Jonathan Bailey has said that his Bridgerton character Viscount Anthony isn’t quite the cad and bounder he is often seen as in the hit Netflix series and that underneath his bluster he’s a nice guy really.
Anthony is the eldest of the Bridgerton clan in the Regency romcom and he spent most of season one bedhopping but as he seeks a wife in the new season, we begin to find out a lot more about him.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment, 33-year-old Londoner Bailey says, "You have to root for your character. The moment you start judging your character is bad.
"You have to get completely behind him, and I completely understood that what is compelling about Anthony is that he’s had a horrible trauma that we see in this season.
"The caddishness and the rakishness, I think, is an interesting study of self-esteem and how he sees himself and I think Anthony has very low respect for himself in series one.
"However, there are so many moments in series two where he comes to terms with so many different things and meets someone who challenges him to be the person he ultimately ends up being.
"I think he’s a good guy, but he’s hurt, and he’s lost and he’s in pain."
Season two, which is currently streaming on Netflix, sweeps us back into the make-believe world of the Bridgerverse, a kind of Regency utopia where reputation is everything and clenched sexual longing is everywhere.
Lord Anthony is the focus of the new series as he sets out on a forbidden love with Kathani (Simone Ashley), who is the eldest daughter of the newly arrived Sharma family. But as some viewers and critics have noted, the new run of Bridgerton seems a deal more chaste than the rather steamier first season.
Speaking about shooting his romantic scenes with Simone, Anthony says, "I think the more challenging scenes to film are the ones where we see them coming together and the actual intimacy they share is more restrained than physical."
"It’s all about choreographing that restrain," adds Simone. "I remember in episode four we were filming the scene after the ball and our director told us that we weren’t allowed to touch so that was tough."
"Anthony and Kate become sort of obsessed with each other really," says Jonathan. "This slow burn becomes an obsession, and they dance together, and it builds from there.
"He then becomes obsessed with her hands . . . breathing was something that we worked on and that all bled into when they finally come together it was so well-earned. It was just another scene but a really important one I think."
Simone adds, "I think you can represent that sexual connection between them not just purely through a sex scene but touch, a touch of the hand, breath, eyes and I think that to me was a really interesting way to express yourself intimately. It’s intense."
Simone and her co-star Charithra Chandran, who plays Kate’s younger sister Edwina, are newcomers to an already established and much-loved show.
"I was incredibly excited," says Simone about joining Bridgerton. "Of course, it’s human to feel nervous and acknowledge the huge success of season one but it’s such a gift as an actor to have this amazing material put in front of you.
"Great material means that I can override those nerves and be exited to work on set with a wonderful cast and crew."
Charithra adds, "Of course, it’s nerve wracking. It’s the most successful show on Netflix but I think at that point in 2021 as an actor you’re just happy to be working because so many actors didn’t have that opportunity because of Covid.
"But the thing is that even though hundreds of brilliant people are working on set, if feels brilliantly intimate and the cast and crew are so friendly that any nerves I had were quickly dispelled in a few hours and also we were really lucky to come in as a family, so we weren’t doing it on our own."
The legendary bee sting scene plays a pivotal role in season two, but The Pall Mall game has also assumed legendary status in the Bridgerverse.
"It really is a metaphor for season two with the game they play," says Jonathan. "It was so fun to do. They just said they were going to roll the cameras and let us play as we normally would. It’s so brilliantly edited and made and put together.
"All those elements are what makes Bridgerton Bridgerton including the chemistry and the big set pieces and Pall Mall is so visual and it creates such an exciting scene."
This is a show where the idle rich have become idols and some Bridgerton fans can be a pretty passionate lot. Some have even taken to painting and drawing fan art based on the show and Jonathan says he is surprised by just how committed they are.
"I am actually. It shows the appeal of the romance genre. It’s about escapism, this is a fantasy show and to inspire people like that ties neatly into fan fiction territory where people can feel something visceral and apply it to their imagination. It’s extraordinary."
Start saving now, Bridgerton bingers - those cosplay nights won’t be cheap.
Alan Corr @CorrAlan2
Season two of Bridgerton is on Netflix now
