Gwilym Lee says he relished the 'new love' his character Grigor finds on season 2 of 'The Great'
Grigor (Gwilym Lee) strikes up a romance with Marial (Phoebe Fox) on season two of "The Great."
Lee told Insider that the unexpected romance opens a "new world" for him to explore with Grigor.
"Grigor is so empowered by it and invigorated by it after having been humiliated for so long."
Warning: This article contains spoilers about season two of "The Great."
Gwilym Lee would have never guessed that his character Grigor Dymov falls in love with Marial on "The Great." But when the actor read through their romance in the season two script, he was thrilled.
"It's so unexpected," he told Insider in a joint interview with Bayo Gbadamosi (Arkady).
On Tony McNamara's fictional series, Grigor is a unit with Georgina Dymov, his wife that doubles as his best friend Peter III's (Nicholas Hoult) mistress. When Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning) exiles the couple to France early in season two, Grigor stays behind in allegiance to Peter. Georgina goes to Paris on her own.
Alone for the first time in years, Grigor roams the Russian court and reconnects with Marial (Phoebe Fox), who the audience learns took his virginity years ago before she was demoted to serfdom.
Now that Catherine has risen in power and reinstated her best friend to ladyhood, Marial sheds her rags. And with Grigor's wife busy in Parisian salons, he can't take his eyes off his former flame.
"I had nothing to do with Phoebe last year. We have no scenes together and then, all of a sudden, you find out they have this rich backstory," Lee began.
He continued, "It's a gift as an actor because there's a whole new world to explore. It does feel like it's new love, isn't it? It's fresh, new love. They're discovering it for the first time, and there's something very real and intense and exciting and energizing."
The new lovers' dynamic is notably different than Grigor's relationship with Georgina. They are equals, and the thrill of finally being respected by his partner brings out a new side of Grigor.
"Grigor is so empowered by it and invigorated by it after having been humiliated for so long. So it's a nice new angle and a new way to see Grigor in this season," Lee said.
While Georgina's departure creates a healthier friendship between Grigor and Peter, it also opens the door for Tatyana, Arkady's wife, to replace her as the overthrown emperor's mistress. Though Peter has yet to accept her shameless advances, Arkady's patience with her behavior wears thin.
"You get to just sit back and watch it happen to someone," Gbadamos told Lee during the interview.
Lee jokingly responded: "So glad it's happening to someone else. I take a lot of pleasure in it."
Season two of "The Great" is currently available to stream on Hulu.
Read the original article on Insider
