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Following a highly successful first season, British-American period drama Harlots has returned for a second season of sex, feminism, suspense and corsetry.
Portrayed by some of the most famous faces in show business, Harlots explores power and lust through a female lens and the result is simply sensational! But why do so many of the actresses inspire nostalgia, and where have you seen them before? We are here to spill the tea and give you the answers you’ve been looking for…
Samantha Morton
Who she plays: Brothel owner Margaret Wells. Ambitious, fierce but also compassionate, Margaret is a problematic feminist idol, and that’s why we love her.
Where you’ve seen her before: During the 90s Samantha Morton starred in several arthouse classics, including Under the Skin, Code 46 and Jesus’ Son. More recently, however, she played the villain in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Lesley Manville
Who she plays: Lydia Quigley, the ruthless madam who brought Margaret Wells into the prostitution trade. She owns the high-class brothel that is Margaret Wells’s business’s biggest rival.
Where you’ve seen her before: Lesley Manville has starred in several Mike Leigh films, including High Hopes, Secrets & Lies and Topsy Turvy. More recently, she was nominated for an Academy Award in her role in the 2017 film Phantom Thread.
Jessica Brown Findlay
Who she plays: Margaret Wells’ oldest daughter, Charlotte. A rising star in the London harlot scene, Charlotte is undisputedly intelligent and able to assimilate into aristocracy with ease.
Where you’ve seen her before: She starred in Misfits, A Winter’s Tale, Black Mirror, alongside Daniel Kaluuya, and Downton Abbey, as Lady Sybil Crawley.
Pippa Bennett-Warner
Who she plays: Harriet Lennox, harlot and common-law wife of a slave-owner, who is recruited into the scene by Margaret Wells.
Where you’ve seen her before: Pippa Bennett-Warner has featured on loads of British TV shows, including Case Histories, Inspector George Gently and Doctor Who. More recently, she co-starred in The Foreigner, alongside Jackie Chan.
Dorothy Atkinson
Who she plays: Florence – a blind religious fanatic who lives in Lydia Quigley’s brothel while preaching against Margaret Wells’ brothel on a nightly basis.
Where you’ve seen her before: Like Lesley Manville, Dorothy Atkinson has starred in several Mike Leigh films, including Topsy Turvy and All or Nothing. She also had a role in the British series Call the Midwife as the painfully shy nurse Jane Sutton.
Liv Tyler
Who she plays: Lady Isabella Fitzwilliam, an aristocratic social butterfly who has deep-rooted ties to Lydia Quigley.
Where you’ve seen her: Liv Tyler is most famous for her role as Arwen in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. She also starred in the 2008 horror film Strangers and the big-budget 1998 feature Armageddon.
Catch all the excitement and intrigue of Harlots Season 2, first on Showmax. Stream here >>>
This post is sponsored by Showmax produced by Brandstudio24 for Channel24.
