Denée Benton Talks ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 3 Finale

SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals major plot points from HBO‘s The Gilded Age, Season 3 finale, “My Mind is Made Up.”

Peggy Scott has come a long way since Season 1 of HBO’s The Gilded Age, and no one is prouder than Denée Benton, who plays the ambitious writer in the hit period drama.

But even Benton was surprised when she learned of all the beautiful storylines her character would experience in Season 3, as well as the knowledge that she would be starring opposite two powerhouse actresses very closely: a returning Audra McDonald, who plays Peggy’s mom Dorothy Scott, and newly cast Phylicia Rashad as Elizabeth Kirkland, the prickly mother of Peggy’s new love interest Dr. William Kirkland (Jordan Donica).

In conversation with Deadline, Benton said it was “a masterclass” watching McDonald and Rashad go toe-to-toe in many scenes, particularly when the snobby Elizabeth attempts to intimidate the more humble Scott family, as a woman from a prominent Newport family whose lineage dates back to the American Revolution.

But the journey was worth it in the end for Peggy and Dr. Kirkland, who shocked an entire ballroom full of guests and TV viewers at home when he got down on one knee and proposed. Elizabeth’s reaction to the very public display of disrespect by her son is Emmy-worthy all on its own for Rashad. She had been against this match from the beginning, but it doesn’t seem like she will have much choice but to welcome Peggy into the family.

The one sure thing is that this will make for some juicy drama in Season 4. If I could offer Mrs. Sullivan some advice, it would be that she have a chat with Peggy’s father, Arthur Scott (John Douglas Thompson), who nearly lost his family due to his meddling in his daughter’s affairs and making catastrophic mistakes.

The finale sets up multiple possibilities for next season, both for Peggy’s career and her love life. But also Dr. Kirkland’s future, following his successful treatment of George Russell (Morgan Spector), which saved his life. There’s a power couple ready to emerge, and we’re here for it all.

Benton spoke with Deadline recently about all of the above and how proud she is to represent a strong and successful Black woman in a period drama where Black characters are typically rarely present or are stereotyped.

DEADLINE: Denée, Peggy has been dealing with so much across the first two seasons, with her coming to terms with the death of her son and the fallout with her family. But Season 3 was a joyous time for Peggy, both professionally and personally. How did you feel about the pivot?

DENÉE BENTON: We watched Peggy balance so much while grieving in the first two seasons. She was falling apart, but she didn’t have the luxury of entirely falling apart while trying to make way for herself. She knows that if she doesn’t, she will have to go back home, where all the harm originated.

What struck me as beautiful about the scene on the staircase when Peggy breaks down with her mother in the finale is that Peggy finally cracks under the weight of carrying this grief and walking such a tightrope. Being a woman at that time, you could get canceled for wearing your gloves wrong, so imagine what it would be like for someone with this kind of past. But Peggy is still chosen in the totality of who she is by Sullivan.

In the scene with Audra, Peggy’s mom speaks life into her in that moment, telling her how worthy she is. Dorothy told Peggy, “You’re coming out and holding your head up high; we’re going to shine as a family because we’ve earned this.” In that slow-motion moment at the ball when Peggy turns around and sees Sullivan, it is the stuff of fairytales. Nobody deserves a happier ending in this show more than Peggy Scott.

DEADLINE: Do you feel like there is more to discuss as far as Sullivan’s mom is concerned? Do you think he can be the man who stands up for her, even when it means he will go against his mother’s wishes?

D. BENTON: Yes. I’ve been hearing from fans who come up to me in the street saying, “We like Dr. Kirkland, but how is he going to handle his mom?” So, I hope his public declaration will win them over. I see Peggy as the American Girl doll of our dreams. We needed someone who is an activist, a writer, and a creative who is also a love interest. She is a Brooklyn girl.

It’s in these moments that I feel strongly about the ways we also get to see Black women in their softness. When Peggy is just a girl crying on her mom’s lap, lit up with love, and when her mom stands by her in public, these moments are still politically charged for showing that kind of range. As an actor, I was thrilled to portray not only Peggy’s strength but also her vulnerability.

DEADLINE: Peggy means a lot to fans; she’s a superhero to an entire community and beyond. She is a modern woman, as is her mother. How do you feel about what she represents?

D. Benton: That’s how I feel about her, completely. She was a visionary; nobody could see for her what she could see for herself. There was a journalist who once asked me, “Do you think Peggy’s a little naive to move through these spaces like this?” And I was like, “No, she’s a visionary.” Every woman of color, every Black fem in any generation, has had to be a visionary against the odds. If I kept my dreams as small as someone else’s vision for me, I would have never made it here. And it’s the same thing with Peggy’s character in general.

I, along with the [Gilded Age] creative team, [co-EP] Dr. [Erica Armstrong] Dunbar, [director, EP] Salli [Richardson-Whitfield], and [co-creator] Sonja [Warfield] got to dream with Julian [Fellowes] about who Peggy could be. So when women stop me on the street or respond on social media, there’s a real emotional connection that they have. People have cried with me and hugged me because they are deeply invested in what they see of themselves in her. That was my goal with Peggy: to create something about her that is bigger than just this show and bigger than just me. She represents a possibility that we’ve always known we contain within ourselves. Then, when you get to see it reflected, you feel how valuable it is to feel seen.

DEADLINE: And this goes beyond Peggy, through her family and community, which existed in the Gilded Age but isn’t often represented in period dramas, unless it’s like Bridgerton.

D. BENTON: We’ve been able to open up a whole world through the Scotts, through Peggy, and now we have our own real estate within the show. That was the goal when we imagined Peggy and asked the creative team to stretch her story. It was for the opportunity to be like on Game of Thrones, where you had the Lannisters, the Targaryens, and the Starks.

In The Gilded Age, we have the Van Rhijns, the Russells, and we can have the Scotts, the Astors, and the Kirklands. I don’t know if that was the intention early on, but what it’s blossomed into now is a real kingdom within the vast kingdom of this epic era that was New York, America, at that time. New York doesn’t exist without this part of the story. I do think that many other shows either erase or fall into such clichéd stereotypes that it doesn’t even feel satisfying to engage with in the ways that Peggy feels so modern.

DEADLINE: This season, we saw two legends go toe-to-toe in some of the best scenes of the series. What was it like to witness Audra McDonald and Phylicia Rashad in action?

D. BENTON: It was a dream beyond dreams. I often speak about the incredible unofficial mentorship we’ve gained access to on this show, particularly for the younger generation. It’s been a master class, watching them embody these women. Watching how seriously Phylicia takes her craft and why she’s still so excellent. Watching her and Jordan [Donica] work out their scenes in character before takes. Watching Audra come to set right before heading to [Broadway’s] Gypsy. They are the Olympians of our craft, and I get to work with them.

I get to ask Audra things like, “How do you get there in these scenes? How do you break down?” Sharing process is such an intimate thing to do as actors. Between takes, when you’re sitting there for hours and hours, you get this unbelievable access that they’ve been generous enough to give. Phylicia, as a director and as a person who’s worked with every great over these generations, and the lineage of Diahann Carroll being the first Black woman [to star in her own primetime TV series, not playing a domestic worker]. Phylicia followed those footsteps. So there’s this direct line of connections everywhere.

DEADLINE: You are truly surrounded by so many greats on this show, both in front of and behind the cameras.

D. BENTON: Yes, and that includes people from every department. From props to lighting, the costume designers and the writers are all masters of their crafts. I remember talking to Prabal Gurung, a fashion designer I’ve worked with, who is a big fan of the show. He told me, “The show is giving us a piece of art,” and it’s true. We have the most incredible team, and I hope everyone gets their shine. You can feel the craftsmanship in each part.

DEADLINE: You wore an Atelier Prabal Gurung gown to the MET Gala in 2022. Could you possibly use your connections to get Peggy a custom gown from Prabal for her wedding to Sullivan?

D. BENTON: Oh my God. Listen, Kasia Walicka-Maimone is our designer, and I’m deeply excited for these wedding episodes. Now that we have a Season 4 [renewal] officially, which is so thrilling, it’s exciting to dream. We had the big Gladys episode this season. Will Marian and Peggy have big wedding episodes? I’m excited to see what that Black elite wedding gown looks like.

DEADLINE: Let’s not fast-forward too far from that magical proposal at the Newport Ball in the finale. What insight can you share?

D. BENTON: Yes, she’s caught in this moment. Peggy meets Sullivan at her absolute worst and most vulnerable moment when I was sick in bed. She was not the baddie we know her to be. [Laughs] She’s in a nightgown, in her pigtails, and that’s when she meets this man. I remember watching the playback and bursting into tears and almost ruining my makeup. These are the moments we’ve been dreaming about since 2019, and not necessarily knowing if there were plans for this type of arc for Peggy. We advocated for how special it would be to see Peggy have a romantic lead arc in this way.

I remember watching [the scene] with all those beautiful people in these colors, and then seeing Sullilvan cross the floor and get down on one knee. It’s so much deeper than the butterflies of it all. It’s something that feels really powerful. It left me breathless. I remember looking around and seeing the guys in the crew all teary-eyed. I couldn’t wait to read the reactions from fans when they saw it play out. The moment felt magical and pure, and we put so much into it that I’m glad fans could feel it too.

DEADLINE: Do you think Peggy is dreading the wedding planning, considering how strongly her future mother-in-law opposes the pairing?

D. BENTON: I guess only time will tell. I’m really hoping we can get Debbie Allen in here to play Mrs. Kirkland’s meaner sister. I’m curious about what kind of hijinks will happen to try to prevent this wedding from happening.

DEADLINE: So they may try to break up this wedding before it happens, you think?

D. BENTON: I believe that Dr. Kirkland and Peggy are going to have what it takes. But I mean, we didn’t see Peggy say yes.

DEADLINE: Oh come on! [Laughs] There’s no way Peggy won’t get her happily ever after, right?

D. BENTON: Yeah, I think that. I’m also curious about Peggy’s journey, particularly when they start talking about parenting and how she will balance it all. She will absolutely continue with her career. I’m curious about what her grieving will look like as she pours into the opportunity for a new life. It feels like Peggy’s entering into new territory. We’ve imagined so much for her, and I didn’t imagine her this far. I’m excited to keep taking this ride with her.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.