded Age, now in its third season, continues to ramp up with new drama and developments for the Russells, the Brooks, the Scotts, and all the other fan-favorite characters. In commemoration of the series, stars Denée Benton and Louisa Jacobson visited TODAY’s Jenna & Friends to unpack the ongoing season. 

Commenting on the growth of the HBO series, Jacobson has a theory: "I think it's because [in] Season 1 and Season 2, we got the exposition out of the way," said the performer, who plays Marian Brook in the show. "Now, in Season 3, we can really live in the world and sit with the characters and their relationships to each other and get into the drama and juiciness of that."

"We also had strikes and pandemics, [so] it feels like this season is like our victory lap," added Benton, who plays Peggy Scott. On working alongside Broadway legends for the series, Benton says she didn't hide her excitement on set. "I just cried in Audra [McDonald's] face the first time I met her. I have not figured out how to play it cool at all," she laughed. Watch the full interview, where they also talk about sharing the show with the audience, and their favorite 1800s phrase that has become part of their vernacular.

Check out BroadwayWorld's exclusive interview with Patrick Page, who plays Clay in the series, and breaks down the twist in Episode 5 of Season 3. 

In Season 3 of The Gilded Age, the stakes continue to grow as Bertha sets her sights on a prize that would elevate the family to unimaginable heights while George risks everything on a gambit that could revolutionize the railroad industry — if it doesn’t ruin him first. Across the street, the Brook household is thrown into chaos as Agnes refuses to accept Ada’s new position as lady of the house. Peggy meets a handsome doctor from Newport whose family is less than enthusiastic about her career. As all of New York hastens toward the future, their ambition may come at the cost of what they truly hold dear. 

BroadwayWorld recently reported that this new season has broken viewing records, with the fourth episode bringing in 3.8 million viewers in its first three days. Additionally, the Season 3 premiere saw 2.7 million viewers tune in across platforms, up 27% from season two's 2.1 million and 30% from season one's 2 million. The overall viewership for this season is up 20% from Season 2, which debuted in 2023. New episodes air on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and 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 Episode 4 with actor Douglas Sills, who plays Borden in the series.