Bridgerton 's Jonathan Bailey Ensured Costar Simone Ashley 'Felt Safe' While Filming Sex Scenes

bridgerton season 2
bridgerton season 2

netflix Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma and Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton

Jonathan Bailey is opening up about filming sex scenes with his Bridgerton costar Simone Ashley.

In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Bailey said he made sure that Ashley, who joined the Bridgerton cast in season 2, always felt comfortable while shooting intimate scenes together. (Her character, Kate Sharma, plays the love interest of Bailey's Anthony Bridgerton on the hit Netflix series.)

"For a man, it is less exposing," the 33-year-old actor told the outlet. "I wanted to make sure Simone felt safe as a newcomer on set."

Though the scenes were shot by "the female gaze," meaning that it is portrayed from the woman's point of view, Bailey noted that the actors always knew what they were getting themselves into before filming.

This was due largely in part to the intimacy coordinators on set, who ensured that "no one goes into a scene quaking, worrying about how it will go," Bailey said.

"If you are concerned, you can talk to them," he explained, adding that the actors were also given consent forms to sign before each scene, detailing "which bit of skin we are going to show in each scene and where we will be touched and how."

"It turns sex scenes into a choreographed dance," Bailey told the British newspaper.

Bridgerton
Bridgerton

Liam Daniel/Netflix Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton and Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma

RELATED: Bridgerton's Simone Ashley Teases Her Character's Season 2 Romance: An 'Enemies-to-Lovers Story'

This isn't the first time that a Bridgerton cast or crew member has opened up about filming the sex scenes on the show.

Last year, intimacy coordinator Lizzy Talbot spoke with Insider and revealed it "was a bit of an intimacy circus" to film the scenes where season 1 newlyweds Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon (Regé-Jean Page) go for a days-long romp around his rural estate.

"There's so much going on there," Talbot told the outlet with a laugh. "We were in loads of different locations all over the country. We were inside, outside, up ladders; we were everywhere!"

"We were working in the dry and in the rain, on flagstone floors and up against walls and in Regency beds," Talbot continued, adding that due to the weather and other challenges, the three-minute montage scene took months to perfect.

Talbot also noted that keeping a sense of humor, especially during filming mishaps, was integral to the success of the steamier scenes.

"You've sort of got to find the joy in it because it is there inherently — bodies are funny and messy and they don't always do what we want them to do," she said.

RELATED VIDEO: 'Bridgerton' Newcomer Simone Ashley Says She Had a "Pinch-Me Moment" When Mindy Kaling Messaged Her

Based on the popular books by Julia Quinn, Bridgerton season 1 followed the esteemed families of British high society and their romantic pursuits through the lens of a mysterious gossip columnist, Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews). The focus of season 2 is set to be on the romances of Anthony Bridgerton as he attempts to find a wife.

Since its premiere, the show has become a massive success, becoming one of the most-watched original series on Netflix to date. In April, Bridgerton was renewed for a third and fourth season.

RELATED: Bridgerton Season 2: Everything We Know So Far

Speaking to the popularity of the show, Bailey told The Sunday Times that he's embraced every second of being part of the cast.

"We can't take what Bridgerton has done for granted. It makes everything that much sweeter when you know that it delivers on a level that is invigorating and accepting and empowering," he said. "To let that go over your head is a bit of a mistake. The show is not only entertaining but politically it moves the needle, to use an American term."

Bailey added, "It is a massive box tick to be able to ride a horse into a scene and the training is great, riding, then you slip off to do some fencing. It's like a Regency deportment finishing school."

Bridgerton season 2 premieres March 25 on Netflix.

Advertisement