Water way to make an entrance...
Scandals, love triangles and a sexy wet shirt scene... Marion McMullen looks at how Jonathan Bailey is set to be Bridgerton’s new romantic heart-throb...
DARCyMANIA exploded nearly three decades ago when Colin Firth strode out of a cold lake wearing a wet shirt in Pride And Prejudice. Ten million viewers were glued to the BBC’s romantic 1995 TV series and the scene was voted one of the Top 100 greatest TV moments of all time.
Now, the new series of Bridgerton is paying homage to the iconic scene with Jonathan Bailey, as Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, emerging from a river with his soaking wet shirt clinging tightly to him. His character is set to be the star of the second series, after the unexpected departure of Regé-Jean Page, who frequently went topless as the Duke of Hastings in the first season.
“I just needed to get in the zone and get in the headspace to come in and hit the ground running,” says 33-year-old Jonathan. “It’s kept me on my toes. I got really fit, I made sure to eat well and got loads of sleep and everything else just seemed to fall into place.
“I am just so aware that these parts don’t come around often and I am forever grateful.”
The award-winning actor has appeared on TV in Broadchurch and Channel 4 comedy Campus, but the global success of Netflix series Bridgerton has brought him to a wider audience.
“It’s been a wild few years for the world and I think part of that led to the success of Bridgerton. It came at the right time and knocked everyone off their feet,” he says.
The hit show, based on a series of books of the same name by Julia Quinn, follows the eight siblings of the Bridgerton family as they attempt to find love. It became the most-watched show on Netflix when it was released on Christmas Day 2020, thanks to its risqué scenes and opulent costumes and sets. At the time, the streaming giant said the show was viewed by a record 82m households in 28 days.
Fans will also be able to look forward to more glamorous ballroom scenes, extravagant costumes and all the gossip thanks to Penelope Featherington, aka Lady Whistledown (Nicola Coughlan).
The new series will feature steamy scenes between Anthony and love interest Kate (played by Sex Education star Simone Ashley). Jonathan describes it as “animal primitivism and a wild attraction” and says the new season sees the viscount renouncing romance and setting off in search of a wife to safeguard the future of his family’s lineage.
“And he’s got a new haircut and has shaved off his chops,” he points out.
The Oxfordshire-born actor originally read for Regé-Jean’s role of the Duke of Hastings, but then came back to read for the role of Anthony and has made the part his own.
“It was clear from the beginning that Anthony was incredibly complicated and had a rich psychological landscape,” says Jonathan. “He’s
experienced such trauma with his father dying and his mum not being able to handle that and then having to step up and take on the role and responsibility of becoming a viscount.
“Bridgerton can really take the time to dig into the psychology of a man of that era. I think Anthony, at his core, is a terrified teenager.
“A part of him froze the day his father died. He wasn’t given the easy route in some ways and there’s a lot of unpacking that he has to do this season. He’s a victim of a patriarchal system in which men weren’t encouraged to talk about their feelings – and this was at a time when there was no therapy. But I think Anthony’s ultimately very kind and full of love.”
His character is also set to get caught up in a complex love triangle with sisters Kate and Edwina Sharma, the latter played by Charithra Chandran.
Jonathan says: “Working with Simone and Charithra has been a total joy. There was something about meeting Simone for the first time, which has continued since that first moment – when we’re acting together, it’s like we’re in the same tunnel.
“We get the giggles, but we can also hold each other and not be distracted. There’s something quite magical about that. It felt really playful and alive. When I met her, I was just thrilled because she’s the perfect Kate. And Charithra, she smashes it and she’s great. We’re from the same town and we basically went to the equivalent schools.”
He and Simone also worked with intimacy co-ordinator Elizabeth Talbot for some of their scenes.
“She just helps us to feel safeguarded and helps to actually tell the story in a more interesting and nuanced way,” Jonathan explains.
“It’s amazing how that whole industry has just come on even in a year. There are new tricks to the trade, new little cushions – it’s amazing what you can do with a half-inflated netball. I’m learning things every year.”
Jonathan says he went to bed listening to the Bridgerton audio book and it allowed him to get to grips with the character even before the new scripts. But he admits “listening to the book at night also made me slightly obsessive and sometimes I didn’t know when I was awake and when I was asleep”.
Show creator Shonda Rhimes has admitted that fans will miss Rege-Jean, who decided to leave after the first season, saying: “I know that people are missing the duke from season one. Everybody fell in love with the duke last season.”
But she adds: “The duke was amazing in season one, Anthony is amazing in season two and that’s the beauty of it.”
■ The new series of Bridgerton will be available on Netflix from Friday