At just 33 years old, Luke Thompson is already
one of the most prolific actors of the last decade.
Through roles in shows like The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher and In the Club he established
himself as a master of his craft.
But it was his role as Benedict in Netflix’s period drama Bridgerton that really put Thompson
on the map.
Bridgerton’s success sparked a bit of a Thompson-mania among the general public, with
fans of the series scouring the web for any pieces of information they could find about
the newly-minted star.
Thompson, however, is a notoriously private individual and details about his personal
life are few and far between.
Don’t worry though, this is where we come in.
After many sleepless hours of research, we have compiled this definitive list of Luke
Thompson facts.
So sit back, relax, and prepare for a surprise or two as we dive into ten things you didn’t
know about the second eldest Bridgerton sibling.
10.
Fluent in French
Luke Thompson was born in the English port city of Southampton in 1988.
However, his family moved to France when he was just two years old, after his father received
a job as an engineer in Disneyland Paris.
Because of this, the bulk of Thompson’s education took place in France and he became
so proficient in the native language that he began to think of it as his mother tongue.
It would not be until he returned to England in 2006 that Thompson would begin speaking
English in his daily life.
By this point, he was so used to conversing in French that he has described himself as
feeling “blank” when speaking English.
It is a testament to the man’s talent, then, that he was able to overcome his anxieties
to become one of the most famous actors in the English-speaking world.
9.
Humble Beginnings
A career as an actor was not always on the cards for Luke Thompson.
But early into his time at the University of Bristol, he joined an ameatuer dramatic
society.
It didn’t take the director long to pick up on the young man’s natural dramatic prowess
and he was quickly cast as the lead in the club’s production of Romeo and Juliet.
The budding thespian so enjoyed his stage debut that he decided to pursue acting full
time.
He applied to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, one of the UK’s most respected acting
academies.
Even with just one stage credit under his belt, Thompson was accepted by the school
and completed his dramatic education in 2013.
And so began his ascent to the top of the entertainment industry.
8.
A Star of the Stage
Thompson didn’t immediately throw himself into the world of screen acting after graduating
from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Instead, he opted to spend the formative years of his career focused on stage roles.
Many of his early stage performances were in Shakespearean plays, with his debut professional
role being that of Lysander in the Globe Theatre’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Over the next couple of years, he would appear in a number of other plays penned by the Bard,
such as Hamlet and King Lear.
But Thompson’s work on the stage wasn’t just limited to the works of William Shakespeare.
He was also seen in productions of Blue Stockings, Oresteia, and The Broken Heart.
Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of these plays, neither had we at first.
But all were penned and or set in previous centuries, with Oresteia tracing its roots
all the way back to the 5th century BC.
These roles allowed Thompson to showcase his remarkable ability to bring long-forgotten
periods to life for modern audiences, a talent which no doubt captured the attention of Bridgerton’s
producers.
7.
Regency Graduate
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art may be the most prestigious school Luke Thompson has
studied at, but it certainly isn’t the only place the actor has received an education.
After being cast as Benedict, Netflix’s newest signee was asked to complete a comprehensive
course on Regency life in order to familiarize himself with the setting of the series.
Never one to turn down an opportunity to broaden his mind, Thompson happily obliged.
According to the actor himself, these Regency classes covered everything from horse riding
to drawing and even included lessons in fencing.
However, it was the English classes which he most enjoyed.
In these classes, Thompson and his fellow cast members were taught to speak Regency-era
English in much the same way a person learns a foreign language.
As a multilingual actor with a background in Shakespearean productions, it really isn’t
any surprise that he mastered this portion of the course with ease.
6.
A Master Artist
It wasn’t just the English lessons of the aforementioned Regency bootcamp that Luke
Thompson so enjoyed.
As an avid artist in his spare time, he was no doubt delighted when he learned the course
would also involve lessons in drawing.
He would later utilize his enhanced artistic skills to create a portrait for each of his
Bridgerton castmates upon the completion of the show’s first season.
Regé-Jean Page was so impressed by Thompson’s portrait of him that he shared it on Instagram
for all the world to see.
And we couldn’t be more thankful that he did, because talent like this should not be
kept a secret.
5.
A Social Media Hermit
It’s a good thing Regé-Jean Page chose to share his castmate’s artwork online,
because if he hadn’t the world would never know just how skilled Luke Thompson is as
an artist.
Thompson himself has never shared his passion for drawing with his fans.
Even if he wanted to, he has no means of doing so as he is a dedicated social media hermit.
The star has virtually no online presence.
No matter how hard you search, you’re not going to find an Instagram account, Facebook
page, or even a long-forgotten Myspace profile created by the man himself.
Some people consider this to be a classic example of an eccentric actor trying to keep
his private life private.
But you could also make the argument that the Bridgerton star is a very dedicated method
actor.
I mean, we’re not exactly history professors here, but we’re fairly certain people weren’t
DMing aubergine emojis to each other back in the Regency era.
4.
An Interview Newbie
Despite his decade-long career, Luke Thompson is still something of an interview newby.
There are two primary reasons for this.
First and foremost, even the most skilled stage actors don’t receive that much attention
from the public.
This means that they are less in demand for interviews from major publications.
Secondly, the debut season of Bridgerton hit our screens in December of 2020 and we all
know what was going on in the world in December of 2020.
With in-person interviews being an impossibility in the wake of Bridgerton’s debut, stars
of the series were restricted to Zoom appearances.
Thompson did agree to a small number of interviews conducted via Zoom and other remote means,
but it was obvious to anybody who saw them that the actor wasn’t entirely comfortable
in such an unnatural setting.
It is only now, as global restrictions begin to ease, that Luke Thompson is finally able
to conduct interviews and meet his adoring new fans in person.
3.
Radio Star
They say video killed the radio star, but Luke Thompson has managed to carve out a nice
career for himself in both mediums.
Along with his work on the stage and screen, Thompson is an accomplished voice actor.
Most of his audio performances came early on in his career, such as his 2016 role as
the Narrator in the BBC Radio 3 adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s novel The Shepherd.
Two years later, he portrayed multiple characters in a series of BBC radio plays dubbed The
Second Pan Book of Horror Stories.
One year after these gigs, Thompson was cast in Bridgerton, leaving him with little time
to accept voice acting offers.
These days, the actor’s schedule may be filled up with television and movie roles,
but he has not ruled out a return to the airwaves in the future.
2.
Workout Confusion
Earlier on in this video, we discussed Thompson’s time spent in a Regency boot camp at the behest
of Netflix producers.
But this isn’t the only course the actor has been asked to complete since signing onto
Bridgerton in 2019.
In the build up to filming for the second season of the series, he was assigned a personal
trainer to help him get into shape for one of the show’s more intimate scenes.
The only problem was that his character was not scheduled for such
a scene.
It was not until Thompson was well into his tortuous workout routine that producers discovered
the scene in question was actually intended for Luke Newton, who fans will recognize as
Colin Bridgerton.
The former Luke no doubt breathed a sigh of relief when he learned he could walk away
from his exhausting exercise schedule, although the latter was probably a little shocked to
learn that he only had a couple of weeks to get himself into peak physical condition.
1.
Not an Award Winner (Yet)
By any set of metrics, Luke Thompson is one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation.
In just one decade, he has appeared in multiple roles that most performers work their whole
lives just to have the opportunity to audition for.
Praise and glowing reviews have been heaped on him ever since he first appeared in that
ameatuer production of Romeo and Juliet as a college student and they show no signs of
slowing down.
But despite his clear talent and countless breathtaking performances, Thompson is yet
to receive an award for his work.
He’s received a couple of nominations over the years, including one from the Screen Actors
Guild for his work on Bridgerton, but has always come up short.
But the cream, as they say, always rises to the top and with Bridgerton growing more popular
by the day, it’s surely only a matter of time before Thompson receives the recognition
he so rightfully deserves.
Okay guys, so those were 10 surprising facts you didn’t know about Luke Thompson.
Which fact did you find most shocking and why?
Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to like this video and subscribe to
our channel for some more fire Bridgerton content.
See you next time!