‘The Gilded Age’ superstar Morgan Spector on looking a Musical Episode, preserving His Iconic Beard ‘Immaculate’ and ‘dangerous’ Auditions

With so many Broadway icons — together with Christine Baranski, Kelli O'Hara, Michael Cerveris and Nathan Lane, to name a couple of — starring in HBO's "The Gilded Age," Morgan Spector thinks a musical episode of the collection is past due.

"You know what we should still do? There's the British subculture of the Christmas particular," Spector tells me on this week's episode of the "just for variety" podcast. "If we might have a Christmas particular, then we may have some singing and it will be brilliant. supply the individuals what they want."

Season 2 of the Julian Fellowes old drama wraps up with the finale premiering on Dec. 17. Spector, who performs railroad magnate George Russell with Carrie Coons as his socially formidable wife, insists he still doesn't understand if a third season is tested. "I wish I knew even if we have been going to have one or not," he says. "We received't find out, I believe, except they're going to air everything after which make a choice in keeping with all of our metrics and whatnot."

Spector and that i caught up over Zoom from his long island city area domestic.

What do you be aware about your very first day on set of "The Gilded Age?"

the first day on set turned into a scene with Carrie, and it may've been our first scene of the primary episode, the place we go to my library and that i'm sitting there smoking a cigar, and she comes and sits on my lap. and i consider both of us just felt eggy and misplaced and how will we circulation? What are we doing here? The technical demands of Julian Fellowes' world and language are precise. And for me anyway, it took me a number of weeks to believe relaxed. however Carrie is the optimal scene companion you could ever ask for. I mean, she has done all her work. She promises, she's ferocious. And also only one of those individuals who lights up a collection. So it has been enjoyable considering the first day, youngsters that first day changed into the worst. i used to be fully shitting myself.

Do you need to gain knowledge of issues like a way to placed on a excellent hat, a way to take off a true hat? That's not a natural aspect we do now.

It's about doing it in a means where you've done it a thousand instances, and of course you haven't. And eliminating your gloves, your kind-fitting leather youngster gloves, and every time you contact a person and also you eradicate them and then put them back on. I don't understand how these people got anything performed in their days. They have been dealing with their outfits all of the time.

neatly, the servants are those who did the grocery shopping, the dry cleansing, et cetera.

right, of route. And additionally assist you put your pants on within the morning. I suggest, it's ridiculous.

when you're on a group like that, surrounded through a gazillion extras and probably the most stunning dresser and the creation, do you ever seem round like, "the place am I? How did this ensue? What year is this?"

Yeah, I imply, I actually have definitely been time and again awed with the aid of the scope of this undertaking … on our lower back lot with colossal cranes, an entire developed set of 61st road. I suggest, it's stuff you don't see. I have not worked on productions of this scale. I labored on "Boardwalk Empire," which changed into additionally truly big. I bear in mind they rented a whole city block on Staten Island and turned it into a town outside of Chicago, stuff like that. however this truthfully dwarfs anything that I've worked on, nonetheless it actually is the cast. You seem round this forged and you're like, "The habitual visitor stars all have seven Tonys. What is that this?" but it surely's actually cool. I got here up during the theater and these are names that I even have read about and considered legendary, and here i'm on set, and also you're simply getting to see Kelli O'Hara swan in and Christine Baranski, Michael Cerveris and Cynthia Nixon and all these people. Carrie, most likely. The checklist goes on and on, and Denée Benton, like, oh my God.

Now I have to ask you essentially the most critical question. what is the secret to your beard grooming?

i will be able to take pretty much no credit for it. I develop it after which Nicki Ledermann, the make-up head on our show, shapes it. She did Joaquin Phoenix's makeup for "Joker." She's an Oscar-nominated makeup artist. She's a brilliant, outstanding artist and, fortunately adequate, she's very into barbering and she or he takes care of my beard. It is like a candy, blameless child, and she shapes it so neatly. Yeah. Anyway, I don't be aware of. on occasion I watch myself in shows and i'm like, "I don't know in case you've got it. You might have a face for radio, kid." but then with that beard, it varieties all of it out.

That isn't a beard for radio.

That beard belongs within the spotlight.

but additionally for those who're shooting, are there instances the place you're like, "I don't desire it. I wish to shave it off?"

completely! When the season drags on by way of month seven, it's greater the mustache than the beard. The beard is best. It's your upper lip being covered with full inch of hair that is not handy. that is a tricky thing.

I've had a beard now for a couple of year.

Yours is tidy.

Yours just goes with George. It just has this command.

i will say that i'll take credit for the impulse to develop it. I really felt like I had to have that. also, it helps to age me up a little bit.

So it turned into your theory for George to have the beard?

sure, however once more, i can't take any credit for its immaculate shape.

tell me in regards to the first audition you ever went on.

God, what become it? i will be able to't bear in mind what the very first one become, but the one that's popping to my intellect is I auditioned for a production of "A Christmas Carol" at the McCarter Theatre, and i came in, I auditioned to be Scrooge's former business companion. He comes back as a ghost at the start and that i simply played it. I so overdid it. i was there bellowing and rattling my chains and just pretending i used to be a 75-yr-ancient hammy theater actor, and it really became a type of moments the place the casting director simply sat there quietly and let it hold within the air and there become an implicit, "You recognize what you've achieved. just leave." and i did, and that i on no account heard from them once again.

Would you say that was your worst audition?

I've had some bad ones. I sing a little bit. i used to be within the national tour of "Lion King." It become my 2d job out of grad college, but the elements i was enjoying, which you can communicate sing it so you don't must be a singer. however because of that, I have auditioned for some musicals right here and there, and i have a bad difficulty — once I are trying to sing in an audition, I just birth to shake and that i'm on the verge of tears.

This Q&A has been edited and condensed. that you would be able to listen to the whole interview above on "just for diversity" or anywhere you discover your favorite podcasts.