What it was like filming “The Gilded Age” Season 3 at Salve
Photo by Karolina Wojtasik/HBO.
In the fall, the city of Newport was buzzing with crews shooting episodes for Season 3 of the hit HBO series “The Gilded Age,” from creator Julian Fellowes. The third season of the Emmy-award-winning series began airing on HBO and streaming on Max on June 22. The Salve Regina University campus was rolled right into the drama, with scenes filmed inside and outside Ochre Court, situated on the famed Cliff Walk.
The Great Hall, state dining room and exteriors of Ochre Court can be seen in Season 3. The series’ creative teams applied their artistry to transform aspects of the historic mansion to bring details in line with storylines. Notably, in some scenes, the spectacular ocean views from the rear of Ochre Court have been replaced by rolling green fields. The fifth episode, which began streaming on July 20, features Ochre Court extensively.
Salve students, alumni and faculty also appear as extras in Season 3. Cassidy Bashada ’28 and Michael Becker ’26, cultural and historical preservation (CHP) majors, Olivia Mahler ’25, a creative writing and publishing major, and Dr. Dean de la Motte, professor in the Department of Modern Languages, all play various background actors in period costumes, hair and makeup. We caught up with them during the shoot last fall to get their thoughts on the experience.
Cassidy Bashada:
“I was really excited about how historically accurate the show is, especially the costumes. I filmed for six days in total. The first day, I was a teenager walking around rocks along the ocean. The second day, I was a girl in the English countryside. On the third day, I played a student at a women's college. The last three days, I played a guest at a ball in one of the Newport mansions.”
“I had a wonderful experience! I was truly surprised by how everyone involved with the show wanted it to be as true to history as possible. The makeup artists made sure my makeup was perfect and matched who I was playing and the time period. The hairstylists curled and pinned my hair in elaborate styles. Each costume had multiple layers that would be almost impossible for me to get on by myself.”
Michael Becker:
“My character was explained to me as a groundskeeper or farmer in the area. It was a really fun experience, and I was glad I did it. It surprised me how early everything started -- they wanted us to arrive at 4:45 a.m. to start getting ready. I always knew that filming scenes was hard work, but I never realized just how much effort and re-shooting scenes went into such short parts of a show. We only shot one or two short scenes all day, but we worked for hours to get them filmed. I've always respected filmmakers and actors, but I now have a newfound level of respect.”
“If it weren't for Salve, I would not have even been in the area for the filming. Being in such a historic area is really beneficial for my CHP and sociology and anthropology double major; there is a lot of local history, artifacts and opportunities for learning about my career interests.”
Olivia Mahler:
“I played a farmworker woman, although we were welcoming a certain duke and duchess back to the English countryside, and it was quite a workout running behind their carriage as a simple peasant! I have a theatre arts minor, and Salve has presented me with many cool performance opportunities, but you can't find a better gig than filming an Emmy award-winning show on Salve Regina University grounds. It was something like a dream!”
"The Gilded Age" is a co-production between HBO and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. Among the featured actors in Season 3 are Christine Baranski, Carrie Coon, Cynthia Nixon and Phylicia Rashad.