‘Bridgerton’ Stars Reveal Their Favorite Swoon-Worthy Moments So Far
Bridgerton’s third season may have come to an end, but there are still plenty of moments to fawn over when it comes to the show’s latest leading couple, Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton), also known as Polin.
Whether you like the carriage moment or are still swept away by the surprisingly steamy mirror scene, there are plenty of swoon-worthy scenes to talk about. This made us wonder: what are the cast’s greatest swoon-worthy moments from the series to date (including the spinoff Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton story)?
Some of the actresses chatted with TV Insider and revealed some beautiful tidbits about their favorites, including Season 1’s Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Duke Simon (Regé-Jean Page), Season 2’s Kate (Simone Ashley) and Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), and the most recent romantic protagonists.
Newton chose “the moment when Penelope is eating cake,” which made Coughlan giggle. “It’s all kind of ramped up, Debling’s involved, and there’s a sexy beat for a minute,” he said, trailing off. “I’d love to know what you thought I was going to say,” Newton said. When Coughlan reminded out that it was not something she could say on camera, Newton burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, Coughlan holds a special fondness for Colin’s speech to Penelope just before the famous mirror scene. “Luke presented a fantastic speech. I believe it is stunning. For me, it is the most beautiful expression of love,” she remarked, adding, “I’m biased, but I don’t care.”
Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton Reveal Season 4 Hopes for Polin
Claudia Jessie picked a Season 2 moment for her character Eloise. “When she’s been invited to that rally,” Jessie explained. “All of those individuals are discussing women’s rights, and she walks into the room and notices Theo (Calam Lynch). And I remember really being like, ‘Right, I’m going to picture my fella,’” she recalled of the inspiration behind the scene.
See what additional moments Golda Rosheuvel, Hannah Dodd, Adjoa Andoh, Ruth Gemmell, Martins Imhangbe, Victor Alli, Jessica Madsen, Emma Naomi, and Daniel Francis chose in the full video interview above. Plus, you can relive every swoon-worthy moment from Bridgerton on Netflix.
Bridgerton, Seasons 1-3, Streaming now on Netflix.
Bridgerton
During the Regency era in England, eight close-knit siblings of the powerful Bridgerton family attempt to find love.
Nicola Coughlan
ACTRESS
Birth Date: January 9, 1987
Age: 37 years old
Birth Place: Galway, Ireland
Nicola Coughlan is an Irish actress who appeared in “Bridgerton,” “Barbie,” and “Derry Girls.”
Luke Newton
ACTOR
Birth Date: February 5, 1993
Age: 31 years old
Birth Place: England, UK
Luke Newton is an actor who appeared in “Bridgerton.”
‘Bridgerton’ Showrunner Breaks Down Polin’s Carriage Scene Details
If you are a fan of Bridgerton, you have probably seen Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin’s (Luke Newton) now-iconic carriage sequence, set to the instrumental sound of Pitbull’s “Give Me Everything,” at least once.
While fans have loved the series’ rendition, showrunner Jess Brownell acknowledges significant modifications from the scenario described in Julia Quinn’s novel Romancing Mister Bridgerton. “There’s this carriage moment in the book, [and] it’s the moment that Colin realizes Penelope’s Lady Whistle down and they share an intimate moment,” according to Brownell. “For us, it felt too early in the season for Colin to realize she was Whistle down.”
Nonetheless, Brownell and the creative team did not want to abandon the moment or notion. “We wanted to honor the fact that it’s the first time Colin sees Penelope in a new light and it is the first time they share a really intimate moment,” said the show’s creator.
Taking the idea of seeing Penelope in a new perspective, the lighting in the scenario is particularly fascinating, with blue and orange tones casting Colin and Penelope in distinct hues. Brownell claims only director Andrew Ahn knows whether this was deliberate.
“That was a good catch. I believe Andrew Ahn had that in mind, but in general, you’re correct that shadows and light are something [we’re] playing with this season, both literally and metaphorically—Penelope has been clinging to the shadows and is emerging into the light.”
And the carriage is not the only place viewers will notice this effect, as Brownell adds, “There are plenty of moments where the lighting is a little more dramatic this season.” I cannot take credit for designing the lighting in that sequence or encouraging people to use metaphors there, but it is feasible.
When it came to Colin’s critical love confession, Brownell credits Ahn with staging it that way and having [Colin] get down on his knees. I believe it was a rewarding moment,” Brownell says, and fans undoubtedly agree, having hoped to see Colin win Penelope over after misreading their relationship for the previous two seasons.
“It was important to us that Colin earn Penelope because it had taken him long enough, which is why we created the Lord Debling [Sam Phillips] character.” It was vital for Penelope to have other possibilities, as well as for Colin to understand the mistake of his ways in realizing she could slip out of his grasp,” Brownell says.
Brownell further explains, “Colin actually gets rejected and has to work for things so that when they do finally get together, it feels like they’ve been evened out and that they’re meeting each other on an even playing field,” as evidenced by the carriage.
Will their happiness last? With Lady Whistledown’s secret hanging over their heads, we are convinced trouble is on the way.
Bridgerton, Season 3, Part 1, is now streaming on Netflix.
Bridgerton, Season 3, Part 2 premieres Thursday, June 13 on Netflix.
‘Bridgerton’: Nicola Coughlan Calls Polin’s Mirror Scene the ‘Most Beautiful Profession of Love’
Bridgerton’s much-anticipated Polin mirror scene has finally arrived with Part 2 of the Netflix hit’s third season, paving the stage for a critical Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton) moment as the couple finally took the “friends to lovers” cliché seriously.
The mirror scene, which was inspired by the pages of author Julia Quinn’s novel Romancing Mister Bridgerton, is only mentioned briefly in the book, but it comes to life in the show.
In the series’ version of events, Penelope and Colin announce their engagement at Bridgerton House, and the next day Colin visits his bride-to-be at her home, where he overhears her mother Portia (Polly Walker) making suggestive remarks about how Penelope may have forced Colin’s hand in proposing.
After hearing Portia’s criticisms, Colin pledges that he only asked for Penelope’s hand because he loves her before whisking her away to their future home. When Penelope thanks Colin for his support against her mother, he proceeds to tell her how he genuinely sees her. Colin responds, “Oh, I will always stand up for you, because I love you, Pen.” as she thanks him for standing up for her.
She asks, “Are you sure?” Colin reacts by saying, “Everything I told your mother is true.” And you should see it, too.” He then shifts them to face a mirror and becomes more explicit about what he admires about Penelope.
“You are the smartest, bravest woman I’ve ever met. “You make me feel seen in ways I never have before,” he says. “And then there’s the way your hair flows down your shoulder. When you stare at me, your eyes light up like two blue pools. Your lips were strong and parted just so. Your skin is soft. “There are other parts I’ve been dreaming about.” As the dialogue implies, things get a little hot until he undresses her in front of the mirror before the couple consummates their relationship.
“What was lovely is we were entrusted with really beautiful writing,” Coughlan tells TV Insider about the critical scene. “I adore both the carriage and the mirror scene. It encapsulates everything people enjoy about Bridgerton, including romance, suspense, drama, and conflict. It has that sexiness about it. It has a humorous tone. And when we got the script for that sequence, it absolutely blew me away because it’s so beautiful.”
Coughlan praises Luke for his delivery of Colin’s speech for Penelope. And, yes, I think it is stunning. It is, in my opinion, Bridgerton’s most exquisite statement of love. I am biased, and I do not care.
“It’s what everyone wants to hear, and it felt genuine and beautiful,” Coughlan adds. “So, it was intimidating because we knew it was a well-known scene from the books, despite the fact that it is not. And intimidating because we knew we would be completely exposed,” she says of herself and co-star Newton.
Despite being exposed, the performers always had a say, as Coughlan explains, “We actually had a lot of say in [it].” We made entire decisions about what we showed and did not show, as well as what we did and did not do, which I guess most people would not believe, but we did.
For showrunner Jess Brownell, the mirror was a no-brainer inclusion, as she concedes that the book version may now have played out, “But we used it to a much wider effect in this season, and mirrors became a strong motif across the season in terms of representing the idea that there’s a self you see in the mirror and the self-that’s there on the other side of the mirror. “The self you present to the world versus the self you are.”
One of the most essential features of this interaction between the couple emerges after they have connected emotionally and physically, as Penelope is keeping her Whistle down secret currently. Despite the remaining ambiguity, the sequence has some of Penelope and Colin’s most sensitive moments on the show.
“I think the moment in the novel has more to do with how seductive the moment is,” Brownell explains, but for the show, “In terms of keeping the scene respectable and professional, we always begin with what the actors are comfortable with and have a talk with them before we script of the mirror. “The self you present to the world versus the self you are.”
One of the most essential features of this interaction between the couple emerges after they have connected emotionally and physically, as Penelope is keeping her Whistle down secret currently. Despite the remaining ambiguity, the sequence has some of Penelope and Colin’s most sensitive moments on the show.
“I think the moment in the novel has more to do with how seductive the moment is,” Brownell explains, but for the show, “In terms of keeping the scene respectable and professional, we always begin with what the actors are comfortable with and have a talk with them before we script. And then, when we were crafting the sequence, it was all about storytelling and character development, which I believe allows us to earn that moment without appearing gratuitous,” she says.
