She doubts you'd find such a natural dramatization in an American sitcom. Though St. Claire is 29 years old and doesn't identify directly with the issues of aging that suffuse the stories, she says the program has given her a better appreciation of her own grandmother, who has dealt with similar issues. Even the fans worry that they may come to identify with the characters or the actors too closely. She recalls a flaming interchange more than a year ago over the character of a rigid but well-meaning minor character, Mrs. Flack. It got heated.
People are really passionate.
They see themselves, they see people they know. ATGB and Dench herself carry extra emotional weight because both are about second chances and new starts. The program revives a youthful passion that the lovers thought they had lost. And Dench, though she has been an acting sensation since she debuted at the Old Vic four decades ago, gained new recognition in her 60s, not only as a professional but as a role model. So I spend a lot of time celebrating lives of great women.