Christine Baranski’s ‘The Gilded Age’ Role Has a Mind-Blowing Real-Life Connection You Probably Missed
Baranski’s character is a major figure in The Gilded Age’s high society, and you might be surprised to find out who she’s actually inspired by.
Many things come as fictional in HBO’s hit historical drama The Gilded Age, but there’s much more that goes as pretty much real in there.
Starring Carrie Coon, the series follows the fictional Russells family as their matriarch Bertha strives for a better position in the 1880s New York high society, using all of her connections and her husband’s money to earn the Four Hundred’s respect.
Particularly, one of the figures to impress is Christine Baranski’s socialite whose image derives from a real-life person — just like another major character’s one.
Who Does Christine Baranski Portray in ‘The Gilded Age’?
In the show, Baranski takes on the role of Agnes van Rhijn, a widowed matriarch of the van Rhijn family and the mother of Oscar van Rhijn.
Introduced in The Gilded Age’s first season, Agnes is a proud socialite who doesn’t shy away from reminding everyone of her roots which come from the well-established Livingston and Brook families.
Apart from that, Agnes is also a fierce protector of old money society, which is why it’s hard for Bertha Russell to establish any kind of relationship with the stubborn aristocrat who openly disapproves of the new generation’s social climbing ambition.
Is Agnes van Rhijn Inspired by a Real Person?
Yes, Christine Baranski’s character clearly borrowed some traits from Caroline Schermerhorn Astor, more known as simply Mrs. Astor, a real-life socialite who basically ruled high society during the American Gilded Age.
However, Mrs. Astor is also present just as she is in HBO’s series, played by Donna Murphy and introduced in The Gilded Age’s season 2.
