Tony nominee Carrie Coon has been cast in the lead role of HBO’s upcoming limited series The Gilded Age; she replaces fellow Broadway alum Amanda Peet who has left the project due to scheduling conflicts. Coon, who recently starred in Bug at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, joins a previously announced cast that includes Christine Baranski, Cythnia Nixon, Denée Benton, and Morgan Spector.
Deadline reports Coon will play Bertha Russell, a middle class woman living in 1880s New York City eager to step into the world of high society with her financial genius husband, George (Spector).
The series comes from Downton Abbey creator and Tony-nominated School of Rock book writer Julian Fellowes. Rounding out the cast are Louisa Jacobson, Taissa Farmiga, Blake Ritson, Simon Jones, Harry Richardson, Thomas Cocquerel, and Jack Gilpin.
Coon made her Broadway debut as Honey in the 2012 revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, appearing alongside real-life husband Tracy Letts. The actor has been seen on several popular TV shows in the past decade, including Fargo (earning an Emmy nomination), The Leftovers, and The Sinner.
