‘Bridgerton’: It Took Months to Film a 3-Minute Sex Scene
Fans of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novels were thrilled when the Netflix drama series, Bridgerton premiered in 2020. The first season explored the romance between Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and her adversary-turned-lover, the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page). The second season followed Daphne’s older brother, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), and his love Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley).
Fans love the series’ drama as much as they love the sexy moments. But one sex scene, in particular, took months to film.
‘Bridgerton’ is set in the 19th century
Season 1 of Bridgerton opens in 1813, which wasn’t exactly a shining time for women across the globe. In fact, Daphne Bridgerton is tasked with marrying well to help maintain her family’s social standing. However, though this was a much more “formal” time in history, the Netflix series has never been afraid to touch on risque topics.
The series highlights and explores the misogyny and sexism of the period. “The show is so engaging—not only do you see yourself in it because it’s diverse but also, it’s telling stories that are so relatable in the 21st century,” Dynevor told Elle. “It’s lovely on the eye but also touching on all the themes that are so relevant today.”
It took months to film a 3-minute sex scene
Though Bridgerton is set in another time, the series doesn’t shy away from sex and intimacy. Though viewers love to indulge in these scenes, they require a ton of time and commitment from the cast and crew.
In Season 1, after Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page) wed, they engage in a luxurious romp around the duke’s estate. Though it panned out to a 3-minute sequence on screen, the scene actually took months to film.
According to Startefacts, the sequence was shot in various locations around the U.K. They report, “There were both inside scenes, outside scenes, daytime scenes, and night-time scenes as well as scenes against walls, on flagstone floors, and in beds, which all added to the complexity of things.”
Things were made even more complicated since wigs, makeup, and modesty garments had to be kept in place and rearranged even during the months the couple was supposed to be caught up in the rain.
It all worked out in a lush sequence set to an instrumental version of Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams.”
‘Bridgerton’ uses an intimacy coordinator during all of their sex scenes
As sexy as things can get in the historical drama, the actors involved are always protected and safe. Typically the set is closed, using only the most necessary crew members and an intimacy coordinator.
“I knew exactly when Regé was gonna touch me and where and for how long, and he knew the same with me,” Dynevor told Elle. “It was all very choreographed. It made the scenes almost better for it because we both felt safe and secure in what we were doing, and that’s when we could really go for it.”
Page added,
When you’re speaking with the words, you have a script. When you’re speaking with the bodies, you have a script—whether that’s a dance with communication going on, or you’re dancing with fewer clothes. You still have a choreography. That allowed Phoebe and I to free ourselves not to worry and do our job better as actors.
