Luke Newton’s Slow Burn

As he steps into the spotlight in Bridgerton’s steamy third season, Newton’s star power is heating up.

Dearest gentle reader, Chivalry is not dead. And Luke Newton is making sure of that.

When the Bridgerton star dials into our Zoom call on a Thursday, it’s around dinner time in London, Newton’s home base, but he’s quick to assure me that he is more than happy to be talking with me. Just a couple of weeks earlier, on the set of this shoot, the actor delighted the InStyle team by delivering the polaroid photos he’d taken for this story tucked oh-so-carefully in a little brown bag for safekeeping. The self-proclaimed “people-pleaser” is nothing if not conscientious, and his consistently thoughtful attitude instantly reminds me of his kind and empathetic Bridgerton alter-ego, Colin Bridgerton.

Season 3 of the hit Netflix series, which premieres in two parts on May 16 and June 13, will follow the “slow burn” (as Newton calls it) of Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington’s (played by Nicola Coughlan) romance after years of friendship and unrequited love. The friends-to-lovers trope is a departure from the romantic arcs we’ve seen from the show which, thus far, have been heavy on seductive stares, heated exchanges of passion, heaving bosoms, and neck acting. Not to worry, the “Polin” (as fans have dubbed them) season still has all of the horniness we’ve come to expect, but there’s much more of an emotional foundation between the characters first.

“It's kind of nice to portray that couple that's the slow burn. I feel like a lot of people will relate to the childhood crush,” he says.

Instead of Simon Hastings and Daphne Bridgerton’s burning flame or Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma’s heated sexual tension, Colin and Penelope’s existing connection makes their budding relationship feel more realistic and authentic—which is something reflected in the intimate scenes as well.

“I think for [Colin], particularly as [he and Penelope] get closer, it's more meaningful,” Newton says, explaining that their connection is more about letting down their guards than a hot-and-heavy exchange. The passion comes later (and indeed it does). “It's less of a physical thing. It's more just stripping back the ego and being completely open, honest, gentle, and not having to feel like he has to be the man around town sort of thing.”

Although Colin and Penelope’s storyline is different from those of the previous leading couples, Newton received some words of wisdom from his predecessors and castmates before taking the reins. At a recent event, Regé-Jean Page (who played Simon) advised him to take a “big holiday before all the madness starts.” And Jonathan Bailey, who returns as Colin’s older brother Anthony Bridgerton this season, has been there every step of the way with Newton.

Related: Netflix Released Steamy New Photos From 'Bridgerton' Season 3

“[Regé] sort of grabbed me, gave me a big hug and was like, ‘Are you ready for this, bro?’ Johnny's been there kind of the whole way for me,” he explains, a reverence in his tone for the two men who garnered worldwide fame thanks to the hit Netflix franchise. “We talk all the time, and it was really nice in season 2 seeing how he conducted himself on set knowing that I'd be next.”

“It's been four years in this role. I'd never led a show before, and it feels like I sort of grew up on this show now,” he adds. “It was nice to see someone do it so well.”

Long before Bridgerton and global stardom, Newton was just a kid in Brighton, on the coast of England, living with his parents and his sister Lauren, with whom he has a “really close” relationship. Growing up, he hung out at the beach, played basketball with friends (he’s still a fanatic and attends NBA games when he’s in the States), and fell in love with the theater after seeing his “aunties” in stage productions. His father was also a singer, and his mother is the chair of​​ a Brighton theater company. “It sparked my interest in performing from a very young age, which has never really left me,” he says of his family’s influence.

He was also diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, but that didn’t stop him from pursuing his dreams of being an actor. “Like anything, you learn to adapt and find ways that work for you,” he says.

Newton attended the London School of Musical Theater before earning a spot as a swinger in the original cast of the West End production of Book of Mormon at just 20 years old. “I was thrown in the deep end to be on a West End stage,” he recalls. “I was 20 years old and very naive and vulnerable.”

He landed his first small screen role on BBC Two’s 2009 teen drama The Cut, and in 2016, he starred in the Disney Channel’s The Lodge. But it was in 2019, when Newton was cast as Colin in Shondaland’s Netflix adaptation of Julia Quinn’s period romance novels, that he got his big break.

In the show’s first two seasons, Newton took a backseat as the love stories of other Bridgerton siblings unfolded, though Colin still earned himself a healthy dose of scandal and intrigue. When it came time for Newton to step into the leading man’s riding boots, however, he had to transform cute younger brother Colin into a sexy, brooding eligible bachelor. In addition to rigorous training in the gym, Newton worked alongside the show’s hair and makeup department to craft a look that felt mature and reflected his newfound worldliness—which, of course, includes a pair of regency sideburns.

“[Colin’s glow-up] was a real long process and then we came up with the final look that everyone was happy with,” Newton says. “I really felt like Laura [Sim], who's my makeup artist, and Erika [Okvist], the hair and makeup designer on season 2 and 3, welcomed me into the conversation. I started growing my hair and my sideburns, and [at] the premiere of season 2, Erika came up to me and said, ‘Grow your hair from now, let's see what we can do with sideburns.’”

There’s also Colin’s world travels which play a part in his evolution. The third eldest Bridgerton brother returns to society like a college student back from study abroad: overzealous and transformed (a trait he says was inspired by a close friend: “One of my best friends travels a lot, and he comes back with a really different look every time.”).

“It's like the classic gap year thing. Colin is like, ‘Oh, I don't really want to talk about it.’ No one else could have possibly had the experience he's had,” he jokes. “He's so mature now. Even with his brothers, who are much older, way more experienced, and they've lived these lives, he's like, ‘You would never understand what it's like to travel.’"

Season 3 Colin’s new maturity and joie de vivre attracts many debutants, and at first, he quite enjoys all the new riches that have come with his obvious glow-up. However, as the season progresses, Colin finds his attention pulled in a different, albeit familiar direction in the form of his old friend Penelope. Newton says that he doesn’t personally understand Colin’s desire to keep conversing with young ladies he’s not interested in.

“There's a lack of interest and a lack of care,” Newton says of Colin’s interactions with the many eligible misses of the Ton. “I don't think I would give any energy to something that I'm not passionate about or interested in. It was really fun to play. It kind of felt quite far removed from myself.”

Portraying Colin and Penelope’s chemistry, however, was much more intuitive for Newton who says he and Coughlan became fast friends after their first dance rehearsal during season 1 filming.

“As soon as we met on season 1, we just hit it off straight away. We were learning the jig, which is in act 1 of season 1. She knew a lot more about the rest of the books than I did,” he says, adding that he only reads each book before the corresponding season, so as to not inform his interpretation too much. Coughlan was the one to break the news that she was Whistledown. “She was like, ‘You know, I'm Whistledown.’ And I was like, ‘What? I haven't got to that yet!’”

At the beginning of filming season 2, Newton and Coughlan found out that the show would be straying from the original book order and their season was up next, which was a relief to the actor. “If we did a whole other season of him not realizing her feelings towards him, I think people would start to get slightly frustrated and think, this guy's an idiot,” he says.

The co-stars’ existing relationship made the transition to playing romantic interests that much easier. Newton says the two already felt comfortable when it came to filming the titillating sex scenes that the series has become synonymous with. He explains that choreographing these moments was a very collaborative process between him, Coughlan, the directors, showrunners, and on-set intimacy coordinator. The one slightly awkward part of filming the intimate scenes? Newton says it can be “nerve-racking” to take off your clothes in front of a cast and crew that has become more like family than coworkers, however, they eventually got used to just “portraying another version of love and intimacy.”

In the same way they felt at ease while filming those moments, Newton wanted it to be apparent that Colin could be his “quirky, lovable, and kind self” when he was with Penelope—something that he feels should be reflected in real-life relationships, as well. “Everyone wants to be themselves,” he says. “I always think you want to be [able to be] the true version of yourself [with the] person you want to be with and not be ashamed to be that.”

Respecting each other on those days also meant that there was a silent agreement about what they consumed–or, importantly, didn’t consume–between takes.

“There's just the unspoken rule. We didn't actually speak about it,” he says. “I definitely had coffee—I feel like that was the only thing I had while shooting.” Well coffee and peanut butter pretzel nuggets—a gift from Coughlan.

“Nic knows that I love peanut butter. It's my weakness. It was my birthday, and she'd got me this big tub of peanut butter pretzels,” he remembers. “I'd kept them in my trailer, and it was the day of the intimacy scene. I was like, I think I can crack these open today doing this scene. In between the takes, I was having a couple of them. I had some weights in a tent that I was doing. It was a real experience.”

His makeup artist also always kept his tin of breath mints ready to go—and not just for scenes with Coughlan. After all, Newton notes that it’s a show about “gossiping,” and it requires people to be up close and personal as they whisper the Ton’s secrets. So naturally, the entire cast was after his mints. He jokes that days leading up to filming intimate scenes, he’d tell his castmates to bugger off. (“I brought them for tomorrow,” he would say. “It's an intimacy scene!”)

Mint-stealing aside, Newton says the whole cast has been close from the minute they began filming season 1, and many of their paths crossed already in the theater world prior to Bridgerton. The co-stars have acted together and even watched each other perform which has “connected” them, Newton says. Particularly, the actors who make up the Bridgerton family have a special bond. Newton calls it a “Bridgerton blessing.”

“It's a weird connection between all of us,” he says. “I absolutely love Claudia [Jessie] who plays Eloise. We've got some amazing scenes this year and I think her performance is just incredible, and I think it's so nice to feel so close to everyone in the family particularly for sure.”

In just a few short weeks, Newton’s life is likely to get a whole lot crazier—“I don't really know how I feel about it. I haven't even thought about it, and I think I like to keep it that way,” he admits. “It's slightly overwhelming.”—but, he suspects, or maybe hopes, it won’t last for too long. “We're in such a time in culture where everyone is very much onto the next thing so quickly that I know that I won't feel overwhelmed for a really long time,” he continues. “I know that it will be crazy and it'll be a real experience for a short amount of time. Then we'll be onto the next season, and I'll be pleased to hand the baton over.”

Whether he'll actually be there to witness the changing of the romantic guard? Well, that's a secret even Lady Whistledown isn't privy to. Newton says he and Coughlan don't yet know if they've been written into the script. “It's out of our hands really, which is kind of the joy of it,” he says, but for his part, he hopes he’ll be back. “I feel a sense of loyalty to the show and I'd love to be a part of it for years to come. Especially being a Bridgerton, I feel like it's nice to still have the family.”

Related: It’s Not Christopher Briney’s Fault You’re, Like, in Love With Him

What is your go to coffee or tea order? 

Go to coffee is currently iced Americano because it's nice weather here in L.A., but at home, maybe a nice hot Americano with a splash of oat milk.

Favorite type of food?

I could eat breakfast food any time of the day. So I like avocado eggs, but also pasta. Those are my go-to.

What is your favorite movie?

It has to be the Wolf of Wall Street. I've seen it so many times. Anything that Martin Scorsese does I'm a big fan of.

What’s your favorite song?

It's End of Beginning. Everyone's listening to it right now. It's a big song on TikTok and Instagram, but I'm constantly playing it.

Do you have a favorite musician or band that you love?

I was doing a job in Belfast, and I saw Matt Corby live for the very first time. Never heard of him. And since then, I've seen him three times in London. I just love his music.

What’s your bagel order?

Smoked salmon cream cheese. I could have that every morning, as well as avocado and toast.

What’s your go-to karaoke song?

I have always wanted to sing “Sweet Caroline,” but I've never had the chance to do it. If I filled my name in, it's like one of those nights where everyone else gets a go and you're waiting and waiting. And then you're too drunk to get up and sing.

What is your definition of a soulmate?

I think a soulmate is whoever you can be 100 percent yourself with. You can be your real weird self [when you’re] behind closed doors and no one sees you and you're dancing in your underwear in the kitchen. I feel like if you could do that with someone that's a soulmate to me.

What is your idea of a perfect date?

Anything that's quite intimate, where you can really connect and get to know each other. But I think if it's the right person, you make anything work. Any scenario, whether it's just coffee, a walk, or a dinner, if it's with someone that you really connect with, it will be a good date regardless of what you do.

Do you remember your first kiss?

I think I was quite young. I grew up doing a lot of theater and dance, drama, and singing classes, and I was often the only boy in the class. I don't even know how old I was, but I remember it being a showcase or something, [it was] a tiny little peck, and [I found] it quite exciting. It might have been because we kissed in the show. I've got a really vague memory of it, but it's not like a real scandal.

Is there an outfit that you regret wearing?

You know what? I want to be careful because it's something that I think is going to come back into fashion: super skinny jeans. And I'm talking cut-off-circulation skinny. I used to rock them, at the time, I thought they were my staple and go-to. Maybe this summer I'll bring them back.

What is something that you wish you were better at?

I wish I was better at playing instruments. I used to try to play piano when I was younger. I've tried to play guitar, I've had guitar lessons, particularly for a role. I'm quite musical and like to sing, I'd love to just be able to pick up a guitar. Luckily, a lot of my friends are very multi-talented, and they can play instruments, but I just don't have the coordination for it.

When was the last time you cried and why?

I think it was during season three. There's a particular scene in the show, and I was supposed to be really angry. I think I was really overwhelmed and tired. It was a really important scene in the show, and I was supposed to just be angry and shouting. I just got so emotional, and tears just started flowing. We got the scene, and the director ran up to me and said, “Can you do that again?” I was like, “Yeah, I don’t think this is going to stop.” So, we did it like three times. I'm yet to find out if that is going to make the final edit. I'm excited to see which version they use.

What is the first thing that you do when you wake up?

When I'm at home, I wake up, immediately throw clothes on, and go to my local coffee shop. They know what I want immediately and then back in bed and watch telly during my coffee. It's a ritual that I have every morning. I like to get up and out straight away. Little bit of sunlight, like five minutes, if it's sunny out, and have the coffee.

How about the last thing you do before you fall asleep?

Probably watch telly in bed. I know you're not supposed to. I know it's a thing, but I don't really go on my phone much. I would watch something quite comforting, like Modern Family or Friends and get [myself] into a chill space.

What’s a memorable dream you’ve had?

I think a lot of actors have this dream as well. It's the first theater job that I did when I came out of college. I was a swing, so I covered multiple roles. I'm on stage, the show is going on, and everyone else knows what they're doing around me. And I just have no memory of what I'm supposed to do. I think a lot of people have a dream of being on stage and they're naked. I've never had that. That's meant to have some sort of meaning behind it, but I just don't know what I'm doing [when I’m on stage in the dream]. I don't know what it means, but it's terrifying and it's reoccurring. That's a ten-year-old dream that still comes up in my life.

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