Hello, I'm Nicola Coughlan, and I play Penelope Featherington.
Hi, I'm Charithra Chandran, and I play Edwina Sharma.
Hi, I'm Simone Ashley, and I play Kate Sharma.
Hello, I'm Jonathan Bailey, and I play Anthony Bridgerton.
"When did you know the show was a global phenomenon?"
"What was your response to learning it was a top-ten series
in almost every country?"
Bonkers, wasn't it?
-It was completely nuts. -Yeah.
I don't think you can get your head around that,
and I'm excited for the moment where it begins to make sense.
Do you remember we had the fan event?
Yeah.
It happened about a month and a half before the release.
And it was the first time there was 2,000 people
who were allowed into this big Zoom.
We were being introduced and there were clips.
They unmuted the 2,000 people
for ten seconds, when everyone was introduced,
and you heard about 19 different languages.
And they were screaming, and it was wild.
They were so supportive,
even before they'd seen a thing from the show.
They were so behind it. It was amazing.
It was bonkers.
It's been a unique experience for us
because we've gone straight into season two
without the world opening up.
And, of course, we get to introduce you two amazing women.
You were the only two, and Shelley, who played your mom,
who've experienced watching it, then coming in.
And it's been an amazing thing to…
Yeah, it was weird.
It all happened within two weeks,
and I remember sitting in the green room on this project,
and some of the cast were like, "What'd you do over the weekend?"
"I watched Bridgerton." I wasn't allowed to say anything,
and it was a room of 30 people,
and I had to sit in the corner and be silent.
It was great because I could hear everyone's genuine opinion,
-which is obviously all positive. -Obviously, yeah.
How could it not be?
But I auditioned before the show aired.
I auditioned for season two before the show aired.
And my agent was like, "Listen, I think the show is gonna be mega."
"It's really cool. I've attached a trailer. It's called Bridgerton."
And I was like, "Okay, cool, wow!" And it was so colorful and so new.
Then it came out and I was like, "I really want this now."
-"I really want this now." -Yeah.
Okay, so for our new cast.
"How do you feel about joining the Bridgerton world?"
Just really excited.
Really proud.
You know, we've spoken about how amazing the show is
and the story line and how inclusive it is,
but just as a cast and crew,
it's a bunch of really genuinely kind,
lovely, down-to-earth people
who are all so supportive of one another.
It can be quite scary
coming into a show that's been established and it's season two.
It's like going to the school canteen. "Where am I gonna sit?"
But I just felt very welcomed.
We were really excited for you to join.
I think we were like, "Oh, newbies, this is great."
Also, honestly, since season one got announced,
I've been getting messages like, "Who is Kate?"
"Tell us who Kate is." I was like, "I don't know."
Even the day you were about to be announced,
it all happened really quickly.
People were like, "Is it Simone Ashley?"
I was like, "I don't even know," and they were like, "You did know!"
"I promise I didn't know."
They've been so excited about both of you.
-How did you feel? -I think that…
I never thought it would happen.
Because my mum and I, we…
We love Jane Austen novels and the Regency period,
and my mum is obsessed with Colin Firth,
Pride and Prejudice,
and Gwyneth Paltrow in Emma,
and I just never ever thought it would happen.
Know what I mean?
I never ever imagined that someone who looked like me
would be in those outfits in a show like that.
And for it to happen, I just couldn't believe it.
And even now, sometimes I don't quite realize what show I'm in,
and then you catch yourself on the monitor or you see photos.
-Yeah. -Like, "God!"
"What was your response
to Penelope being Lady Whistledown?"
And then, second question.
"How would Lady Whistledown describe season two?"
I found out in a bizarre way
because when we auditioned, we knew very little about the show.
It was only after getting cast that then I found out,
and I found out on an internet fan forum.
Because I realized there was a huge fandom behind these books.
It was like this whole other world opened up.
When Penelope is revealed as Whistledown, I went, "What?"
Getting cast in a Shondaland Netflix show is major,
but that's so much more major than I ever could have imagined.
They didn't know they were gonna reveal it in season one.
It had changed back and forward. They were gonna do a red herring--
-It was a re-shoot, wasn't it? -A re-shoot in July--
They had filmed a different ending.
-Oh, wow! I didn't know that! -…how it was supposed to be?
They were gonna make it seem like it was Cressida Cowper.
But then I think they started writing season two and were like,
"With the direction we want to take Penelope…"
-Because it's… -I love her journey.
Again, I'm like, "How do I say this without it being a spoiler?"
It's very satisfying…
what happens with Penelope in season two.
The end of the sentence.
Penelope is Lady Whistledown.
It was a shock to me when I found out. I was like, "Oh my God!"
And then, you re-watch it, and you're like,
"They put in spoilers and Easter eggs from the first scene."
But I was always also very adamant about that.
There was a scene in which the duke leaves the ball…
"I want to be the only one to look at him leaving."
Oh, my God.
It had to be subtle because otherwise it'd be, "Well, it's her."
Did the rest of the cast know Penelope was Lady Whistledown?
We did know because it's in the books.
-Plus I told everyone. -Yeah.
Unlike Penelope, I'm really bad at keeping my own secrets. Like,
"Did you know I'm Whistledown? Isn't it cool I get to do that?"
"I used to have the same job, isn't that nice?"
But yeah, I obviously couldn't not tell people.
And how would she describe--
Oh, how would she…
"Dearest gentle reader, the biggest rake in London…
is about to meet his match, in more ways than one."
I think she'd also say, "It's quite scandalous."
It's very scandalous. It's a really…
I keep telling everyone, "It's really different to season one."
Look at these two brats… Oh, my God!
We've spent a lot of time together, haven't we?
Yeah.
We're the best of friends.
Okay. A very fun one.
"What was your favorite fan comment,
response, theory that you saw online?"
I love the fan art so much. It makes me so happy to see it.
The fact people put in that much time and effort.
The Bridgerton musical was extraordinary.
Amazing.
I mean, also so many people, you know, you love and admire,
being fans of the show is surreal, talking about--
Who was your favorite celeb fan interaction?
It's got to be Kim.
Yeah.
My close personal friend, Kim Kardashian.
My best friend… But we have been messaging,
and she's been asking about the show and what's happening.
She's so nice but she has a Bridgerton WhatsApp group.
Like, she's seen it six times or something.
Lady Kardashian of Calabasas. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
"What was your favorite scene from season one?"
So, any scene, hands down, where the families are together,
the Featheringtons or the Bridgertons,
'cause your chemistry as families are just... amazing.
Particularly the scene where Eloise comes in and she's like…
How does a lady come to be with child?
Yeah.
-And Benedict's slapping Colin-- -I love that.
It's such a family.
I think it's a family everyone would want to be a part of.
There's so much love and fun and playfulness.
But I have to say, scenes that I now appreciate more in season one,
having filmed them in season two, are the ball scenes.
Yeah.
-But filming them is hard, guys. -Oh, yeah.
It's long, and it's very technical,
and it's also because there are so many people there, right?
The scenes with the most people, you see everyone in their element.
And you see the team and the teamwork come together.
Yeah, it's hard work.
The real family really is the crew.
The crew were epic.
"How would you describe Bridgerton to someone
who hasn't seen it before?"
I use Chris Van Dusen's answer.
"It's not your grandmother's period drama."
-That's really true. -Yeah.
It subverts all your expectations. It's very fresh.
It's so beautiful to watch. I love the music.
I'd describe it as a carnival of joy and inclusion.
And identity and romance, and everyone's invited.
Yeah. I feel like in a show where it's so aesthetically pleasing,
it's really easy to just view it as that.
-Sure. -But it's so much more.
As we've touched on earlier, it's about family,
it's about love and heartbreak, and I think that
it should be appreciated for all of those elements.
Totally.
But I have so many friends
who were like, "Okay, period dramas aren't my thing."
Then they watch this and they're like,
"I was hooked!" and they loved it.
I would say that a lot of period drama to me is just…
It can be so slow, the characters don't feel rounded,
like they're doing impressions of what people
at that time would've done. But this never feels like that.
-No, never. -Never.
It's so progressive. Just colorful.
I think one of the billboards says, "It's a feast for the eyes."
Which is a great description of it.
Yeah.
Sexy. Go on, I'll say it.
It's super sexy.
-Super sexy. -Sexy.
"Will Anthony have sideburns in season two?"
They were my real sideburns.
You were really committed.
And we're two blocks into a four-block shoot.
So, these are…
-You've committed quite hard. -They've shrunk a bit.
-Yeah, they're less… -Shrunk in the wash.
What was fan consensus on the sideburns?
Were they popular or not?
Lamb chops, they were called?
-Mutton chops. -Mutton chops.
Not lamb chops.
-Mint sauce. -Lamb chops on his face.
-Wanna talk about your light perm? -It's had a perm.
-I love it. I think it's so nice. -I love it too.
Jonathan Bailey, the face of perms.
Permy Johnny.
-PJ. -PJ.
So, juicy question coming up.
"What's easier? Dating now or in the Regency era?"
In the Regency era.
You don't have social media, you don't have…
It's almost… It's simplified, you know?
Yeah.
I always say this, but a thing I think they should bring back is,
in Regency, you went to a ball, you danced with someone,
next day, they'd come with a gift.
-That's incredible. -I love that.
Dating in the Regency era is incredibly stifling.
And economic.
Economic. It's transactional in a very specific way,
which not to say that dating now isn't transactional, but…
while I love the beautiful dresses, the balls and gifts,
I have to say I'd definitely pick dating now.
Yeah. And as a gay man, I'm going to choose now.
"The Bridgerton and Featherington families
have a very unique dynamic."
"Can you explain the Sharma family dynamics?"
-Sisterhood. -Sisterhood.
We don't have a dad in our family. We've got Mary, played by Shelley,
who we love, and she's my stepmom,
and then Edwina, who's Kate's stepsister,
but regardless of that, we're really, really close.
They're different from the Featheringtons
and Bridgertons
in the sense they've come to London.
It's a different culture, different vibe, different rules.
And they've had to adapt a lot, I think,
but they never lose their true selves.
They very much feel like outsiders.
The Bridgertons and Featheringtons are the core ton,
and the Sharmas feel like
if the audience who watched season one were kind of put in.
They are new.
They don't really know what's happening. They have their ideas.
So, I feel like the Sharmas kind of represent the audience in a way.
You guys have a gorgeous dynamic. It is a really sisterly dynamic.
It's lovely to watch.
It's been such a pleasure to play that with you and have…
We're like best friends, Kate and Edwina,
in the whole thing,
and I think what's amazing about it is, as much as there's a love story,
and Edwina's finding a match as well,
I still bring it back…
The core of it is two sisters looking out for each other.
Which is the beginning of the Bridgerton world.
The… What is it?
-The show about… -The Bridgevers?
-The Bridgevers. -Did I make that up? Am I a genius?
What's just happened?
Have I created a viral moment?
"How has Anthony Bridgerton as a character
changed this season?"
I was about to say something that would've been a spoiler.
But I'm just gonna stay quiet.
-Without any spoilers. -Yes.
He gets to deal with a lot of things
that I think he hasn't been given the space
-to deal with. -Yeah.
-The onion's being peeled, isn't it? -The onion is.
Yeah.
It's causing a lot of tears.
Oh, yeah!
Because, obviously, I'm completely aware
of the toxicity and the control and manipulation of his actions
in series one.
But I've never doubted him being a brilliant, complex person.
I think that's what is fascinating about the show is that it's--
It's not afraid to make the characters do unlikeable things.
People are livid with Penelope for what she did to Marina.
I agree, but she's a real human, and you do make bad decisions.
Under such external circumstances, these people just get trapped.
Final question.
"Kanthony is the most anticipated couple of the entire book series,
except for Penelope and Colin."
It's exactly what's written here, so I have to say it.
"What are the fans in store for?"
A lot of arguing.
Volatility.
Yeah, they challenge each other.
-It's very passionate. -Yeah.
It's great seeing someone like Kate being able to stand up to Anthony
and him not knowing how to sort of deal with that.
He's met someone who's really his match.
It's like a puzzle that fits together.
And look at how gorgeous these two are.
I know, yeah, it's like a really fit couple.
I'm really happy about that.
It's been so great catching up with all of you.
I can't wait to show the fans what's to come in season two,
coming to Netflix in 2022.