"I felt really at home": When Kelli O'Hara shared her feelings about her The Gilded Age role adding that it was 'a gift'

Kelli O'Hara played the role of Aurora Fane in The Gilded Age. The actress, known for her Broadway career, has successfully brought her talents to the TV screens with the HBO series.

The Gilded Age boasts an ensemble, including Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Audra McDonald, and Nathan Lane. The show is set in 1880s New York City and sees a high-class society from a young woman's perspective.

When Marian Brook moves in with her wealthy aunts, she witnesses the rigid rules and expectations the society has for women. O'Hara plays a key role in this world, and in an interview with Broadway.com in 2022, just after the debut of the show, she shared her experience of playing Aurora and discussed how the norms set for women back then still exist in the contemporary world.

“I cannot tell you what a gift this has been, not only because it is something that we were able to do over this pandemic. I feel like it's this part of theatre as well, and yet it's a television show. It was with all my friends. I felt really at home,” O'Hara said.

Read on to know what more the actor said about her role in The Gilded Age.

Here is what Kelli O'Hara said about her Gilded Age role

The Gilded Age has been renewed for a season 4, and O'Hara continues to shine both on Broadway and TV screens. As mentioned, the actor shared that she felt connected while performing on set after her long Broadway career, mainly because of the cast, which infuses some familiar feel.

Reflecting on her experience with The Gilded Age, O’Hara shared the unique challenges of working in television compared to her extensive stage background.

"It’s so funny with television,” she said. “It’s not like theatre or a play where you have this arc and you go in and you know the backstory and you know the ending. I cannot tell you honestly what they intended for Aurora, but what I know is what I want for Aurora. I really desperately want, as we go forward, for Aurora to be surprising and not just typical.”

O'Hara's "main love" remains Broadway, and it shows in The Gilded Age

O'Hara is focused on transcending her talent through mediums. Her growth and presence are evident in the HBO show. Speaking about her experience working on different mediums, she further said that she likes the theatre the most, while also seeing all these opportunities on screen as a blessing.

“Broadway has been and theater is and will always be my main love,” she shared.

Reflecting on her journey, she mentioned a photo she had posted on her socials from the 2001 revival of Follies, saying,

“When you look back at that girl, I had no idea what my future was in this town. It really has been an enormous gift.”

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Season 3 of The Gilded Age premiered in June 2025 and has been renewed for season 4.

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