Dearest Gentle Reader, Please Enjoy These 12 Facts About the 'Bridgerton' Cast

Bridgerton is beloved for many reasons—its steamy romance scenes, its unique take on Regency-era fashion, and its likeable characters. But one of the reasons the show, which is based on Julia Quinn’s book series, has been so successful is because of its extremely charming and likable cast.

From the beginning, Bridgerton made waves for its decision to feature a very diverse cast. Said cast, of course, wound up consisting of a large number of extremely likable actors who have endeared themselves to a wide legion of fans. Read on to discover some fun and surprising facts about the actors who play everyone’s favorite Regency-era family and their friends, enemies, and of course, lovers.

Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page were on the same show before Bridgerton

Their roles as Daphne and Simon made them famous, but Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page actually appeared in the same little-known British drama years before they ever donned their Regency-era finery—though not at the same time. They both appeared in the show Waterloo Road, though Dynevor appeared in season five and Page appeared in season 10, and so they didn’t wind up brushing sleeves until their sizzling chemistry made their starring roles inevitable on Bridgerton season one.

Jonathan Bailey has a Lawrence Olivier award

Jonathan Bailey’s career has soared since he started out on Bridgerton as Anthony, the eldest brother in the Bridgerton clan. More recently, he starred as Fiyero in the 2024 film adaptation of Wicked, but long before that, he was a successful stage actor who starred on the West End in a gender-swapped version of the musical Company, which garnered him the award in 2019. Bailey also received a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor for Fellow Travelers in 2024.

Jonathan Bailey first auditioned for the part of Simon—and Adjoa Andoh auditioned for Queen Charlotte

It’s hard to imagine the Bridgerton casting going any other way than it did, but actually, things could have looked quite different if the actors had their way. Jonathan Bailey originally went in for the part of Simon, which ultimately went to Regé-Jean Page. Luke Newton, who wound up playing Colin, also initially read for Simon.

Similarly, Adjoa Andoh—who plays the powerful and beloved Lady Danbury—originally auditioned for the role of Queen Charlotte, which went to Golda Rosheuvel, while Rosheuvel originally went in for Lady Danbury. Claudia Jessie, who plays Eloise, also first auditioned for Penelope Featherington, who wound up being played by Nicola Coughlan. 

Claudia Jessie grew up on a boat

Claudia Jessie had an unconventional childhood, spending her upbringing living on a houseboat. As an adult, she returned to her roots and bought herself a houseboat of her own. “I thought a canal boat would be the only way I’d be able to afford something that was mine. I liked the adventure of it,” she told The Guardian in 2024.

Freddie Stroma was in Harry Potter

Freddie Stroma plays Prince Friedrich in Bridgerton, who is actually based on a real historical prince. Fans might also recognize Stroma from his role as the highly unlikable Gryffindor student Cormac McLaggen in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Many cast members are quite a bit older than their characters

At the time of season four, part one's release, Nicola Coughlan’s character Penelope Featherington is supposed to be 20, but Coughlan herself was 39. Luke Newton was 32 compared to his character’s supposed 20 years, and Claudia Jessie was 36 while her character was supposed to be 20. Meanwhile, Francesca Bridgerton is supposed to be 19 while Hannah Dodd is 30. 

Golda Rosheuvel was told not to come out early in her career

Rosheuvel has long been an out and proud lesbian, but she once said that early in her career, a lesbian director told her to stay in the closet. “We were talking about being out and proud and representation and whether I should say I was gay in interviews,” she said in an interview on the Just For Variety podcast. “And it was an absolute no: ‘You absolutely shouldn’t do that. It could or it would ruin your career as an actor.’” 

However, true to Queen Charlotte’s fiercely independent spirit, Rosheuvel refused to comply. “I would rather lose a job than not be true to who I am. I’d rather not work in an industry that doesn’t accept me. …It just wasn’t how I was raised,” she said. “And then her being out as a female director, as a lesbian director, I was like, ‘I don’t understand this advice.’ It blew my mind.”

Today, she’s proud to be a model for fellow queer people. “My sexuality is really important to me in terms of existing, knowing that I’m important. I’m as important as anyone on the planet. Do you know what I mean?” she added. “My partner [writer Shireen Mula] always says, ‘The mere fact that you’re on the screen. The mere fact that you’re in ‘Bridgerton’ as a Black, biracial, cis-gender, lesbian playing the first Black queen of England. The fact that you’re there is immense.’”

Julie Andrews—AKA the voice of Lady Whistledown—was the star of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music

This likely won’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows a little bit about movie history, but Julie Andrews, who voices Lady Whistledown, is none other than the same Julie Andrews who played Maria in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins. Apparently, her star quality was enough to cause Bridgerton author Julia Quinn to “[stop] breathing” when she heard the news, according to an interview with Grazia.

Luke Thompson loves to draw

Luke Thompson plays Benedict in Bridgerton season four, and like his character, he shares an aptitude for art. In 2020, Regé-Jean Page posted a photo of a sketch Thompson had made of him, writing, “Luke Thompson drew us portraits as wrap gifts. Luke is one of those people who is just so instinctively generous with the gifts he has at his disposal to delight and enrich those around him” in the caption. Unfortunately for anyone curious, Thompson didn’t draw those pictures of the masked Lady in Silver that appear in season four.

Adjoa Andoh co-directed and starred in a groundbreaking Shakespeare play

Andoh plays Lady Danbury in Bridgerton, and she has a long and storied career behind her that includes many prominent appearances on the stage and screen. One of her unique achievements was co-directing and starring in a version of Richard II that was reportedly the UK’s first major Shakespeare play to feature a cast and crew made up entirely of women of color. 

Claudia Jessie and Nicola Coughlan are real-life BFFS

Eloise Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington share an extremely close—if occasionally quite rocky—friendship on Bridgerton, but fans might be happy to know that their bond might not all be acting, as the pair are apparently extremely close in real life. Jessie reflected on a moment that bonded them forever in an interview with The Guardian, saying that while on set, Coughlan fell and hit Jessie with a parasol. 

“She drew blood. Nicola had heels on and kept falling over. I tried to catch her and the silver spokes of the umbrella went bosh, straight into my hand. I managed to keep it away from my costume but bloodied my white glove. It was a blood oath,” Jessie joked. “That’s why we’re so close now.”

The cast has a WhatsApp group

Adorably, the Bridgerton cast apparently has a WhatsApp group that they use to privately communicate with each other. Regé-Jean Page isn’t in it, though; the actor left the group after he exited the show in 2021, though apparently, he said, the exit was done “respectfully.”