There’s a certain kind of presence that fills a room before a single word is spoken — and Christine Baranski totally has it going on. Let’s just start right there. She is one helluva broad and one of my all-time favorite actors. If you’ve already read Mayté Antelo-Ovando’s piece below, you know exactly why. I had the absolute delight of asking the very first question at a recent press conference where Christine spoke, just before taking the stage for the annual John G. Winslow Lecture at The Elms. For me, this experience also has a personal meaning.
For anyone still wondering who Christine Baranski is (though I can’t imagine there are many), she’s a Juilliard-trained, Emmy and Tony Award–winning actress whose resume is as long as some of the trains on those gowns she wears on “The Gilded Age.” Fans might know her best right now as the formidable Agnes van Rhijn who will drop a funny zinger in every scene she is in. Others may picture her as Diane Lockhart from “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight,” a character with the quiet strength to always do the right thing in the courtroom. And then there’s Mamma Mia! (and yes, there’s news on that front). However you recognize her, one thing is certain: she’s pure showbiz royalty, with a crown made of sharp humor and brilliant timing.
This wasn’t my first Baranski sighting, my friends. I had an IRL fan girl moment with the Queen herself while working as a background actor in “The Gilded Age.” My job was to be elegantly present but not really seen in the ballroom scene of the Season 1 finale, which meant several days of floating around in a stunning handmade gown made in Budapest, pretending to mingle with robber barons and other finely dressed guests, while the true magic happened around me. And by “true magic,” I mean watching Christine at work. Even from twelve feet away, her focus was magnetic. She’d step on her mark, after preparing for the scene, and then — boom — Agnes would come alive. It was pure professional inspiration for this particular actor, and proof that both craft and presence are a combination of performance chutzpah. What an adventure!
I was curious about how much of Christine Baranski lives inside Agnes van Rhijn. Her answer? The character reminds her a lot of her own mother, “One tough lady,” who clearly inspired her own daughter. Christine also spoke about how filming The Gilded Age feels like time travel. The elaborate sets in our own Newport Mansions, exquisitely detailed costumes, and period details transport her right to the 1880s. I couldn’t help but nod along in agreement. I’ve stood in The Breakers myself, with the grandeur of the space and a live orchestra playing in an actual ballroom; I remember feeling the same. More than once, I caught myself thinking, “Am I still in present-day Rhode Island?” It’s the kind of Hollywood magic that only someone like Julian Fellowes could pull off with such grandness.
She didn’t spill any major secrets about the final episode of the season — no spoilers at the press conference or during the lecture — but she did promise something “extraordinary” in the final show. And she wasn’t making that up. Without giving anything away for those still catching up, I’ll say this: the season ending delivered, and then some. And for the fans wondering whether we’ll be left dangling forever, good news: Season 4 has been confirmed. Oh, and here’s a bonus treat for the Mamma Mia! Fans — Christine hinted that a third installment is “most likely” happening. Cue the ABBA soundtrack.
But Christine didn’t keep the conversation entirely in the land of fiction. She took time to address something we are dealing with: the loss of federal funding for the arts in the United States. She spoke passionately about the responsibility of the wealthiest Americans to step up and fill that gap, noting that even during the original Gilded Age, an era not exactly known for its ethical rich folks, the robber barons still found ways to invest in the arts. They built opera houses, funded museums, and left behind cultural legacies that shaped generations. Christine’s point was clear: if they could do it then, surely we can do it now. As a person in the arts, her comments filled my hopeful heart.
That moment stuck with me. It’s one thing to admire someone for their talent; it’s another to respect them for the values they represent. I am now an even bigger fan girl of this remarkable woman. Baranski’s career may be a masterclass in acting, but it’s also a lesson in using one’s voice to advocate for something bigger.
She is a true classic: composed yet approachable, elegant yet grounded. And one snazzy dresser with a sassy sense of humor, much like the characters in all the roles she has brought to life.
Walking away from The Elms that evening, I thought about my first encounter with her on the set of The Gilded Age. Back then, I was just another person in a sea of ball gowns, quietly observing, trying to keep my gaping mouth closed. This time, I got to be part of the conversation, to ask a question, and to hear her answer in her own words. What a moment. And while the ballroom of that fictional experience is no longer, the real-life grandeur of Newport’s Elms mansion can provide you with your very own time travel adventure.
Baranski isn’t just an actress you view on screen, she’s one you experience. And whether she’s commanding a fictional “talking to” with her family in New York City back in the 1800s, belting out ABBA songs on a Greek island, or urging us to support the arts, she does it with a mix of strength, intelligence, and style that’s entirely her own. Queen Christine, indeed.