Anthem Magazine

Photographer: Ariana Rodriguez
Stylist: Anna Reece
Styling Assistant: Ana Alvarez
Groomer: Ryann Carter @ Opus Beauty

What’s on the TV agenda this summer? Romance. What else? Of every kind. On every network. That includes HBO and its streaming app Max, which rebranded back to HBO Max, by the way.

Since its series debut in 2021, The Gilded Age has made a sport out of power plays and polite takedowns. For those new to the series, Julian Fellowes’ lush period drama chronicles the clash between old-money elites and the up-and-coming nouveau riche strivers in late-19th century New York City. At its center is Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson), a strong-willed 20-something whose father has passed on, leaving her without money or support. Out of options, she moves in with her two aunts, Agnes (Christine Baranski) and Ada (Cynthia Nixon), in their grand brownstone on Manhattan’s 61st street—and across the way from the Russells: George (Morgan Spector), Bertha (Carrie Coon), and their two children, Larry (Harry Richardson) and Gladys (Taissa Farmiga).

Heading into season three, the Opera War now behind them, the Russells are ready to run New York, but old money isn’t going quietly. Bertha is itching to see Gladys married off to a duke. George takes a big bet on the future of railroads, which could see him lose everything. Across Fifth Avenue, Agnes is fuming as Ada steps into her power. Elsewhere, after glimmerings of a romance between Marian and Larry since the start, the wait is over for “Larian” shippers. Love is in the air.

Anthem joined Richardson in Brooklyn for a photoshoot, and reconvened for a conversation.

The Gilded Age season three premieres on HBO and HBO Max on June 22nd.

Harry, you’re alive!

I’m alive! [laughs] I made it. I’m sorry for my tardiness. I’m a bit run down with a cold today.

I hope you feel better soon.

I feel better already. It’s a beautiful day.

That’s a lovely attitude. So where in Brooklyn are you living these days?

Greenpoint.

I think you film The Gilded Age all around the East Coast: Manhattan, Upstate, Newport, Westchester… So that’s convenient for you. Did you move to New York for the show?

The show did bring me out here. I’d been to New York when I was young to look at universities and just on a holiday, but I’d never lived here. I was super excited to move in 2020. But then, you know, the world shut down with Covid. It’s an amazing city—I’m really grateful for it.

The third season is fast approaching. What’s been on your mind?

I’m lucky to have seen maybe half of it. I’m loving it so much. It has me gripped, like a favorite show that I would watch anyway. The first two years were about worldbuilding and introducing us to the time period, and we did a lot of character setups and found a rhythm with it. This season is amazing ‘cause the creative team is doing a lot of dramatic explorations into these characters, digging deeper into the human experience. Also, three happens to be my favorite number.

Isn’t it crazy to think that season three wasn’t always a sure thing? I spoke to your onscreen dad, Morgan Spector, ahead of season two, and he was uncertain about the show’s future. There’s no question that this show has a loyal following. But it’s not cheap to make.

I think it was quite a complicated time, not only behind the scenes of our show, but for everyone in the whole industry. Everything’s shifting all the time. It was definitely a bit touch and go there for a while. But the creative team gave it the boost to go another season, and the audience seemed to be really asking for it. I’m really happy about that. I’m really grateful for that ‘cause I think it’s such a brilliant show. It’s such an incredible experience for me and the whole team.

It’s quite the spectacle. It feels like event television every time I return to it. At what point did you realize that this show was something special worth holding onto?

The first table read before we hit pause for Covid really blew me away. There were these mannequins wearing all the costumes. It was seeing the cast of so many well-known actors just buzzing—the energy was electric. I knew we’d stepped into something special and exciting.

You’re perfectly cast as Larry. You look the part. You have that special something, which translates well for period work. Doctor Thorne. Poldark. The Gilded Age…This seems as good a time to ask as any: Do you choose costume dramas, or are they choosing you?

[laughs] Probably a little bit of both. I definitely grew up watching a lot of costume dramas. My mom is English, and she loves it. In fact, Poldark, the original 70s version, was her favorite show when she was a kid. She’s had quite a large influence on me. I do love the time travel and historical nature of period dramas. It’s very rich and imaginative and beautiful. But I love contemporary stuff, too. I’m excited to branch out and do different things across the board.

Julian Fellowes’ writing is high-style elevated. You’re made to wear costumes that yank you up in a certain way, which you’re used to by now. What was a new challenge this season?

This season, I think the challenge was going through what Larry is going through—maturing. The challenge was sinking my teeth into the arc of going from being a boy who’s semi-spoiled, but also genuine and kind, to a space where he’s standing on his own two feet. He’s really coming into his own adulthood and masculinity. That was a beautiful exploration for me this year. And it related to my own personal life quite a lot so it was also a freeing exploration.

You have a much bigger presence this season. Larry is given much more dimension. And we discover that through the lens of various relationships. For instance, his sibling bond with Gladys is a unique window into him. How does something like that resonate with you?

It definitely does—I have three sisters. I definitely drew on my relationships with them in how I thought about Larry’s feelings toward Gladys. Also, my friendship with Taissa [Farmiga] has a very brother-sister energy. I really care for her. We had a lot of fun exploring what their dynamic is in that familial relationship. There are some beautiful scenes around that, isn’t there?

Larry is protective of Gladys. That’s unwavering, while other alliances are so much in flux on this show. And that’s not to say that he’s some unblemished Disney prince. Maybe I’d been away from this show for too long, but I’d never pegged him as a real playboy before.

That was fun to explore. And that’s still up for debate, right? I think it’s written so beautifully in that way, where you can really argue in two different directions. How is he moving in the world? Is that what was pushed onto young men and culturally accepted back then, or is that his genuine character? I think he’s trying to figure that out himself. What sort of man does he want to be?

Which brings us to Marian. We’ve seen glimmerings of a spark between Larry and Marian since season one. “Larian” is a real thing, as I’m sure you know. Fans have been shipping them forever. Did you always know where the show was headed with these two?

I actually asked Michael Engler [one of the show’s directors and executive producers] that in my first audition because we were working with the scene where Pumpkin [Aunt Ada’s pet Cavalier King Charles Spaniel] crosses the road. That’s how Larry and Marian first meet, right? I asked, “Is this meant to convey that they’re gonna be together?” They were great about explaining that to me—or not explaining—steering me away from believing that that was the case. They wanted us to not know. So we’ve been just as curious as everyone else about what’s going on there.

Do you like to look online for reactions and theories? People have a lot to say…

Sometimes I do. And sometimes it can create anxiety. But it’s mostly positive. It’s nice to see the critiques as well. It’s nice to feel a community that’s as involved because the audience makes the show what it is, just as much as the creatives. We’re all making this show together. It’s a communal experience. It’s a culturally resonant piece. You really feel that when you look online.

I’ve also felt super invested in Larry and Jack’s joint business venture. That arc has a lot of heart in it. It’s in their dynamic that we see what a good friend Larry can be, and the leader and mentor. It’s uniquely through Jack that we see Larry’s most winning aspects.

I feel incredibly grateful for that arc. Ben Ahlers and I are really close friends—it’s a chicken or the egg type of situation. We were so happy when we got the opportunity to work together more to explore that friendship ‘cause we really are tight homies. [laughs] I think the way they wrote that is layered and nuanced. It’s a beautiful platform in which to explore the American dream, and about becoming a man in any culture, in any society, where you rise up from one place in your life to another. It’s a cool adventure that they go on. It’s interesting, too, ‘cause when it comes to business, it’s a question of who’s benefitting from whose energy in that collaboration. It’s also about the gatekeeping that occurs in society and social status and all of those things.

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A post shared by Harry Richardson (@harryrrichardson)

I figured that you and Ben were friends. It’s certainly the impression I got on Instagram. And about that: You once said that Instagram is a guilty pleasure of yours—because you hate it.

[laughs] It’s a complicated sphere.

I don’t think anyone would disagree with you on that.

You can connect with people who are really enjoying the show. That can be amazing. But it can also create a lot of anxiety around ego and personal image and a sense of somebody-ness.

It’s helpful to me—it gives me an impression of you in broad strokes. For instance, it’s how I learned that you skateboard, and now we can talk about it. When did you take that up?

When I was around 12. I used to have a dodgy Kmart skateboard. My mom ran over it in her car.

Dodgy? Maybe that was for the best…

[laughs] Well, that’s what really got me into it ‘cause then we had to go to a skate shop and buy a proper one. I really hammed up how sad I was. So that started my whole exploration with it.

The other strong impression I got is that you’re quite musical.

I like to collect weird instruments.

You do? What’s the weirdest instrument you own?

The tarango is one of my favorites. It’s like an Indian ukulele. But I like playing sound bowls and flutes these days—they’re incredible for meditation and healing. What other weird instruments do I have… I have a thunder maker, which is a tube made out of cardboard. It has a big spring in the middle, and when you shake it, it sounds like thunder. I also have a rain drum, which has a lot of beads inside. When you twist it, it makes the sound of a storm. If you’re looking for something for yourself, I like the Koshi chimes. They’re really beautiful. They have little metal pieces inside that ring like bells. It’s almost like a wind chime that you can hold with your hand.

Is this musicality something to share, or is it fairly private?

I’ve played a lot in yoga retreats and breathwork workshops with the teachers in mind. I will bring a whole collection of instruments. It’s a really fun way to explore music. But I also like to create in the studio or in my house, and that’s just for me and for my exploration with friends.

Now I’m remembering reading that your dad is a professional musician. I did wonder if music might have come into your life early on through him as an avenue.

Definitely. He’s been a guitarist since he was a kid, amongst playing other instruments as well. So I definitely grew up around a lot of music and a lot of different instruments.

Connecting this back to acting, you’re lucky to have found your way into a craft where you can reconcile your interests. You once said that, in your preparation for roles, you like to absorb as much art as possible around characters. Maybe that includes making playlists.

I’ve done that many times. 

For Larry?

Yeah, yeah. For sure. Music is definitely a pathway into connecting with characters, as well as connecting with time periods. It is a very tangible way in for me to relate to a character.

When you put together these soundscapes, is it a natural impulse?

Yeah. Sometimes it’s from the outside in and sometimes it’s from the inside out. With Larry, for instance, I might absorb a lot of music from that time period in order to understand what he was listening to when they went to the opera houses or when they would be at home. What would be the sort of music they would have around? Other times, I’m thinking about what music in my life resonates in terms of what they’re going through. What unlocks my experience so that I can feel what they’re experiencing more? The combination of the two I find really, really interesting.

Then, of course, you have the formal training as well. Looking back, how much of what you learned in drama school has been useful to you, stepping onto professional sets?

Oh, an incredible amount. I think I draw on that experience every time I’m on set. I did three years of drama school in Perth. That was a really safe ground for exploring, and absorbing a lot of different methods and techniques in order to do this work. And being on a show like this, it does feel like being at another school for me. Everyone that I’m sharing the space with is so, so incredible at what they do. I’m always humbled, watching and understanding and asking questions as to how people are approaching things. It really is a blessing to be around this cast.

You never stop learning.

That’s right. You never stop learning. That’s what I love about acting: I feel like it’s a lifetime exploration. And it’s a very human one. It’s a very potent exploration into different parts of the self, whether it’s in the very moment of acting or not. I love it. You never finish learning.

And this school in Perth, it’s WAAPA. I’ve spoken with my fair share of Australian actors who went there, and I’ve been told that it’s similar to the British system where you get whittled down to the bare bones and then taken back up. One actor told me he did movement classes completely naked. What I’m getting at is, we want your horror stories, Harry.

[laughs] It’s definitely a wild exploration. I mean, imagine what it might be like to have, for three years, eighteen students of different ages, nine till six every day, exploring how to express themselves physically, emotionally, and mentally with great texts and varied texts. It brings up everything. It’s almost like some crazy human experiment to go through. There’s amazing prose to it, and there’s also a lot of complications that can come with going to drama school.

You also studied acting for a time in the UK, didn’t you?

I did some short courses.

Where did you go?

I went to RADA. That was a really amazing place. I’d always loved the English theater scene, and the film and television that came out of the UK. So that was a dream. I was really grateful to go back to the UK after WAAPA and find work in London and around England.

You were saying before that your mother is English, so that’s your connection to the UK. You moved there from Bundi, Australia when you were just two years old, is that right?

Yeah. I’ve always felt connected to both countries. I feel lucky to be from two ends of the planet. It’s made me feel more adaptable to different places. I feel very at home kind of everywhere. And the world feels like a small place these days. We can fly everywhere. I have a lot of wanderlust.

That widens your perspective, which is funny because the world, in turn, feels smaller as you’re saying. I moved to America from South Korea when I was eight. I got my U.S. citizenship out of college. Now I spend the majority of my time back in South Korea. So it does feel jumbled together. But we don’t think about it much, do we? You simply exist.

Totally, totally. We’re all connected. Even with this show, look at the reach it has. I’ll get messages from people in Iran and Portugal and Italy. It’s really resonating with people—a historical drama that’s particularly American. It goes to show how much we’re all connected in this one consciousness. The human experience is so interwoven across all cultures. That’s what really excites me about acting because I want to act everywhere. I want to be a part of different stories around the world. And I think that’s what’s really needed. What’s really needed is for us to realize how similar we all are, while also appreciating the varied nature of humans.

Are you ever surprised by how much people associate you with the characters you play?

To be honest, it’s more often that people will be like, “You’re not at all like this guy.” There are people who will have seen the whole show and they’ll be talking to me for a while, and have no idea I’m in it. So with this show in particular, I think I resonate a lot with Larry, but I don’t know that I look much like him. I’m more of an Aussie hippie, kind of skating around. [laughs]

That’s a huge gift. You can play these roles and then disappear into your own life.

Exactly, exactly.

About wanting to do this since you were a kid, you once said that acting “looked like a path where I’d never have to grow up.” I’m curious: What did growing up look like to you?

I think there’s a lot of beautiful ways in which we can grow up, but sometimes, growing up has a slightly restrictive view, like we stop playing. On The Gilded Age, there’s so many consummate professionals who have such incredible careers. Then when we see them on set, they’re like kids again in some way, tapping into a childlike wonder and imagination. I think at its essence, acting is play. That is what I love about it. It is exactly the same when we step on set that is so complex and high stakes, where there’s a huge amount of money and energy involved, as when you are six years old, pulling a jacket over your head and running around with it like a cape. I love that. I try to find ways to do that outside of acting, too. I think that’s really important for all of us.

And there is still growth without having to grow up in that “restrictive” sense, which is traditionally prescribed to us. What path are you are on these days? What’s critical to you?

The search for meaning and connection to spirituality is a very important one. That’s been a large focus for me these days, as well as trying to figure out how to best move in community. It has to do with how my choices—my being—are impacting other people around me. So the most important exploration for me right now is in figuring out how to be of service in the world and what my dharma is to be involved in. It’s one thing to go deeper into the exploration of self and who we are and what we wanna experience. It’s another thing to explore what we have to give.

Looking at the state of our world, does that mentality inevitably come into sharper focus?

I think it does. We are in a particularly tumultuous time. The exploration of spirituality and the connection between us all is really important right now. In these times, it’s very important to figure out what brings us together and what ties us together and what we’re all here for.

Outside of that selflessness, what can you give to yourself? What’s your next adventure?

I’m curious about that, too. I have a lot of hopes and dreams in the tank. But I know that life often has its own ideas about what’s in store for you. So I’m excited to find out! I’m just trying to stay healthy and present and in good alignment so that, when that next thing comes, I’ll be ready.