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The World of 'Bridgerton' Video Series: Family

The World of 'Bridgerton' Video Series: Love and Marriage

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(majestic orchestral music) - Queen Charlotte and her husband, you know, George the III, they are the most important people within this aristocratic world because all of structure of the society that we see, this titled, rich, wealthy world is organized around the Royal Family being at the top of it. That is how the whole institution of this London season and the court operates. There's a playfulness to our court of Queen Charlotte, I think, which is, really sort of fun and interesting but it's rooted in an idea of the real Royal authority that organizes this world that we see. (dramatic orchestral music) - Historically and the Bridgerton Queen Charlotte definitely have, there has to be a slight uniting element to that. Both I would say are very, very important. And that's something that I've carried into the Bridgerton Queen Charlotte. (playful piano music) (crew chattering) (metal crashing) - Sets please! Sets! - On the set, quiet please! - I love how human the Queen is in this. Like you feel so separate from the Queen, right? Like in our culture, like I feel like very distanced from the Royal family. I love how the, how connected it all seems and human she is with her amazing attitude and quick wit. - The interaction between Anthony and the Queen top and tail and bookend the season. She's very keen on the idea of him looking for a wife. And when she announces Edwina as the diamond of the season, she sort of gives him permission to start that love story really. Basically the whole world sort of revolves around the Queen's authority and permission, When it gets complicated for the Bridgerton family, you know he's sent in to the dragons lair and he has to go to Buckingham Palace and to meet her and to have a conversation with her. And I think she's terrifying but, with his privilege, I think he's probably known her all his life. And so, there's a familiarity there and there's a kindness and a fondness that I think all the, all the boys and all the Bridgerton's seem to, be able to take advantage of. (gentle piano music) - I think when you look of the court of Queen Charlotte you have to look at a woman that was dealing with a lot of very difficult things in her own life. And someone who, she was more in charge than her husband was, of course, but also in a way, more in charge than her son was because she very much understood how things worked. And I think her escape from all that stress was probably frivolity. And I think people can undervalue frivolity like the way people say about, you know, reality TV. You go, well, that's just trash and you go, yeah. But you know, the world's very stressful so we need that kind of stuff. And I feel like that's her very much in my mind and you know, I think, you know, she's probably quite unhappy because she's got so much to contend with. And also then someone like Whistledown coming in, that has to be deeply annoying to her. - The character comes out as someone who really isn't okay with what kind of goes with the title. I think she loves living that title but I think she really surrounds herself with people who will bring out sort of other elements to her, to entertain her in a lot of ways and challenge her in a lot of ways. So she obsesses with, you know, picking the diamond of the season but all these things I think are wonderful distractions in what could be perceived as a very lonely world existence. - She's got this sort of buffer between her and the court. And I think it's not an accident that she has that, obviously for our dramatic purposes, it looks fabulous. Lady Danbury is part of her buffer. You know, she'll be the sharp tongue part of her buffer but she is part of her buffer. She'll also be the one that will sort of go, and now I'm going to slightly admonish you because you are the Queen, but hey, we've been in this game a long time now so, you might wanna reflect on that. Or maybe you won't and I'll go and hide in a cupboard. She doesn't have a Pomeranian but she is part of the buffer. - [Crew] Okay, for a take. - Johnny's already in. - Yeah. - Anybody who is close to her and in her circle when you are in, you are treated with the utmost respect. You cross her, that's a different story, you know? So there's a real loyalty, trust, openness but you cross it at your peril. (suspenseful electronic pop music) - She always comes with her team, her entourage. There's always the group of ladies in waiting who are there, waiting, waiting for something to happen, or for them to be asked to do something or for her to need something. The term ladies in waiting does mean you are a lady in waiting, waiting to help in some way. And then we have to imagine that, you know when we're at court, there's another world of people behind those doors. The people who open and close the doors, who fetch and carry, who make the fireplaces, who take the messages, who make sure that only the right people come into the palace building that, you know, the Royal court has run efficiently and effectively. - Brimsley is like, the main cat in the whole, you know, court. - Well he's described as the Queen's secretary or servant but he's basically her eyes and ears 'cause she can't go anywhere because everyone knows who she is. There was a lovely description in the stage direction, which said that Brimsley lives for the gloss, which she also does. And his job is to find out what's happening. (crew chattering) Plus she's, because her husband's not well, she's sort of the Monarch and is under enormous pressure. So it's his job to sort of make her life easier. - But I think Brimsley is everything to her, a punching bag, a loyal, loyal friend, a deep, deep confidant. - I mean, I always suspect he reads Whistledown before he hands it to her. 'Cause she's a woman of mood swings, understandably, but he's trying to, it's almost like handing her exam results every morning. Is she gonna be in a good mood or a bad mood? - I think she's, she needs somebody like Brimsley to just go, for fuck sakes, can we all cry or you know, tell him to fuck off on occasion, do you know what I mean? Bless him. (giggling) You know, she puts him through his paces. - They have a very similar sense of humor and taste and they have that kind of simpatico relationship, which is not just about a Monarch and a servant, or an employer and employee, they really get on. She has a tough life. What we see as the lighter elements of her existence, which are the parties and the balls and the gossip and the fun. What I love about it is that it's quite often you see how bored she is. 'Cause she's a really bright woman, you know? And like women at that time, they couldn't become politicians. They couldn't become prime ministers. So, she's sort of having to do it sort of through her status as a monarch, her relationship with her husband. But what's fascinating is, that she is equally as frightened of Whistledown as everyone else is. So she, it humanizes her. (upbeat pop music) (crew and cast chattering) - [Crew Person] Turn over please? (cast exclaiming) Really big reactions to this one, lots of clapping, lots of excitement, cheering. (cast cheering) Cut there, cut there. Thank you very much. Well done everyone, that was amazing. - I'm not lucky because all the servants, we're all in the same costume throughout the whole season. She changes frocks as soon she turns a corner. So you know that the purple thing near her is me. I think it's the most beautiful piece of costume I've ever had to wear. And you just kind of, it gives you your character. It straightens your back. Along with the heels. I didn't realize until this job what women went through, to be honest. You just go, by the end of the day you think, Christ! Every time I have a scene with Golda, it's like going into Santa grotto 'cause she'll have a different wig and a different costume and you just go, this is so clever. She's like constantly changing and I'm always consistent. - The court to Queen Charlotte obviously is, it's like a theater. It's something that she puts on for her ton to just show how rich, how famous, how influential she is. This is like, she is what the modern world diva is. Well Golda and I have got this standing joke because every time I put a wig on her, I'm like, oh my God, this is my favorite. And she just can't stop laughing 'cause it's actually, you say it every time, I need to film it next time. - So Queen Charlotte is an absolute joy to design for. I can't lie. I have so much fun with all the embellishment. And I've really wanted to kind of push this season with different embroideries, different techniques of her decoration. (smooth electronic music) - What's great is, we put her in palaces that existed. So, you know, she, would've gone to Hampton Court Palace, which we use for filming a lot. We know she was at Wilton House, there's records of her and George going to Wilton House, which we use also a lot. So when it comes to the Queen, we sort of go, okay, so what's really out there? We haven't built any of the Queens' world, it's existing places. And it's always fun when we're doing our research to see whether she'd actually ever been there. And more often than not, she has been. - All right ready? (crew chattering) - [Crew Person] Everybody quiet and still, thank you. (crew chattering) - Hold it! (gentle orchestral music) - I know this character very well. when I went up for it, I think it was one of the easiest things that I've auditioned for. And, I think as actors, when you get a part that you know, that you don't even have to think about, it comes from personal experience. It comes from journeys that, you know, people that you know, you know, Queen Charlotte is very rooted in my mother and that side of my family, I'm a biracial human being. My father was black from South America. My mother was white from English, from England. We moved here, I was brought up white. You know, I hold my hands up, that's, how I was brought up, visiting mansions, you know, houses like this. So I know that sort, you know, that kind of afternoon teas and English countryside and horse riding and you know, hockey and all of that kind of stuff. That's how I was brought up. So when Queen Charlotte came along, I did, it was there. It was there to grab hold of. So I sit, quite comfortably. I sit quite comfortably in these gardens of Hampton Court. This is where I belong. - Queen Charlotte is just my favorite. I, every time I got to work with Golda it was just like one of my favorite days. I did like the times when it was just her and Adjoa, Lady Danbury, there were a couple of great scenes between the two of them. And you felt that people kind of fell away and the two of them had their moment. And if they didn't fall away, they walked away. - I mean, I don't play the Queen and I'm not Golda but I suppose when I watch her and when I watched season one, it felt like she was holding it together really artfully as well, like in a really sort of beautiful, sort of painful way. Yeah she's a pretty badass person. I couldn't think of anyone better to play her than Golda. (gentle orchestral music) - [Crew Person] Okay, gentleman please? (crew chattering) Okay, last few checks.

A behind-the-scenes look at Bridgerton's Queen Charlotte featuring interviews with cast and crew.