After three years of absence due to Covid-19, the second season of the highly anticipated period drama series Gentleman Jack finally premiered recently on HBO Go. The new season has eight episodes, released every Tuesday until June 9.
Created by Sally Wainwright, the second season follows the life of Victorian LGBTI icon Anne Lister and her relationship with Ann Walker. We saw the tumultuous courtship between the two women in the first season, which began with Anne Lister's arrival in the small town of Halifax in Yorkshire after inheriting a wealthy uncle's estate. The new season takes place in 1834, and all eyes are on the two women as they get married. The two begin to pursue the idea of combining their estates in the hopes of becoming a power couple in town while confronting the era's rigid ideas of gender roles.
"I think what Sally [Wainwright] did brilliantly was the portrayal of the love affair in the first season. So it's a very different series that we're coming into. This season we see what marriage means and what it means for a same-sex couple," said British actress Suranne Jones, who portrays Anne Lister, during a recent press roundtable interview where she appeared alongside co-star Sophie Rundle. "The fact that they have no legal papers or a child to bind them makes it an intimate look at what their relationship is."
Gentleman Jack is based on the life of 19th century historical figure Anne Lister (1791-1840). A successful woman entrepreneur and landowner, she kept an extensive diary, partly in code, which totalled 4 million words. Her journal detailed her taboo love life, which led to her being described as "the first modern lesbian". While the show takes on a creative freedom with its premise, the romantic relationship between Anne Lister and Ann Walker was quite real and serves as the anchor for the series.
"I think we stayed true to the diaries in the sense that we are following every step of what it means to those two women. And that's why I think Gentleman Jack is popular because we're showing that it's not a side story. We're showing every aspect in detail and I think that's what's beautiful, but it's also very different to the first season," said Rundle.
"I think it was a stroke of genius from Sally to end season one after they married and leave a hint of what the marriage would be like. I think the audience's appetite is ready to see how the fairytale continues. And that's definitely what we explore in this next series."
Rundle said it was a different experience shooting for most cast members in the new season compared to the first year where most actors were filming in total separation.
"We were kept apart and the surrounding experience on set was different. I was quite isolated from everyone else. But in this year's filming, I got to come to Shibden Hall and meet everybody. Due to Covid, the way that we filmed this season was that we were together all the time. We got to deepen our relationship and become something bigger. It was also interesting to see the characters grow, it was so much fun," she said.
Besides starring as the main protagonist, Jones also took part as executive producer of the show alongside series creator Wainwright.
"Sally and I go a long way back. I worked with her on The Life And Crimes Of Julie Bottomley years ago, and then we did the TV series Unforgiven in 2009," said Jones. "But with Gentleman Jack, we got to talk a lot more and really collaborate to a point where she asked me to be the executive producer because she felt like the input I had was worthy. It was beautiful she asked me to do that. But yeah, Sally is the mother of the ship, because she's got the knowledge. Any question you might have on the day on set, she just goes in her memory box and she'll give you the answer. She's such a wonderful and brilliant human being."
Rundle's character Ann Walker is a young, wealthy heiress and Anne Lister's love interest. She's painfully shy, socially isolated and awkward with people outside of her immediate family. So it was quite a surprise to talk with Rundle in person and learn that she's an energetic and lively person and looks totally opposite from the character she portrays in the show.
"Well, I am actually quite awkward socially also, but in a very different way [laughs]. However, Ann Walker's just riddled with self-doubt. She's shy and nervous most of the time, so it was a strange shift going into her. But I think we can all relate to that feeling of awkwardness in social situations," Rundle said.
"I think while Ann struggled with it more than most, there's something about her that you warm to. Maybe because she's trying, you know? She's a product of her environment, her upbringing and the time she lives in. There's such an inner sadness there, which can be quite challenging, but I have a soft spot for her because she's trying her best."
Besides the fun and compelling story, what made Gentleman Jack such an instant hit was the fashion and costumes of each character, especially Anne Lister who's the first person on the list of the most eccentric and offbeat costumes. Her all-black outfits are a mix of masculine and feminine features, cuts and silhouettes. But how much of her fashion style is historically accurate?
"We have Tom Pye, a brilliant costume designer who did his own take on Lister. So we looked at a lot of paintings from that time and looked at how he could dress in male and female clothes in a way that was odd but also acceptable in society," said Jones.
"There are a lot of horse riding outfits from that period with the collars, ties and top hats, but a flown skirt, so we worked with that. We also need to be able to see Lister's character in a crowd. If she's with a bunch of women in beautiful, exaggerated sleeves and feminine colours, we need to make sure she stands out. All my costumes were made especially for me, so to have that experience of your costumes being fitted and made for your body was a great feeling. It was a great experience on top of the already wonderful show. I loved it."
