Harry Richardson has offered fans three words of reassurance over the divisive Larry and Marian storyline in season four of The Gilded Age: “Hang in there.”
The comment came after the first two episodes of the new season featured an intimate night between Larry (Richardson) and Marian (Louisa Jacobson), whose relationship has been on and off and who are not married.
The storyline has prompted criticism from viewers, particularly over Marian’s continuing anxiety about the possibility of being ruined and her decision to turn down Larry’s request to marry him again in the second episode.
Jacobson addressed the reaction in an interview with Refinery29, saying: “We’re not writing this. We are given it, and we have to stand by it, own it, and make it ours [but] it can be really, really hard to do.”
She said she followed online discussion about the character “for better or for worse”, but added: “It’s easy to get caught up in what you think other people think is wrong with your character. I understand [but] I think I’ve tried to shed this need to please a lot of people who just won’t be pleased.”
Jacobson also argued that the storyline reflected the period in which the drama is set, saying: “It was a very, very different world that they lived in, and they had a very different relationship [sex]. It’s easy to forget when there’s all these wonderful other rich storylines that have glimmers to them that feel very modern in their struggles, but this one is very, very rooted in its period.”
Richardson’s fellow cast member Ben Ahlers, who plays Jack Trotter, echoed his response to concerned viewers, saying: “Hang in there! It’s a really beautiful story.”
