NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — A new installment in the "Bridgerton" universe, based on the best-selling books by Seattle author Julia Quinn, debuts on Netflix this week.
“Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” is inspired by the original series but extends beyond the confines of the books by telling the queen's origin story.
It began, both in real life and on-screen, when Charlotte was 17 and married King George the same day she met him.
Golda Rosheuvel, whose performance established Queen Charlotte in “Bridgerton” as a fan favorite, stars in the new series. Her younger counterpart is played by India Ria Amarteifio, and young King Geroge is played by Corey Mylchreest. Arsema Thomas is a young Lady Danbury, and the King and Queen’s faithful servants are played by Freddie Dennis and Sam Clemmett.
Entertainment reporter Kim Holcomb chatted with the cast about their work in the wildly popular Regency England world created for Netflix.
HOLCOMB: "What is the most regal or queenly thing about India, and what makes Corey kingly in real life?"
MYLCHREEST: "I would say your cleanliness, which is also, incidentally, next to godliness.”
AMARTEIFIO: “Wow. Wow, thank you. Your most regal thing is your punctuality. Which is very inaccurate. But we'll wait for him, because it's Corey."
HOLCOMB: "Has it reached a point where you feel weird not wearing a giant heavy wig?”
ROSHEUVEL: (laughter) “Listen, as fast as I can get that off my head believe me, it's coming off… but it’s an honor to play Queen Charlotte, and they are works of art and one wig takes at least a week to make."
HOLCOMB: "In real life, do you prefer serving or being served?"
DENNIS: "Serving, I reckon. Random acts of kindness."
CLEMMETT: "Being served is nice every now and then.”
DENNIS: “Yeah but it's uncomfortable most of the time.”
CLEMMETT: “Yeah, just a bit awkward."
HOLCOMB: "I feel like anytime I'm in London, the word I hear the most is 'sorry,' in every context.”
CLEMMETT: “Oh yeah, we'll apologize for anything. Even if I was the one that got punched in the face, I would say 'sorry.' (laughter)"
HOLCOMB: "What would you say you most relate to or align with, in Young Lady Danbury?"
THOMAS: "I think it's this hunger she has. At any point she could just give up, you know? She could be like, ‘It's too much.' But she fights. And I've had this conversation with so many of my friends before where they're like, 'Arsema, you don't have to fight every fight.' And I'm like, 'If not me then who?' And I think she has that question running in her head."
HOLCOMB: "How much and what specifically do you relish about this expansion of a character you brought to life in the first place?”
ROSHEUVEL: “That we can see her as a vulnerable human being. Those intimate moments are the ones people talk about so it's really beautiful to be able to show the other side of her."
HOLCOMB: "(The queen has) this steely but certain stare. Is this just you, or did you practice in the mirror to get that down?”
ROSHEUVEL: “It scarily comes very naturally to me."
HOLCOMB: "How did you interact with each other prior to (shooting sexy scenes?) Did you give each other a pep talk, did you have to kind of get into a head space where you're like, 'This is weird, but it's not weird because we're doing our job?'"
MYLCHREEST: "It's kind of like a stunt scene, so everything is hyper choreographed. Intimacy coordinators have this physical thing you can do, so we would go for a really, really intense high ten, and make it loud. It's a good mental thing to go, ‘Right now we're in this world,’ and then you do it again when you come out, and you go, Now we're out.’"
HOLCOMB: "Were you tempted, and did you take home a souvenir from the set?”
AMARTEIFIO: “I was incredibly tempted... I had a box they made for all the people who had to wear the dresses because we couldn't sit with a chair that had a back. And it had a little plaque that said 'Young Queen Charlotte' and I asked someone to take that off with a screwdriver and I've got it above my bedroom wall."
MYLCHREEST: "I actually tried to steal my ring.”
HOLCOMB: “Yes, with the ‘G’ insignia?”
MYLCHREEST: “Yes, with the G because everyone knows I'm a G. (laughter) So I tried that and then I got told not to do that, then they just actually let me take it."
AMARTEIFIO: "Not wearing it today, though.”
MYLCHREEST: “Strange that.”
AMARTEIFIO: “Fake fan. (laughter)”
MYLCHREEST: “Sorry, she doesn't really know what she's talking about, she's tired."
HOLCOMB: "Was the dog the real star of this show?”
CLEMMETT: “Yeah, whenever I was holding the dog, occasionally she would drift off to sleep, which was an attack on my performance, therefore stealing my scenes."
“Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” debuts on Netflix Friday, May 5.
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