In Netflix’s Bridgerton, Phoebe Dynevor discusses the significance of the much-discussed s-x scenes between her and Regé-Jean Page’s characters.
According to People magazine, the first season of the historical drama concentrated on Phoebe’s character Daphne Bridgerton’s romance with Rege-character Jean’s Simon Bassett. During a recent Deadline event, Phoebe was asked how she connected to her character, and she mentioned the qualities she loved in Daphne.
“There are a lot of differences between me and Daphne,” Dynevor said during a recent Deadline panel. “But I think she values family, which I also value, and at a time when women had only one option, she was as determined to make that happen as I am in my career, and I think that was sort of my way into Daphne.”
“I admired her more because she made it happen,” she remarked, “but she also called the shots and found love.” “Their s-xual evolution was very important to the storyline, and it was something that I, [showrunner Chris Van Dusen], Regé, and everyone involved really wanted to tell honestly and in a way that was safe for everyone.”
When the Duke of Hastings comes to London, he has no intention of seeking a wife, but he is attracted to Daphne, and the two conclude the season happily married with a kid.
Fans couldn’t get enough of the couple’s onscreen chemistry, which ranged from stolen glances to raunchy s-x scenes. The performers were guided through the procedure by the experience of an intimacy coordinator.
“This is such a wonderful escapist piece that had so much depth to it, I think it drew people in,” Nicola Coughlan, who portrays Penelope Featherington, said of the production, which is both bubbly and rewarding.
In historical dramas, we seldom see individuals discuss s-xuality freely, something showrunner Chris Van Dusen recognized and sought to alter. He said, “I’ve always loved a period piece and I’ve always loved the genre.”
“However, I believe they are seen as conservative and conventional, and I knew from the start that I didn’t want Bridgerton to be that way.”
“From the way we cast the show to the set on the show, to the way it’s edited, to the topics we’re investigating, we worked hard to present these tales and examine these individuals through a very current lens. It’s set in the nineteenth century, but you forget that because what we’re looking at is really current and global.”
Lizzy Talbot, the show’s intimacy coordinator, spoke with People magazine earlier this year about shooting the sequences representing Daphne and Simon’s ‘s-xual growth,’ admitting that it was not as fluid as it seems onscreen.
Talbot told Insider that filming the scenes when the newlyweds go for a days-long romp around his rural home was “was a bit of an intimacy circus”
With a giggle, she told the publication, “There’s so much going on there.”
“We went to a lot of various places around the nation. We were inside, outdoors, on ladders, and all over the place!”
Season 2 will not contain Regé-Jean Page’s role, as much as we enjoy Daphne’s connection with the Duke. The spotlight will instead be on Anthony Bridgerton’s love story.
During an interview with Variety, Regé-Jean stated why he’s leaving: “It’s a one-season arc. It’s going to have a beginning, middle, end—give us a year. I get to come in, I get to contribute my bit, and then the Bridgerton family rolls on.”
