Stars of ‘Gentleman Jack’ Detail How the Newlyweds Clash in Season 2

It’s been a long road to season two of Gentleman Jack. The immediately beloved fictionalized life story of Anne Lister (Suranne Jones) and her unconventional marriage to Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle) in the 1830s faced production delays thanks to the pandemic, but the wait is (just about) over.

When we last saw our dear Anne and Ann, they had gotten broken all rules and begun to live as a married couple, after exchanging rings in a church in the closest equivalent to a marriage ceremony as they were able to pull off at the time.

Anne struggled throughout the first season with her desire to be taken seriously as a landowner in Halifax while seeking out someone — specifically, a woman — to spend her life with. Ann, meanwhile, slowly became enamored with Anne over the course of the season as her relatives lamented her “fragility” and questioned her ability to make decisions for herself. All was well with the two when we left them, with the knowledge that season two would bring new heartaches and trouble amidst life as a married couple.

PRIDE had a chat with series stars Jones and Rundle about the way the dynamics between the characters shift in the upcoming season, thanks to Ann coming out of her shell bit by bit and Anne grappling with the challenges that come from committing yourself fully to one person in life.

“I think it was so much fun to explore that,” Jones said. “We had some great arguments. We were able to push each other’s buttons in a way that we didn’t see in series one, because there was so much else going on.”

Rundle agreed, calling the way their relationship develops in season two “a really fun dynamic to play with,” and digging deeper into how the two characters play off of one another.

“If Anne Lister is opening up Ann Walker and making her blossom and become sort of a better version of herself then, Sally [Wainwright, the show’s creator] kept saying it to me loads of times, that she’s then going to use that against Anne Lister. And, she did,” she said. “She has this stubborn streak in her. I think it’s sort of exacerbated by the confidence that Anne Lister gives her.”

“She’d sort of encourage her to get out of the box. Then at times, wish that she could get her back in her box," Rundle added.

“It’s the reality of the marriage. You don’t get on with each other all the time. You find out about each other when you live together,” said Jones. “I think that will be the universal take away from that. Whoever you are married to, it's difficult. These women have got society pressures on top of that. But, it's difficult anyway, isn't it?”

Season two of Gentleman Jack will premiere on HBO and HBO Max on April 25, whereas episodes are currently airing on BBC One on Sunday nights.