Regency era period drama Bridgerton, which was partly filmed on location at Hatfield House, arrives on Netflix on Christmas Day. As the official trailer is released, we focus on Bridgerton stars Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page.
Inspired by Julia Quinn’s best-selling novels, Bridgerton closely follows the romance between Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset.
Playing the central characters in the new Netflix series are Phoebe Dynevor as the eldest daughter of the powerful Bridgerton family and Regé-Jean Page as the highly desirable and rebellious Duke of Hastings.
Both were enthused by the Shondaland production from show creator Chris Van Dusen.
Phoebe, the daughter of Coronation Street favourite Sally Dynevor, said: “Reading the scripts was quite overwhelming because I could tell that it was going to be a huge production.
“I had a really good idea of who Daphne was and I could relate to her in so many ways.
“I also knew that there were things that I would have to learn because Daphne had to horse ride, dance and play piano.
“It was quite epic and I was super excited.”
Regé-Jean Page, who was a regular cast member in legal drama For The People, said: “I thought that we could do something really exciting with this.
“There are empowering stories being told here in ways that haven’t been told before.
“There was also an opportunity to put out some very powerful images that we haven’t seen in this context.
“It was all very exciting to me so I jumped in with both feet.”
Bridgerton is set in the high society world of Regency England, which is “such a fascinating period”, according to Phoebe.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. The story follows the Bridgerton family and their love lives. There’s a lot of drama and a lot of scandal!”
Teasing the series, which was partly shot on location in Hatfield, Regé-Jean added: “I would say that it’s also about very, very tight costumes, both physically and metaphorically!
“People are very restricted in this world. Bridgerton is set in the 19th century and there wasn’t universal suffrage yet.
“We’re dealing with a marriage market which was one of the only ways for women to move forward.
“We’re looking at how people grow and find their own agency in a world that places all of these restrictions on them, even in the context of such fabulous wealth, apparent ease and comfort.
“But it’s also about having a scandalous, sexy, fun time in the midst of some of the most glamorous moments that anyone’s ever seen.”
The eight-part series centres on Daphne’s debut onto Regency London’s competitive marriage market and high society balls – and Lady Whistledown’s scandal sheet.
Phoebe explained: “Simon very much rebels against these social rules which I think is probably quite exciting and sexy for Daphne.
“I think she is able to let her guard down with Simon and be herself, which is really lovely.”
Regé-Jean added: “One of the tricky things in the series is that romance and love are adjacent, but not quite the same thing.
“I think that getting them confused and mixed up is part of the fun sub-plot of the show.
“There is pomp, ceremony and romance as a behaviour, and then there is love as a real thing that is felt between two people.
“Love is something that is genuine, delicate and involves care, passion and attention, and is entirely different to gifts, balls, jewels and circumstance.
“Unpicking the difference between those two things, both in our Regency world and exploring how that reflects us today, is probably the biggest theme of the show.”
One of the society balls was shot on location at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire in September/October 2019.
Scenes were filmed in the Marble Hall, the Library, the West Garden, the West Terrace and the North Front, with dozens of extras required.
Phoebe loved the balls. She said: “We would usually spend two to three days on each ball as there was quite a lot to shoot and we would film in these amazing locations.
“It was fun because they would play the music and we would do the routines.
“It would really help you get into character as I definitely don’t feel like myself when I’m doing these dances because I’m not a dancer.
“It was quite spectacular to film the ball sequences.”
The show debuts on Netflix on Christmas Day and Phoebe can’t wait for subscribers to see the series.
“There’s something for everyone in Bridgerton and I think that’s why it’s a special show,” she said.
Find out for yourself on Netflix from December 25.
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