The Gilded Age Season 4 premiere's two surprise cameos have a story of their own

East 61st Street near Fifth Avenue got two surprising celebrity cameos in The Gilded Age Season 4 premiere. Julian Fellowes' historical drama series sneakily hid two celebrity cameos in Episode 1.

Amid Oscar and Enid's wedding celebrations and Gladys' life-threatening childbirth, the Season 4 premiere featured two cameos: My Next Guest Needs No Introduction host David Letterman and Academy Award-winning actor Matt Damon. At the 8-minute, 33-second mark into the Season 4 premiere, two gentlemen, in an all-black ensemble, are crossing the street together, and they are none other than Damon and Letterman.

In a recent interview with Vulture, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman showrunner Isabel Richardson and The Gilded Age EP Kate Churchill spilled the beans on Matt Damon and Letterman's surprising cameos and the story behind it.

The Gilded Age Season 4 premiere: The story behind David Letterman and Matt Damon's cameos

As Kate Churchill and Isabel Richardson recalled in an interview with Vulture, the surprising cameos in The Gilded Age Season 4 Episode 1 stemmed from Letterman's 50-year-long desire to become a background actor. After spotting his comedian friend Gary Mule Deer in a shot of Annie Hall, Letterman set out to find his own moment as a background actor. After failed gigs in Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme, The Thomas Crown Affair and Netflix's latest series Black Rabbit, Letterman found a common link with The Odyssey star Matt Damon, who is set to appear in an episode of My Next Guest.

After they discovered that Matt Damon started his career as a background actor with Ben Affleck, the seeds of their The Gilded Age Season 4 cameos were planted. Richardson recalled:

“We thought, Okay, this could be the perfect opportunity. It’d be really fun for Dave to do this with Academy Award–winner Matt Damon, and it tied into his origin story really well."

After The Gilded Age production supervisor Leah Baker (who is friends with a line producer on My Next Guest) pitched the idea to Churchill, she took it to Julian Fellowes, HBO head of drama Francesca Orsi, and CEO Casey Bloys.

The hard work behind Damon and Letterman's cameos in The Gilded Age Season 4 premiere

While Matt Damon and David Letterman appeared in a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo in The Gilded Age Season 4 Episode 1, Churchill and Richardson revealed that it was a lot of hard work. In addition to deciding on their shot, scheduling dates, and going back and forth over emails, Churchill worked with the show's makeup and hair team to ensure Letterman and Damon looked like they belonged in the 19th-century setting.

As Churchill recalled, getting Letterman ready for The Gilded Age Season 4 was comparatively easy. The Next Guest host not only has a period-appropriate beard but also possesses a bowler hat from the oldest hat shop in London, which was eventually used in his final look. As for Damon, who had already shaved his The Odyssey beard for SNL, he was given period-appropriate facial hair and sideburns by the show's hair team.

Richardson revealed that Damon and Letterman were elated after arriving on The Gilded Age Season 4 set and being a part of the historical series:

“Dave was like a kid in a candy shop on the set. He was so excited and curious about everything. Matt Damon was laughing so hard throughout the day, and he had this mustache on, so anytime he laughed, he would have to hold on to his mustache to make sure it didn’t come loose.”

Trending

Although Damon and Letterman go uncredited in The Gilded Age Season 4 premiere, their unexpected cameos and the story behind them add another exciting dimension to the show.

For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback