Sharon Long interview: ‘The Great’ costume designer
“It was a great surprise,” costume designer Sharon Long admits about her recent win at the Costume Designers Guild Awards for her work on the second season of Hulu’s acclaimed comedy “The Great” for the episode “Five Days.” “I went to the award ceremony actually because it’s the first time I’ve been nominated for an award, so I thought I better go. I couldn’t turn that one down,” she smiles. Watch our exclusive video interview above.
“The Great” returned for an even more outrageous second season late last year to virtually unanimous “huzzahs” from critics, scoring a staggering 100% “fresh” rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Elle Fanning stars as the titular Catherine the Great in the genre-bending Russian royalty satire, who after initiating a coup against husband Peter (Nicholas Hoult) at the end of season 1, embarks on the show’s sophomore season pregnant with their child, while dealing with a royal court in disarray, a looming war with the Ottomans and a visit from her serpent-tongued mother Joanna, played by Emmy winner Gillian Anderson.
The series is beloved for its witty, razor-sharp and hilariously profane dialogue, the performances of its excellent cast, and its lavish production values. After earning a pair of Emmy nominations for writing and directing for its first season, the show has become a regular on the TV awards circuit, particularly for its below the line talent, like Long, who’s expected to follow up her recent CDG win with an Emmy nomination.
Long took over as costume designer for Season 2, after Holly Waddington introduced many of the costume elements in the series pilot and Emma Fryer designed for the the remainder of the show’s first season. Long relished the chance to take the reigns in Season 2 and further develop the show’s look. This was particularly apparent in the designs she created for Catherine, who is heavily pregnant for most of the season, and the costumes worn by Anderson’s Joanna character, the many furs worn by Peter, Gregor (Gwilym Lee) and Aunt Elizabeth (Belinda Bromilow) and the exotic looks worn by the Ottoman ambassador (Raphael Acloque) and the nefarious Sultan (Billy Postlethwaite).
