‘The Forsytes’ Star Tuppence Middleton on How the New PBS Period Drama Reflects the Modern World [Exclusive]

The Forsyte women are stepping into their own. 

The Forsytes, the third adaptation of John Galsworthy’s novels about a wealthy and ambitious English banking family made its U.S. debut on PBS on March 24. Poldark creator Debbie Horsfield’s take on the Victorian-era saga follows acclaimed versions from 1967 and 2002. But it stands apart from earlier versions by putting the focus on the female characters, star Tuppence Middleton told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. 

Women are ‘at the forefront’ of ‘The Forsytes’ 

“One of the reasons I really liked the scripts was because Debbie really focuses on the women, which the book doesn’t so much,” Middleton said. “She puts them at the forefront of the story and I think is very much inspired by the root of the story, but has allowed it to kind of go its own way.”

Middleton plays Frances Forsyte, the wife of Jolyon Forsyte Jr. (Danny Griffin), the reluctant heir apparent to the Forsyte family empire. Their marriage was a strategic alliance meant to solidify his family’s wealth and power. While not a love match to start, Frances and Jo have come to care deeply for each other. But the couple’s relationship comes under strain when Jolyon unexpectedly crosses paths with Louisa (Eleanor Tomlinson), a dressmaker with whom he had a romantic affair in Venice before he wed Frances. 

“I do think [Frances and Jolyon’s] relationship was pretty solid before this happened,” Middleton said. “And I think that they did love each other despite the fact that they are very different people. And maybe that worked for them to a certain degree. They were able to bring different things out of each other and to be a sort of well-balanced match. But it’s very hard to compete with a soulmate.”

As the artistically-minded Jo wrestles between his sense of duty to his family and his desire to pursue his passions, Frances remains focused on maintaining the Forsyte family’s place in society, as well as positioning June (Justine Moore), her daughter from her first marriage, for success.

“Frances is, for the time, a very forward-thinking woman,” Middleton said. “I think that there’s a lot of gray with Frances. She’s not a good guy and not a bad guy. She’s kind of like all of us — she’s human and she’s flawed, but she’s also fun. She’s witty. She can be cutting if she wants. She understands how to manipulate society. And she also genuinely cares about the future of her family and her daughter. And everything she does is geared towards securing a bright future for her family so that her daughter finds a good match.”

“I think Frances is sort of the most Forsyte member of the Forsyte family, even though it’s not in her blood,” she added. 

Tuppence Middleton hopes viewers see themselves ‘reflected back’ in ‘The Forsytes’ 

Frances knows what she wants for June. But unsurprisingly, mother and daughter aren’t always on the same page.

“I think one of her flaws is that she assumes everyone else wants what she wants and wants the life that she strives for,” Middleton said. “And in a way, it’s that classic mother and teenage daughter thing of not quite communicating with each other or understanding each other because they have very different ideals.”

“Even though she’s not his daughter by blood, June is much more similar personality-wise to Jolyon,” she continued. “She’s much freer and has much more of an artist’s soul. So I think that that can be a bit frustrating for Frances who has sort of spent her entire life gearing up for this moment where her daughter comes out into society and she has everything to teach her, but June doesn’t want to learn.”

With its arranged marriages and rigid social hierarchy, the world the Forsyte family inhabits is very different than the modern one. But the characters are dealing with dilemmas that are all too familiar, Middleton said. 

“I hope that people, regardless of the time period or the social setting or the constraints on the people in this world, that they see the human elements to it,” she said when asked what she hopes people take away from the show. “Things around us change all the time, but we as people don’t change. Our reactions, we still all are living, breathing things with hearts that can get broken and with expectations and dreams. And I hope that in the complexity of these characters, we can see ourselves reflected back.”

The Forsytes airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on PBS. (Check local listings.) 

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