Category: Bridgerton

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Bridgerton Fashion Luke Newton Nicola Coughlan

Nicola Coughlan claps back on the Photoshop-waist claims & body-shamers

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Bridgerton Season 3 PART 2 is out today! OMG. It was really stupid for Netflix to split up an eight-episode season into two parts, but here we are. I suspect that it was supposed to be an anti-binge-watch scheme. Meaning, if you mainline eight hours straight of Bridgerton, you might go into a sugar coma. I love the series but yeah, I don’t recommend binge-watching any of the seasons either. Take your time, enjoy the nuances, let it become a water-cooler show.

Anyway, ahead of Part 2’s drop, the Bridgerton cast did another screening event at Leicester Square in London. Nicola Coughlan basically dressed up like a frothy bride in a pink Rodarte wedding gown with a matching veil. The burgundy gloves are a strange choice but I appreciate that she was mixing it up. Luke Newton… does not have much presence, on or off screen. Bless his heart. That’s what I always think about Colin Bridgerton and Penelope’s love for him: “Really, him? Bless his heart.” The heart wants what it wants. Meanwhile, Nicola had been killing it with how she talks about her body and how she claps back on those dumbass body-shaming trolls:

“I think if you wear corsetry for long enough, your body really molds to it,” she explains of the show’s costumes. “Sometimes they come in a fitting for a fashion designer and they put a corset on me and I’m like, ‘Oh, you can go tight,’ and they go, ‘What do you mean?’ I’m like, ‘My body now will go whew.’ I saw some trolls. They were like, ‘They photoshopped your waist,’ and I was like, ‘No, they did not,’” she continues.

Earlier this week, Coughlan, 37, gave a cheeky response at a fan event in Dublin after she was told she was “very brave” for stripping down on the show.

“You know, I think it is hard,” she shared in a clip posted on social media, “because I think women with my body type — women with perfect breasts — we don’t get to see ourselves on screen enough. I am a very proud member of the perfect breasts community, and I hope you enjoy seeing them,” she added.

[From People]

Yeah, I don’t believe they’re Photoshopping Nicola’s already-corseted waist, because I don’t believe Nicola is as “big” as people make her out to be. She’s a short woman with curves and people act like she’s as big as a house. It’s insane. And yes, she has an excellent rack.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

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Bridgerton

‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 has a trailer: are you looking forward to Penelope & Colin?

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It feels like it’s been forever since Bridgerton Season 2 premiered! It came out in March 2022, so we’ve had a two-year Bridgerton drought. Well, the third season will premiere in May and Netflix finally cut a new trailer. The story revolves around Penelope Featherington’s romance with Colin Bridgerton. They’ve been showing Penelope’s crush on Colin for two seasons, and now Colin will “help” Penelope find a husband.

It’s cute! I’m into this. I loved the second season so much, and I’m looking forward to this one. One of my favorite romance tropes is “the wallflower/quiet girl gets the hot guy.” Apparently, Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton (Penelope and Colin) were really excited to film their love scenes and they even came up with their own ideas. Which is amazing. I really give so much credit to Shonda Rhimes and the Bridgerton producers – they have intimacy coordinators on set for everything and all of the actors feel completely safe and respected, but from the way the actors talk, they have so much fun doing their love scenes. You can tell that the cast just has a blast doing all of this.

We’re still getting some Kanthony in Season 3 as well.

Poster & photos courtesy of Netflix/Bridgerton/Shondaland.

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Bridgerton Netflix Ruby Barker Shonda Rhimes

Ruby Barker of Bridgerton says no one from the show reached out after she was hospitalized

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Ruby Barker is a 26-year-old British actress best known for her role as Marina Thompson in Shondaland’s Bridgerton series on Netflix. She’s been working since her teens and had a big break in the British indie film scene with How to Stop a Recurring Dream, which was released in 2020, the same year as Bridgerton. Ruby has been candid about her mental health struggles, particularly a hospitalization last year, and is currently an ambassador for the organization Wellbeing in the Arts. She appeared on the LOAF Podcast last weekend and revealed that she had another hospitalization back in 2019, right after filming ended for the first season of Bridgerton. She also said that no one from Netflix or Shondaland reached out to her, for either hospital stay, or offered her support in handling the demands of promoting a massive hit. Here is what she had to say:

During the podcast, Ruby said that she suffered two psychotic breaks, including one shortly after filming wrapped in 2019 and another in 2022.

She went on to say she received “no support” from Netflix amid her struggles, nor was there “aftercare” even while dealing with sudden stardom.

“When I went into hospital a week after shooting Bridgerton Season One it was really covered up and kept on the down-low because the show was going to be coming out,” she explained.

“During filming I was deteriorating. It was a really tormenting place for me to be because my character was very alienated, very ostracized, on her own under these horrible circumstances,” she continued.

“Not a single person from Netflix, not a single person from Shondaland since I have had two psychotic breaks from that show have even contacted me or even emailed me to ask if I’m okay or if I would benefit from any sort of aftercare or support. Nobody.”

“In the run up to the show coming out I was just coming out from hospital, my Instagram following was going up, I had all these engagements to do,” Ruby went on to say.

“My life was changing drastically overnight and yet there was still no support and there still hasn’t been any support all that time. So I was trying really really hard to act like it was okay and that I could work and that it wasn’t a problem.”

“It’s almost like I had this metaphorical invisible gun to my head to sell this show because this show is bubbly and fun. I don’t wanna come out and poo-poo on that because then I might never work again!” she added.

[From JustJared]

I listened to the podcast and it’s unclear what happened exactly – which is her prerogative. It’s hard to know what kind of support the producers could have provided her and to what extent they were aware of her struggles. I fully support her investing in her mental health. In my mid-twenties I picked up my life and moved back home (which was cross country) because something was fundamentally wrong in my psyche. I knew enough to recognize that I was a shadow of myself, and with the support of my family I was able to find people to speak with and activities to engage in that allowed me to find a way back to myself. Good for Ruby for getting the help she needed and for paying it forward through her work as an ambassador.

Photos credit: Liam Daniel for Netflix and via Instagram

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Adjoa Andoh Arsema Thomas Bridgerton Golda Rosheuvel hair India Amarteifio

Queen Charlotte’s India Amarteifio has natural hair on screen: ‘representation means so much’

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The Bridgerton prequel series focused on Queen Charlotte is coming out next week. In Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Golda Rosheuvel will return as the HBIC queen we already know from the existing series, while India Amarteifio will play the teenaged version of the queen as she meets and marries King George III. The main actors and producers appeared at the LA premiere last week, which included a screening of the first episode and a panel discussion after. Both Queen Charlottes, India and Golda, talked about wearing their natural hair on screen and how meaningful that representation is to them.

The “Bridgerton” universe is expanding as creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes now shifts her focus to the prequel series “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” featuring one of the franchise’s most captivating and beloved characters.

The Netflix historical drama follows Queen Charlotte’s rise to the throne and her love story with King George III. Golda Rosheuvel who plays the formidable queen in “Bridgerton,” also stars in “Queen Charlotte.” She portrays the queen in the present timeline.

Meanwhile, India Amarteifio portrays the bright-eyed 17-year-old version of the queen as her reign begins.

On April 26, Rhimes joined Rosheuvel and Amarteifio at the extravagant Los Angeles premiere of “Queen Charlotte.” Fellow cast members Corey Mylchreest (King George III) and Arsema Thomas (Young Lady Agatha Danbury), executive producer Betsy Beers and director Tom Verica were also in attendance at the event, which included a screening of the first episode followed by a panel.

During the panel, led by Variety’s Angelique Jackson, the cast spoke about the significance of Queen Charlotte, a Black woman, being at the center of the new series. The character instantly became a fan-favorite for “Bridgerton” viewers because of her witty replies, elaborate ball gowns and intricate hair pieces that tower high above her head.

Charlotte’s signature hairdos are further highlighted in the new series. In one of the “Queen Charlotte” promotional photos, Amarteifio sports a sparkling crown and a large afro.

On a more serious note, the “Queen Charlotte” star continued, “This job is so much bigger than us and myself and it just means so much to have this representation, for especially young Black girls growing up.”

Amarteifio recalled not seeing herself represented on screen often as a child. “I never thought growing up wanting to be an actor that this role would be something that I could even consider myself being a part of,” she shared.

Rosheuvel also opened up about being on a show that showcases Black women and their hair in England’s Regency era.

“It’s extraordinary on one hand and very heavy on the other,” she explained. “I remember my initial chats with hair and makeup and being really really shocked, actually, that they wanted to just tease my own hair out and have that as kind of the front line of the wig.”

She revealed that she had never had that experience on set before.

“Those words and that kind of discussion of showing my own natural hair within a character’s look had never ever been discussed with me. So, I got so emotional and I cried because it was such a moment of I’m being seen not only as an actress, as a person of color. But this character is being seen through these ideas, hair and makeup and costume and how the show looks,” she said.

The British actor added, “I will never ever forget it.”

Viewers can experience the wigs, songs and Charlotte’s powerful reign when the series hits Netflix on May 4.

I love all this discussion of natural hair on the panel of a big Netflix show. India talked about how meaningful it felt for her to provide this representation for young Black girls, since it was something she didn’t have and couldn’t even imagine when she was growing up. And Golda spoke similarly, saying that her work on Bridgerton was the first time in her career where her natural hair was to be used (as the starting point for the wigs) and she was shocked and touched that her own hair was finally being used in the character’s look. Also, Arsema Thomas, who plays the young Lady Danbury, bonded with India over natural haircare. Apparently, the (white, male) director Tom Verica suggested a few topics for them to discuss during their audition. His suggestion was HBO Max’s “Sex and the City” sequel series “And Just Like That…,” but Arsema and India ended up talking about their hair routines (because that series is trite and there’s not much to say about it). Anyway, I am very excited for this series and the representation. Hopefully it will hold us over until the third season of “Bridgerton” finally comes out.

Photos credit Netflix and Getty Images for Netflix

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Bridgerton Nicola Coughlan

‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 will focus on Penelope & Colin, not Benedict Bridgerton

‘bridgerton’-season-3-will-focus-on-penelope-&-colin,-not-benedict-bridgerton

While Netflix has made a lot of cuts to animation and various programming, the streamer is still committed to many of their “biggest” shows, like Bridgerton. Bridgerton will keep going as long as it’s a hit. That being said, they are making some changes. Season 3 will have a new showrunner. Season 3 will have a new Francesca Bridgerton too – the role has been recast! Hannah Dodd is in, Ruby Stokes is out. Ruby is out because she basically got a better job on Lockwood & Co. And now this: producers have decided to mix up the order of the love stories. The next book in the series focuses on Benedict Bridgerton, the bohemian artist. Now the third season will focus on Colin Bridgerton and Penelope.

Netflix’s “Bridgerton” is skipping ahead. Season 3 of the period drama based on Julia Quinn’s books will follow the Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) love story, Coughlan revealed during Sunday’s FYSEE panel.

The first two seasons followed the first two novels; Season 1 focused on Daphne Bridgerton’s (Phoebe Dynevor) love story with Simon (Regé-Page Jean), while the second dove into Anthony Bridgerton’s (Jonathon Bailey) romance with Kate (Simone Ashley).

While the third book zones in on Benedict Bridgerton’s love life, that season will likely be pushed to a later date with the fourth book’s subject, Penelope, moved up.

During the Season 2 finale of “Bridgerton,” Penelope overheard Colin, who she has been interested in for years, say that he would never marry her.

[From Variety]

I sort of get this? It was clear throughout season 2 that they were planting a lot of seeds for future seasons, including way too much time spent on g–ddamn Eloise and her poverty tourism. They also softened Benedict and definitely foreshadowed more Penelope & Colin drama. I suspect they’re doing Penelope & Colin next because Nicola Coughlan is such a major part of the show and there were fans already eager to see more of the “Polin” story. Sigh…I am looking forward to it. Even though it also feels like “okay, now we’re going to do an all-white love story.”

Photos courtesy of Liam Daniel for Netflix and Netflix’s IG.

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Bridgerton Jonathan Bailey

Jonathan Bailey can’t wait for Eloise Bridgerton’s season & big character arc

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Spoilers for Bridgerton.

After watching Bridgerton Season 2, and reflecting on that mess, I honestly believe that producers and screenwriters felt they were still in “world-building” mode and that they needed to do a lot to build up the other Bridgerton siblings before “their” seasons. When really, the core love story needed more attention and more drama – Viscount Bridgerton and Kate Sharma had a lot of chemistry, but the way their story unfolded felt pretty patchy and uneven. There were too many (boring ass) subplots. Personally, I could have done with Eloise Bridgerton being written out of the show for good. What a snide little a–hole she is.

Anyway, if the show is going in the same order as the books (I think it is), then the third season will focus a lot on Benedict Bridgerton’s love story, from the book An Offer From a Gentleman. It sounds like a Cinderella story, with Benedict cast as the prince. I’m fine with Benedict, he’s okay and hopefully they’ll do right by his character. But Jonathan Bailey (Viscount Anthony Bridgerton) can’t wait for Eloise’s season. And I cannot.

Jonathan Bailey is readying the popcorn and soda in anticipation of what is likely to be Eloise’s drama-filled season of Bridgerton. As the actor behind Anthony Bridgerton, Jonathan understands that a cold exterior is often hiding an internal struggle, making Claudia Jessie’s character, Eloise, an interesting one to unpack. “I can’t wait to walk Eloise down the aisle for so many reasons,” he exclusively told E! News. “Partly because, if there’s ever going to be another character that has a bigger arc as Anthony, in terms of having to overcome psychological warfare, it’s going to be Eloise.”

Like Anthony, Jonathan thinks Eloise is going to have to “overcome” her innermost fears if she wants to marry—the keyword being “want.”

Bridgerton viewers know that Eloise is keenly opposed to marriage or any traditional relationship as she’s a steadfast feminist. But the series is all about the Bridgerton siblings’ courtships, so Jonathan already expects his on-screen sister to change her mind: “I can’t wait—as a fan—to see that evolution.”

If new showrunner Jess Brownell, who steps in for Chris Van Dusen after seasons one and two, follows the path set by Julia Quinn in her novels, Eloise will somehow end up with Phillip Crane, who is married to Penelope Featherington’s cousin, Marina, in the show. But as Jonathan said, “We’ll have to wait and see.”

Jonathan is equally excited, if not more, to see Hyacinth and Gregory’s love stories play out, especially since they might be the last ones of the show. “Florence [Hunt]and Will Tilston, I think they’re just completely stunning, intelligent, brilliant young people,” he said of his co-stars. “It’s gonna be thrilling because they’re so talented.”

[From E! News]

Nope. No no no, I am not looking forward to Eloise’s season at all. That will be the fifth season and I feel like so many people are going to nope out of there given how completely annoying Eloise is. And, I mean, the actress is fine. Claudia Jessie plays Eloise and Jessie has dutifully chewed the scenery. The writers have made Eloise jumpy, snide, rude, neurotic and a waste of privilege. Her season is going to be horrendous. I truly wonder what the writers are going to do over the next two seasons to rehabilitate Eloise in some way?

Photos courtesy of Netflix.

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Bridgerton

Why didn’t we see the wedding for those two ‘Bridgerton’ characters? (spoilers)

why-didn’t-we-see-the-wedding-for-those-two-‘bridgerton’-characters?-(spoilers)

SPOILERS for Bridgerton Season 2.

I watched Bridgerton Season 2 over the course of two days. I enjoyed it, even though I felt like the second season was much more scattered and uneven compared to the first season. Granted, the first season had some subplots which I didn’t care about that much, but they gave us so much of the core love story, from courtship to wedding to the first months of marriage. That… was not what happened in season two. The core love story was often put aside for endlessly awful subplots involving Eloise Bridgerton (who is a waste of time, space, books and privilege) and Lady Whistledown (omg, printer drama!) and Benedict Bridgerton (a chaotic bisexual who feels way too modern).

In the second season, it felt like they were NOT focusing on the core romance on purpose, like they didn’t believe it would hold up or something. Maybe that’s just me being oversensitive, but it absolutely feels like fans didn’t get the same emotional and romantic journey for Kate and Anthony that we got for Daphne and Simon in Season 1. Notably, they didn’t even show Kate and Anthony’s wedding! They just got together and then bam, we saw them as newlyweds at the Bridgerton country home. So why didn’t Kate and Anthony get a wedding? Allow a producer to try to explain:

Bridgerton fans now have an answer for why they never saw Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) walk down the aisle.

The hit Netflix period drama, which premiered its second season last month, skipped over Anthony and Kate’s wedding and instead showed the couple after their honeymoon. Bridgerton director Cheryl Dunye explained the decision to Insider Monday, saying that nuptials had already been seen on screen.

“There was a big wedding before,” Dunye said, referencing the would-be wedding between Anthony and Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran), Kate’s younger sister. She said the Bridgerton writers chose to only include one wedding in season 2.

“Two weddings in a show that were that spectacular, one could not do after the other,” Dunye — who was not directly involved in the decision to exclude Kate and Anthony’s wedding — told Insider. “I was just like, ‘Yeah, you’re going to make the other wedding look paltry if this wedding was bigger,’ ” she added.

[From People]

No. This is bullsh-t. I can’t believe this is the thought process from a production point of view. “Y’all know how this is a frothy, fun romantic drama? Well, let’s not give fans an emotional payoff or allow women to enjoy a second wedding on the show!” What a stupid decision. And I mean, of course Kate and Anthony’s wedding wouldn’t have been as grand as Edwina’s. Kate and Anthony likely just went off and did something quiet, and producers could have spent all of FIVE MINUTES giving us that kind of payoff and I would have loved it. Such an absolute disservice to fans and Desi women. All of that f–king time wasted on Eloise being a f–king brat should have been spent on Kate and Anthony!

Photos courtesy of Netflix.