This spring is rife with star-crossed lovers, bare skin, and steamy love scenes. In the streaming world, that is. There’s Jonathan Bailey (Fellow Travelers) and Simone Ashley in the new season of Bridgeton, with Luke Newton’s Colin Bridgerton dashing past them with scenes involving threesomes. A Man in Full’s Tom Pelphrey Erect has generated plenty of buzz for one arousing scene in that series, giving new meaning to the show’s title. (And perhaps, one of the more interesting things about that ill-conceived show.) We can now add the characters of James Beaufort and Ruby Bell, played by Damian Hardung and Harriet Herbig-Matten of Maxton Hall: The World Between Us.
Yet, there’s something sweetly alluring about the ill-fated romance between James and Ruby in Maxton Hall, the new German series on Prime Video (which is dubbed in English if you prefer). Brought to life by Hardung and Herbig-Matten, the actors have great on-screen chemistry, adding a sense of realism to the overall story that touches on class, privilege, and a fierce determination to follow your dreams.
In this exclusive MovieWeb interview, Damian Hardung and Harriet Herbig-Matten opened up about the new hit series, which has already skyrocketed up the charts after its recent release. They discussed how they stepped into their characters and what lies ahead in a potential second season. Read on or watch the video above.
The Advice Harriet Herbig-Matten Would Give Ruby
Maxton Hall: The World Between Us (2024)
4.5/5
Ruby unwittingly witnesses an explosive secret at the public school Maxton Hall; as a result, the arrogant millionaire heir James Beaufort has to deal with the quick-witted scholarship student for better or worse.
- Release Date
- May 9, 2024
- Cast
- Damian Hardung , Harriet Herbig-Matten , Ben Felipe , Runa Greiner , Fedja van Huet
- Seasons
- 1
- Writers
- Daphne Ferraro
- Directors
- Martin Schreier and Tarek Roehlinger
Audiences may recognize Harriet Herbig-Matten from her role as Tina in the Prime Video TV seriesBibi & Tina, which is based on the German children’s radio drama of the same name. Stepping into Ruby’s shoes is a great opportunity to explore her acting range, as the character, who comes from a lower-income family, must come into her own at Maxton Hall boarding school.
Executive producers Markus Brunnemann and Ceylan Yildirim, directors Tarek Roehlinger and Martin Schreier, and head writer Daphne Ferraro make up the creative team behind this adaptation of Mona Kasten’s three-book series. But can Ruby ever find happiness with wealthy James, who’s dragging around plenty of emotional baggage? We asked Herbig-Matten what she’d do in real life if she encountered somebody like James, or, for that matter, what advice she’d give to her alter ego, Ruby. She said:
“Run! I’m trying to stay away from those people and men. It’s not good for you. I made those mistakes in the past, and I’m trying to fix it. So, I would go away from it.
{Ruby] is… falling in love with his emotional side and not with his toxic, narcissistic side.
It seems like he’s fragile and sensitive, and that makes it so hard to go away and stay away from him. But I would say focus on yourself, and he has to work on himself as well, and to make decisions, and to work it out with his family. And maybe they will work out in the future.”
Run! I’m trying to stay away from those people and men. It’s not good for you. I made those mistakes in the past, and I’m trying to fix it.
Damian Hardung Chats Up Acting Influences
Damian Hardung captured attention in How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast), the inventive comedy/drama that landed on Netflix. In Maxton Hall, the actor showcases James’ depth, revealing repressed emotions that have been stored from dealing with his wealthy family. We asked the actor if there were any American actors who inspired him or informed his acting journey. “I love Neil Patrick Harris. I saw him on Broadway in Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” said Hardung. “Bryan Cranston was great in Breaking Bad. There are a lot of them. I lived a year in New York City, and a couple blocks away, I saw him at a coffee shop every other day.”
As for embodying James and moving through the more intense scenes of Maxton Hall, even those intimate ones, Hardung said, “That’s the beauty of acting… that you can source that from however you work, and for me, that is a lot of personal work.” He elaborated:
“You can try to explore what’s going on with you, and you can try to find those colors that aren’t necessarily somewhere in the picture of yourself, and extract them, and combine them into different ways so that you can create a new picture, which you can’t change…
leaving your own fears and dreams behind to incorporate those with this character
. That is a dedication from yourself and also part of the job.”
“I just want James to go to therapy.”
Maxton Hall Stars Share What They’re Watching
There’s a tinge of Riverdale meets Sex Education by way of One Tree Hill running throughout Maxton Hall, despite the series being wonderfully distinct and nicely executed. But have these two ever binged on any similar teen dramas? “I watch Riverdale and Sex Education, so I’m quite a fan of it,” Herbig-Matten said. “I love it. I love love stories and, of course, I recently watched One Day. That’s also a really cute love story, and sad.”
Hardung added that he saw so much of James and Ruby in One Day, in fact. “It reminded me a lot of us.” Most likely because of the on-screen chemistry — their spark stands out in Maxton Hall, but neither of them was prepared for how well the show would be received.
“I guess we always imagine that the story has potential, otherwise we don’t even decide to actually do it,” Hardung said. “I don’t know what it is now… we’re No. 1 in 68 countries or something. That is just overwhelming. I don’t think any one of us could have imagined that scale to it. And it’s just crazy the responses that we’ve been getting these last couple of days. Honestly, I’m just overwhelmed. I think I need a lot more time to be able to actually figure out what is happening.”
Bridgerton Season 3 Review: The Show is Hotter Than Ever, Dearest Reader
Nicola Coughlan (Penelope) shines in a Pygmalion-laced season that titillates yet warrants an opportunity for the show to expand.
Will There Be a Second Season?
There’s no word yet about Season 2 of the series, but by the looks of it, Prime Video is bound to greenlight another round. There are three books to this story, after all — Save Me, Save You, and Save Us, which all sound tempting and might be enough to lure viewers into the pages, or wait to see the fate of Ruby and James. Book two, in fact, picks up right where Save Me leaves off, tracking Ruby and James — with a caveat. Suddenly, James must deal with a family matter that turns his world upside down. Still, if they had their way, how would these stars like to see things play out in season two?
“I mean, it’s so difficult because I know what’s happening,” Herbig-Matten said, “but I hope that they work out and that they find a way to be good for each other. And that James is following his dreams, and she’s achieving her goals and that… they’re happy, but that’s not how the world is working.”
Hardung is more candid. “I just want James to go to therapy. Honestly, I just want him to be able to work on himself and be able to communicate their feelings adequately to the rest of the world.” Noted. But where’s the fun in that? Stay tuned. Maxton Hall is streaming on Prime Video. Watch it through the link below:
