The Gilded Age‘s George Russell is an amalgam of a handful of real-life robber barons, primarily Jay Gould. George is tested like never before in The Gilded Age season 3. George nearly lost his fortune, and Mr. Russell even survived an assassination attempt.
Mr. Russell’s main inspiration, Jay Gould, was a self-made millionaire who butted heads with the old money establishment led by Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy). Mrs. Astor’s Four Hundred was an exclusive group of legacy wealth carefully curated by the real-life Ward McAllister (Nathan Lane).
Mrs. Astor did not approve of Jay Gould or his ways and refused to acknowledge them as her equals. It wasn’t until much later that Mrs. Astor finally allowed the Gould family into high society.
This resembles the trajectory of George’s wife, Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon), who wrested power and influence in society from Mrs. Astor throughout The Gilded Age.
George Russell Is Based On Real Robber Baron Jay Gould
The Gilded Age‘s inspiration for George Russell, Jay Gould, was both a ruthless robber baron, and a devoted family man. Mr. Russell loves his family as much as she is cut-throat in the boardroom, and shares both of these traits with his real-life counterpart.
Jay Gould made his fortune in railroads and shipping in the mid-1800s. George Russell became the richest man in The Gilded Age in the same industries. In The Gilded Age season 3, George dreams of building a transcontinental railroad linking the United States coast-to-coast.
The Gilded Age often references Jay Gould, who is a peer of George Russell, along with other famous robber-barons from the era who are name-dropped by Julian Fellowes’ historical series. A character named Jay Gould has appeared in The Gilded Age, but not in a prominent way.
Instead, The Gilded Age season 3 introduced J.P. Morgan (Bill Camp), who enters into a business deal with George Russell until George’s empire nearly goes under. However, George’s son, Larry Russell (Harry Richardson), learned the mines they own in Arizona are stocked with copper worth millions, restoring the Russell’s fortune.
How George Russell Actor Morgan Spector Sees His Gilded Age Character
Jay Gould factored into Morgan Spector’s research of his character, George Russell’s, true-life inspirations after he was cast in The Gilded Age.
“I had been told that he was a little bit based on Jay Gould and [Cornelius] Vanderbilt, so I read up on those people and their biographies, to some extent. I’ve found as much first-person writing by those robber barons,” said Spector (via Den of Geek). He went on to explain:
“[Andrew] Carnegie has a book and there’s [John D.] Rockefeller who’s put together a sort of book at the end of his life. I ended up reading a big doorstop book about the era called The Republic For Which It Stands, which is about Reconstruction into the Gilded Age.”
Notably, Gould and Vanderbilt, on whom George Russell is also based, are two of several historical Gilded Age-era tycoons who didn’t write their own biographies.
Rockefeller got rich through oil, and Carnegie’s fortune is the steel business. Jay Gould and Cornelius Vanderbilt were railroad and shipping tycoons, and are a more direct inspiration for George Russell.
Why George Russell’s Real-Life Inspiration Matters In The Gilded Age
The Gilded Age‘s creator, Julian Fellowes, freely draws inspiration from real-life historical figures, liberally weaving them into his series and changing facts as he sees fit to suit the show’s narrative.
George Russell is one of The Gilded Age‘s lead characters, and while he is generally portrayed as admirable in his home life, Mr. Russell also has an unscrupulous side. George reflects the capitalist values of the Gilded Age, and embodies the darker, get-rich-at-any-cost side of the American Dream.
The Gilded Age season 3 continued blending real-life into its story, basing the orderal of George and Bertha’s daughter, Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga), being forced to marry the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb) on the true story of Consuelo Vanderbilt and other American heiresses whose wealth propped up British and European nobles.
Understanding the real-life historical figures Julian Fellowes based The Gilded Age‘s characters on enhances the experience.
The Gilded Age is addictive pleasure viewing on its own, but understanding the real-life historical figures Julian Fellowes based The Gilded Age‘s characters on enhances the experience.
Perhaps it’s only a matter of time until George Russell sits across a boardroom from his real-life inspiration, Jay Gould, as The Gilded Age continues its wildly popular run on HBO.
The Gilded Age
7/10
- Release Date
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January 24, 2022
- Network
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HBO Max
- Showrunner
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Julian Fellowes
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Morgan Spector
George Russell
