If you’ve ever seen interviews with Christine Baranski, you’ll know that she’s personable, kind, and funny. However, in “The Gilded Age,” her character is very different. As Agnes, Baranski is austere, superior, and a little scary. Apparently, her performance in the role was so convincing, she even scared one of her younger co-stars on set.
Louisa Jacobson, who just so happens to be the daughter of Meryl Streep, plays Marian, Agnes’ niece, on the show. Because Jacobson is fairly new to acting, it took her a while to separate Baranski from her formidable character. Baranski even told Vogue that Jacobson was so scared of her that her mother, Streep, even wrote to Baranski and told her!
So, Baranski tried to reassure the young actress. “I would say, ‘Louisa, that’s my character. Me, Christine, I support you, and I adore you. This is who I have to be on camera, but please, don’t be frightened. Please, don’t think that’s me,'” Baranski told Harper’s Bazaar. Eventually, Jacobson and Baranski became close friends. However, we can hardly blame Jacobson — Agnes is certainly pretty terrifying!
