Aug 13
Christine Baranski Teases 'Mamma Mia 3,' Talks 'Gilded Age'
Emell Adolphus READ TIME: 3 MIN.
A "Mamma Mia!" part three could be on the horizon, according to star Christine Baranski.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 16-time Emmy nominee spilled about her many, many roles, including in HBO's "The Gilded Age" and in the upcoming season 2 of Hulu's "Nine Perfect Strangers." And if that isn't enough for the gays, she teased another "Mamma Mia!" film that would make the Abba-themed musical a trilogy.
Baranski said she just had a meal with franchise lead Judy Kramer, and things are reportedly in the works to bring the characters back for another go.
"We'll all be on some fabulous Greek or Croatian island having a blast," she told THR. "I hope."
About the meal, Baranski added that Kramer gave her the narrative plotline of how it's all going to go down in another film.
"That's all I can say! But, it's not like, 'Oh, I wish it could happen!'" said Baranski. "Judy Kramer makes things happen. She made number two happen, and it was a phenomenal hit. I wouldn't put it past Judy Kramer to get everybody back together."
Sounds very promising!
Baranski has reportedly been busy shooting "The Gilded Age" all summer in New York. So it sounds like she will need a nice refreshing change of location to an island with singing and dancing co-stars.
Fingers crossed.
And Baranski says it's time for some much-needed happiness, and another "Mamma Mia!" could be right on time.
"It's just the kind of movie that makes people happy. Witnessing how much people are showing up for these Democratic campaign rallies now, there's a lot of smiles, a lot of laughter," she said. "People are drawn to happiness and to joy, not doom and gloom. Mamma Mia made so many millions of people around the world happy. Is it a little dumb, a little campy? That's part of its charm."
Baranski was recently nominated for an Emmy (her 16th nom!) for playing Agnes van Rhijn, the matriarch of an Old Money New York City family, on HBO's hit "The Gilded Age," which is currently filming Season 3. After a lackluster first season, the show clicked in its second; and she offered some reasons why.
"The first season, there were so many new characters that had to be introduced. You couldn't put them in severe conflict until you knew who they were and what their world was. I, of course, had to almost single-handedly represent the old-money portion of society, so I found a lot of my dialogue was expositional in nature. There was just a lot of groundwork to lay, but once the audience clued in to it, things could then really move forward. You have to earn the right to kick into high gear with a drama."
Asked when that moment happened, Baranski referenced a t-shirt seen at a gay pride parade. "One of my colleagues wore a T-shirt that had three of my faces, as Agnes, on it with a quote that I said on the show. "Heads have rolled for less." If you can make it onto a T-shirt that's being worn at a gay pride parade, which these were in Los Angeles, then you've entered the culture. You're part of the conversation. You're trending."
Baranski also named dropped her new best friend, genderqueer singer King Princess. "Tonight I'm going to see 'Oh, Mary' with King Princess, my new best friend. She's in 'Nine Perfect Strangers.' It's her acting debut, and she's absolutely fantastic. We just hit it off. So, she's my new young pal, and we went to see 'Merrily We Roll Along' together."
Read Baranski full interview in The Hollywood Reporter.