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Getting away from her family is something that she really, really wants to do, Madsen says.
And the only way she can do that is by marrying someone.
It might even be transformative.
One of my favorite TV tropes is lets humanize this bitch.
I thought her house was going to be quite lavish, bright, and filled with velvet.
I felt the seriousness of the situation.
Both women in the house are controlled by a man.
Theres a sadness to their reality.
Its a heavy atmosphere.
It reflects the time.
I feel very sorry that shes gone through this.
Im grateful theres less of that in todays world.
How does being an only child affect the way Cressidas parents see her?Shes alone.
She doesnt have any warmth with her parents.
She grew up with coldness, hence why shes cold to others.
I do have other siblings, but theyre much, much older than me.
I essentially grew up as an only child.
I understood Cressidas world when it came to that.
But I had an awful lot of friends around me and I was very lucky.
Theres a lot of silence around her, so shes not great at engaging with debutantes.
Youre a product of your environment and sadly thats what she has become up until this point.
She puts on a sharp mask because a mask keeps her safe.
She starts to shift because Eloise gives her so much kindness, and she feels safe.
Its not a shameful space.
We dont know how else to protect ourselves.
Like, she failed her mom.
We grow up and theyre our main caregivers.
We want to just them because thats how we survive by having their love.
Its a toxic environment for her to be in.
Her sense of self has come from her mom and dads expectations.
Shes really focused on trying to do the best for herself and what they would be happy with.
She hasnt thought much about herself and what she can do.
When Lord Debling says, Im not fond of my family,shes like,Oh, wow!
Its a turn-on!A total turn-on.Lets go!
Love isnt necessarily in her vocabulary.
Why do you think shes had such a difficult time finding a husband?Shes not genuine.
Shes going by the book and putting on a front in the first two seasons.
Her moms in her ear all the time, metaphorically and literally.
Theres a fault in her way of connecting until she has this friendship with Eloise.
As it progresses, things happen between them, but I find their friendship to be a genuine one.
These girls are pitted against each other because theyre in a race to find a husband.
Theyre racing each other for the win.
This is Cressidas third season out because she hasnt come close to winning.
We see more and more weight put on these girls as time goes on.
Theyre in competition with each other, which is a really hard place to be.
If you think youre in a competition with someone else, its hard to have a friendship.
That goes for any day and age.
Women need to open up and connect with each other and be on each others sides.
Does Cressida even want to marry?
You grow up, you marry, and thats how it is.
She hasnt questioned any other options like Eloise and Penelope have.
All she knows is what her mom has fed her into believing is the right step for her.
When she does marry, it opens up a new world for her.
Shell get out of her house.
With Lord Debling, she sees she could find someone whos like-minded.
Where does Cressida sit on the spectrum of villains for you?
Is that a fair characterization?Ive always loved a villain.
Look at the Disney villains.
Give me Cruella de Vil or the witch inSnow Whiteany day.
But Cressida isnt a villain in my eyes by any means.
Shes a young girl trying to do her best with very limited information about life and a difficult childhood.
Shes doing her best with the blueprint shes given.
Theres a huge vulnerability under there.
Shes struggling to balance the two.
Cressida has some of the most rigid and strangely contoured clothes on the show.
Were you given deeper meaning to her sartorial preferences?Theyre amazing costumes and bring her to life.
Putting them on is such a gift.
They have a beautiful structure this season.
I found the juxtaposition quite funny.
Did you notice how she has beautiful coats this season?
Shes maturing and getting older.
I always envied Adjoa Andohs coats, and Cressida finally got to wear some.
I felt like shes coming into being a woman, growing up, and developing in a cool way.
Thats shown in the clothes.
I kept the corset this season because I love it.
She gave me a lot to work with.
Thats a lovely analogy.She totally is.
The neck corset was spectacular.
You know Zara will be producing a knock-off in a few weeks.Why stop there?
