10 Cool Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Bridgerton Season 2

Fans of Netflix’s Bridgerton no longer have to wait for the new season. The period drama is back and the tumultuous lives of the characters are sure to entertain viewers. This season is based on Julia Quinn’s novel “The Viscount Who Loved Me” and it follows Anthony on his journey to find a bride.

During a press conference, showrunner Chris Van Dusen shared that fans should expect a wild ride this season. There are a few new characters that add to the show’s scandalous plots and fan favorites can still be seen. Bridgerton promises to deliver a season worth talking about. What the team captured on film is captivating, but the magic really happens behind the scenes.

Jonathan Bailey Pitched A Scene Idea

Jonathan Bailey asked Chris to add a scene showcasing Anthony’s growth. The scene is in the last episode where Anthony and Gregory talk about memories of their father.

Bailey tells Shondaland, “It came from wanting to show that Anthony has come to a place where he’s starting to deal with his long-buried grief over the death of his father.

The Cast Took A Tumble

During one scene, the Featherington family travels by carriage to present their debutantes to the Queen, but during filming, the massive costumes created a disastrous moment. One person got their dress caught and fell inside the carriage.

“And then it was one by one, and we were basically all on top of each other,” Polly Walker told People. “The carriage went off, and we were all just sort of lying on top of each other on the floor. So you would never have known it, but it was a complete disaster inside that carriage.”

The Casting Process For Newcomers Was Short 

Simone Ashley, who plays Kate Sharma, casting process happened in under two weeks. In February 2021, Simone received the scripts, recorded her part, did a chemistry read with Jonathan Bailey (Anthony Bridgerton), and then was chosen for the role.

Kate is the new love interest of Anthony in season two. To prepare for the role, Ashley had to go through horseback training, wig fittings, makeup tests, and rehearsals, as reported in Shondaland.

The Show Has An Intimacy Coordinator

Bridgerton doesn’t shy away from sex scenes, but there are a few tricks to make the moments happen. Elizabeth Talbot, the “intimacy coordinator,” works to make the actors feel comfortable. One of the tricks involves a half-inflated netball.

“If there are two people doing a sex scene, the rule is they must have three barriers separating them, and there are certain acts where a half-inflated netball can allow for movement without having to connect physically,” Bailey revealed to Radio Times.

The Costume Collection Is Huge

The costume team created about 700 costumes for the main characters, with the first episode of season two featuring 146 total. Each episode of Bridgerton averages about 90 costumes.

Sophie Canale, the co-costume designer for Bridgerton, explains to Shondaland how she enhanced each character’s costume for season two. “For me, the beauty of design is always in the attention to detail,” she said. “I feel the audience will see this in the cut of the costumes, embroidery, embellishment, hats, reticules [Regency bags], matching jewelry sets for costumes, men’s watch fobs, tiepins — the list goes on.”

The Cast Is Competitive

Shooting The Pall Mall scene from episode three was one of the actors’ favorite weeks of filming. The cast had a practice day where they learned how to play. “It was up to each individual actor to decide how their character would do it, Luke Newton (Colin Bridgeton) revealed to Decider.

The director told the cast just to play the game and have fun. Bridgerton‘s Charitha Chandran (Edwina Sharma), had to tone down her skills for the show. Chandran grew up playing croquet and a lot of competitive sports. When speaking to Decider, Chanran revealed “It was a battle between my competitive drive and my need to embody my character.”

Newton Works For Treats

Fans who read the book know that the Sharmas’ corgi, Newton, is an important detail and Newton’s first impressions of visitors are usually Kate’s first impressions.

Newton interrupted a few scenes with his barking. Luke Newton revealed to Shondaland that the corgi would continue to bark until someone gave him pieces of sausage.

There’s A Method To The Song Covers

Bridgerton incorporates renditions of pop songs in its show, and season 2 is no different. Bridgerton showrunner Chris Van Dusen tells Tudum, “I chose all of these songs for particular reasons. Each one is incredibly powerful and deeply emotional in its own special way. I always try many different songs for any one scene before landing on the perfect one to use.”

Music supervisor, Justin Kamps, also shared that he uses specific songs to connect viewers to the characters. “I feel like that added level of the covers just helps bring people in even more and just gives it such a unique style for these dance sequences,” he explains.

Nicola Coughlan Had To Practice Her Irish Accent

Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope in Bridgerton, is from Galway, Ireland, but she still had to perfect her Irish accent. Coughlan and her dialect coach created a story on how Penelope developed the accent. Coughlan told Shondaland that many Irish people who were servants at that time in London came from the Dublin area.

The pair believes that Penelope picked up the accent from someone kind to her, rather than her family who can be harsh. “Penelope listens to everything, and that’s one of the big parts of learning accents as an actor, is just listening,” she shared.

The Matriarchs Bring Their Friendship To The Show

Ruth Gemmell (Lady Violet Bridgeton) and Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury) used the friendship they built in the first season to enhance how they showed up in the second.

The relationship they developed in season one helped them build trust, which allowed them to play better. “We’re all quite playful, quite giggly, and none of us take ourselves too seriously,” Andoh shared with Shondaland.