Bridgerton is another Shonda Rhimes masterpiece and fans couldn’t help but notice that in addition to the excellent storyline, the cast is also as diverse as the characters they portray.
One of its memorable characters is Penelope Featherington played by Nicola Coughlan who hopes that the series will change how people see period pieces. She appeared on This Morning, a British daytime talk show, on January 12 to talk about the hit Netflix drama series. She specifically mentioned how her co-star Adjoa Andoh in helping her understand the value of casting people of color in their show.
She said, “I’m speaking to Adjoa Andoh … who’s brilliant as Lady Danbury. I said, ‘Color-blind casting, it’s great, it’s totally the right thing.’ And she said, ‘Well, it’s not, in a way, because it sort of erases race and erases people’s struggles.’ And I thought, That had never occurred to me, never. And I think the world that we have created is a completely reimagined world, is a fantasy.”
The actress couldn’t help but feel proud that viewers loved the show and embraced its vision. Bridgerton is based on Julia Quinn’s book series with the first season focusing mostly on the love story between the Duke of Hastings played by Regé-Jean Page and Daphne Bridgerton who is being portrayed by Phoebe Dynevor.
Coughlan explained, “I would say to people, ‘You can watch Game of Thrones, and you can completely suspend your disbelief that there are dragons in this world. For Bridgerton, you can suspend your disbelief that we have a black queen and a black duke, and they’re the most fantastic actors.”
She continued, “And I’m so proud of it, and the reaction that we’ve had is just really heartening, and I hope that it will be a benchmark for what period dramas can be in terms of diversity.”
The actress had been very vocal about her admiration for the show’s inclusivity. On January 4, the Netflix Queue account took to Twitter to inform viewers that 63 million households had watched Bridgerton within the first four weeks of its release.
Coughlan said, “You know the way some people were like ‘Diversity in period drama doesn’t work’….63 million households thought it did tho so [skull head emoji].”
Also, do not forget to check our guide on what’s coming to Netflix in January 2021. Be sure to mark your calendar.
