Although “Queen Charlotte” is part of the “Bridgerton” universe, Shonda Rhimes’ brand-new story is very different and sad.
“The series in itself is like a different beast,” says Corey Mylchreest, who portrays young King George III in the Netflix drama. “It feels like ‘Bridgerton’ but it has maybe darker moments to it, and it’s a little bit grittier. So it feels like its own thing.”
The history of Queen Charlotte and King George III was briefly mentioned in Season 2 of “Bridgerton.” Still, this prequel delves into Charlotte’s early life as she prepares to wed a young King George (India Amarteifio).
Under the aegis of what the show refers to as “The Great Experiment,” Charlotte’s boldness transforms the nation, particularly as a Black woman marrying the King of England. Her husband, however, mostly hides due to an undiagnosed mental ailment.
According to AOL, King George III was never formally diagnosed. He has physical and emotional agony as well as hallucinations as a result of his manic symptoms.
“As a show, we don’t diagnose him, but as an actor, I simply had to make a decision. Otherwise, the work is going to be nonspecific, and it can be offensive. I did a lot of research and I had an idea of what it was, learning about his childhood and how that can affect stuff,” says Mylchreest.
Working closely with director Tom Verica, he discussed George’s condition and learned what, when, and why specific behaviors are triggered.
“It’s a gift as an actor, because it’s such a challenge but it doesn’t afford you anything other than permission to go 100%. If you don’t commit fully, then you’re going to almost offend the honor of the character — both that Shonda has written, and the real guy that I fell in love with when I did my research,” Mylchreest says. “It’s a man who is dealing with the subsequent shame and self-hatred that comes as a result of that affliction.”
The love narrative is at the heart of every “Bridgerton” series, so there must be chemistry between the protagonists. And s*x scenes are included in that. The closeness of Mylchreest and Amarteifio’s characters changed as the show progressed, making that section simple to create.
They first exclusively engaged in s*xual activity on even days to conceive an heir. As time passes, their physical proximity turns into genuine intimacy and affection.
“I don’t think it would be a very good show, but even if it was just the intimate scenes between George and Charlotte, you would have a story. You’d have an arc; you’d have a beginning, middle and end,” says Mylchreest, thanking intimacy coordinators Lucy Fennell and Lizzie Talbot. “‘Bridgerton,’ in the past, has been has been criticized for having those intimate scenes gratuitously. Something that we’re really proud of is that it’s not the case here at all.”
“it was very nerve-racking,” he says. “I also realize that I’m saying that as a man on a set with a male director, and I’m feeling nervous, so you know that that speaks to the environment — or the maybe the stigma around it at the moment. India was so brilliant, and I think we built such as such a sense of trust that it had its own arc for us in a way. The first one was a real nerve-racking experience, and by the end of it, it was like, ‘Let’s crack this one out!’ It was very easy.”
Amarteifio agreed with Mylchrees when he said that they were secure enough to talk about the details that might have been awkward in addition to being at ease in the scenes.
“They created such a safe space and making us feel as if we actually had a say in some of these scenes. You walk into a room sometimes, and it’s one thing to say, ‘Yeah, you can you can speak freely.’ It’s another thing of actually feeling that,” says Amarteifio. “Everything is in there for a reason. It’s a testament to our team and to Shonda, everyone being just genuine, lovely people and remembering that this is a show and it’s for storyline. We don’t put things in just for the sake of it.”
Throughout the season, young Agatha Danbury (Arsema Thomas) undergoes a significant — and singular — journey of her own, beginning with a marriage in which she is merely carrying out her wifely duties and ending with an affair that enables her to experience her own s*xual awakening. Thomas needed around six months to get ready.
“The greatest thing to recognize was that Agatha is not a stagnant person. Over the course of every episode, she changes her mind and her point of view. She becomes more self-aware,” says Thomas, who read dozens of books about Black women finding their power, and spoke with women in her family about the arc before filming began. “I got waist beads made for that, that I wore throughout the course of filming that just helped me ground her in a sense of femininity on something that was rooted in her culture.”
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Agatha started an affair with Lord Ledger (Keir Charles) after the deἀth of her husband (Cyril Nri), finally living her life for herself.
“She didn’t even think it was a possibility for her to even enjoy s*x. In her mind, this is something that you do to make babies, this is what you do as a wife. It’s like embroidering pillows and chatting about tea,” Thomas says. “For her to kind of fully embrace her agency, her power and herself — to recognize that she can say no, to recognize that she can ask for what she wants, to recognize that she also just deserves s*xual pleasure, is such a beautiful thing to be able to discover in front of the camera.”
On May 11th, Netflix tweeted about the casting of Queen Charlotte.
The Queen Charlotte cast tries to define old Georgian slang (like “dicked in the nob”) pic.twitter.com/ubROEUvCKq
— Netflix (@netflix) May 10, 2023
When it came to filming love scenes, Thomas had two very different types: one based on passion and one devoid of it. However, she could feel the same level of ease in both.
“It was so well-detailed as more of a dialogue than ‘s*x’ in big capital letters,” she says. “There was just something really great about having that space to to be able to get comfortable, and having great scene partners who were also checked-in constantly. When the director says cut and we’re done, we’re back to being Arsema and Keir, or Arsema and Cyril — I think it’s one of the greatest things. Compartmentalization saves lives!”
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