This 'Gilded Age' mother-daughter duo can't wait to see what's next

Co-stars Audra McDonald and Denée Benton break down their milestone Season 3, their shared theater pedigree and what's in store for their characters

- Amy Amatangelo

AS DENÉE BENTON PUTS IT, the third season of "The Gilded Age" saw the show's "multiverse expand." Benton plays Peggy Scott on the HBO drama, set in New York high society in the late 1800s. Season 3 saw Benton's Peggy find love with Dr.

William Kirkland (Jordan Donica), much to the chagrin of William's snooty mother, Elizabeth (Phylicia Rashad)-who disapproves of the Scott family for many reasons, including their dark skin and the fact that Peggy's dad is a pharmacist without generational wealth. Telling the story of the Black elite living in Newport, RI, and the classism and colorism within that community was vitally important.

"The more we explore what really went on in that time, the more we can make Black characters in television, film and theater fully three-dimensional," says Audra McDonald, who plays Peggy's mother, Dorothy. "When I first heard about 'The Gilded Age,' I was like, 'Oh, what servant am I going to be asked to play? What downtrodden character?" So the fact that they've been so accurate, that's been the most exciting thing for me." Nor has colorism including in Hollywood been consigned to the dustbin of history. "None of it has really changed," Benton says.