The store never sleeps! Jeremy Piven (Entourage) reprises his role as London's retail king, Harry Gordon Selfridge, for a second season of the series hailed as "addicting" by The Wall Street Journal. Created by Emmy Award-winning writer Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice), Mr. Selfridge Season 2 co-stars Frances O'Connor (Madame Bovary), Aisling Loftus (Page Eight), Amanda Abbington (Sherlock, Season 3) and Ron Cook (Little Dorrit).
Jeremy Piven Shares Details of Mr. Selfridge Season 2, and the Differences Between Harry Selfridge and Entourage’s Ari Gold
Dr. Nancy Berk
As the March 30th Season 2 premiere of PBS Masterpiece’s Mr. Selfridge approaches, its star Jeremy Piven is as enthusiastic as the fans of the acclaimed series. I recently had the opportunity to chat with the actor about the new season, his channeling the character of British-based American retail tycoon Harry Selfridge, and the differences between the 20th century’s larger-than-life department store icon and the 21st century’s larger-than-life fictional agent Ari Gold in the HBO series Entourage.
Jeremy Piven is used to playing complicated characters. So it’s no surprise that he has managed to make the incredibly flawed Harry Selfridge multidimensional and likable. Piven admits that part of the process involves trying to find a connection with the character. “You don’t ever judge your characters. And you just play them and give them as much integrity as possible and try to draw some similarities—anything that you can grab a hold onto that’s authentic.”
It helped that Piven, in working on Mr. Selfridge, was an American doing something unique in Britain. Says the actor, “I am over there in London doing this lead and really making my way into something that I’ve never done before—6 or 7 months in London doing this TV show with an all British cast. And Harry went over at the turn of the century and had to transform shopping. And he basically invented the department store and [had to] navigate through uncharted territories, as I was [doing].”
The richness of the story lines, set designs, and characters has made Mr. Selfridge a welcome indulgence for viewers. Piven continues to be especially impressed with the cast. “Acting with these brilliant actors is completely gratifying and inspiring to me, because I was lucky enough to grow up in the theatre, and working with them, most of them have a very similar background. And so, we’re all kind of on shorthand with each other and it just is great to play opposite all these people.”
This season, the Great War is the backdrop and Harry, living in Britain, wants to give back. Says Piven, “He’s living over there and he is an American, but he wants to contribute in any way possible, in a very real way.” Piven offered up a few more glimpses of what we can look forward to this season. “This year Aidan [McArdle] plays Lord Loxley, and he’s such an evil character. He’s a great baddie. He’s so funny and twisted. He makes Lady Mae [Katherine Kelly] look like she’s just an angel and she’s not. But you see where she comes from and what she’s been dealing with at home. That storyline to me is incredibly juicy and fun to watch. And actually all of them are. Because Victor [Trystan Gravelle] is in love with Agnes Towler [Aisling Loftus], and yet, at the same time, from the moment [Agnes] looked at Henri Leclere [Grégory Fitoussi], there was some serious, serious chemistry. We have Cal [Macaninch] coming in this year to play Mr. Thackery, who is the head of the fashion department. And he is this weird persnickety freak who is just so brilliant. And he’s always up to no good.”
There’s no disputing the gorgeous set designs and costumes in this British period series. Notes Piven, “Even though they are sets, they feel so authentic that it helps to ground you in that time.”
Having raised three boys (if you include my husband) who had to be coaxed into formal wear, I couldn’t help but wonder if Piven was burned out on three-piece suits and vintage attire. “I’ve always kind of gravitated towards that era,” notes the actor, “I love playing dress-up every day. It’s really fun. It’s pretty intricate. We’ve got these great gold pocket watches. And we’re trying to get everything right. These women are wearing real bone corsets. I had to do that scene with Zoë [Tapper], who plays Ellen Love, in the first season. Harry has an affair with her, and he throws her on the bed. And I kept forgetting that literally, because of the bone corset, I would have to just pick her up off that bed. You’d puncture a lung. You can’t literally bend.”
With Mr. Selfridge ready to take the spotlight again, Piven has also been shifting gears for the filming of the Entourage movie. While he has truly embraced Harry Selfridge, the versatile artist welcomes the opportunity to revisit a character he knows so well, having played the role of Ari Gold for eight years. On the two characters, he remarks, “They’re fascinating. They’re very different characters. And I love playing both of them and love the challenge of maybe even going back and forth.”
What’s Piven’s take on Harry versus Ari? “Ari is a rage-aholic, so playing those type of stakes and emotional investments every day was completely fulfilling and draining. And Harry embraces the light. And he’s always trying to inspire his workers. And so he’s always continuously taking the high road. But what’s interesting about Harry, is that Harry doesn’t take these victory laps and claim to be this or that, but behind the scenes, you know, he has his demons and can do the wrong thing, and embrace some debauchery. Whereas Ari is all bark and no bite. He claims to be this radical dude and looking at every woman that passes by, but he’s monogamous. And he goes home with his wife and she wears the pants.”
Will Harry Selfridge change his ways in Season 2? Tune in on Sunday, March 30th to begin another fabulous journey with the colorful clan at Selfridges’.
Jeremy Piven won a Golden Globe for his performance in Entourage
ITV costume drama Mr Selfridge is returning for a third series, the broadcaster has announced.
The show, which is inspired by the retail entrepreneur and stars US actor Jeremy Piven in the title role, will begin filming next month.
Selfridge's colourful life will "really begin to unravel" with the advent of a third series, producers have said.
The second series, which is currently on air, has attracted an average 6.4 million viewers.
BBC One's 1950s drama Call The Midwife, also screened on Sunday evenings but an hour before Mr Selfridge, has clocked up audiences in excess of 10 million.
ITV executive producer Kate Lewis said: "We have some surprises in store for an audience in this third series.
"You only have to walk down Oxford Street today to know that Selfridges department store continued to be successful, but for its founder, Harry Selfridge, things were very different.
"His story was a rollercoaster ride that ended rather tragically. We pick up series three in 1919, the point at which his life really begins to unravel," she added.
Kate Brooke is returning to write the 10 episodes of the new series, which also stars former Coronation Street actress Katherine Kelly as socialite Lady Mae.
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Dr. Nancy Berk 
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