Shonda Rhimes teases Colin-Penelope romance in Inside Bridgerton behind-the-scenes book
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Lady Whistledown may have all the tea on the ton, but when it comes to behind-the-scenes tidbits of Bridgerton, you really want to go to Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers.
The Shondaland executive producers are corralling all their insider knowledge of the Netflix hit and sharing it with fans via a new book, Inside Bridgerton.
Including interviews with the cast, production team, and author of the novels, Julia Quinn, the new, lush coffee table book takes readers behind the scenes of the romance series, offering an unprecedented look at what it takes to bring this Regency world to life.
EW has your exclusive first look at the book, which hits shelves Oct. 25, and will make a splashy debut with two in-person events, at the Paris Theater in New York on Oct. 25 and at Live Talks LA via the Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles on Oct. 27.
Our first look includes a glimpse at some of the book's never-before-seen photographs and two excerpts, which recount the process of casting Colin Bridgerton and how the team established the arc of Daphne's season 1 storyline through costuming.
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"The audience response to Bridgerton has been incredible," said executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers in a social media post announcing the book. "We are so excited to give fans insight into how this story made it to the screen by shining a light on all of the incredible people who worked tirelessly on this project through never before heard first hand accounts from the creatives, cast and crew on the wild ride it took to bring this story to life."
In discussing Colin and Luke Newton's casting, Beers and Rhimes talk about Colin's savior complex and his relationship with the Featherington family, particularly after coming to their rescue in season 2. "He really is in love with the idea of doing the right thing more than the thing itself," Rhimes says. "But I do love him for it, this fixation on honor. I think it's very interesting."
Just how that fixation on honor will play out in season 3 and his romance with Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) remains to be seen, but see if you can spy any hints in the exclusive excerpt below.
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Casting the Bridgerton Family: Colin
"Our relationship has taken shape so naturally over the years, one could take it for granted. You have always been so constant and loyal, Pen."
BETSY: It is no coincidence that both Simon and Colin are travelers—they are literally and figuratively looking for their place in the world. Colin is a curious person, and I think he feels that his answers are out there somewhere, which is why you sense this pushing and pulling and, ultimately, confusion. He's in a tough spot, being the third son. In a world where you only need an heir and a spare, Colin doesn't know where he fits—and he's constantly looking to transform himself.
SHONDA: And he hopes that the world will inform him of how to do this, or at least show him the way. Instead, he keeps finding himself trying to save women—that's his instinct, he thinks that's what will deliver his purpose.
BETSY: Yes, he wants to be a savior, to be gallant. I don't know if that's a reverberation from being too young to do anything to help his dad or his mom, but he has a strong instinct to rescue the damsel in distress. You can really see his chest swell when he rescues the Featheringtons. What do you think that's about?
SHONDA: He really is in love with the idea of doing the right thing more than the thing itself. But I do love him for it, this fixation on honor. I think it's very interesting.
BETSY: Yep. There's also something really poetic about the fact that his heroics are always in secret—he is saving the Featheringtons, but that feat depends on nobody ever finding out about it.
SHONDA: Yet that's a central theme of Bridgerton: There are no secrets in the ton.
LUKE NEWTON: I think we all auditioned for the duke—the scene where the duke is promenading with Daphne. Then I auditioned for Colin. That's when I really started to fall in love with the project. I came in for a final interview with Chris Van Dusen, Julie Anne Robinson, and Betsy Beers—I really tried to not let that affect me, because it was so intimidating. I did the same scene five or six different ways. Julie Anne said, "We won't do this on set, but let's just try it five different ways with five different intentions behind it." It was the scene with Colin and Penelope at the Rutledge ball, where they're gossiping, and he says to her, "Oh, Penelope, what a barb!" When it was time to do that scene for the real thing, it was a surreal moment.
LUKE NEWTON ON COLIN BRIDGERTON: Colin is really stuck in the middle. As much as he feels close to Anthony and Benedict, he's always felt he's treated like a kid. He doesn't really like that and doesn't feel like he should be. In Season 1, we see Daphne really blossom into a strong, independent woman, and she's treated with more respect by the family than Colin. I think he's drawn to the idea of not being like every other Bridgerton, of distinguishing himself and not doing exactly what's expected of him. I think that's one of the appeals of Marina, the naughtiness of the affair and his desire to be a man.
This weighs on him: He wants to have a purpose and feel like he can make decisions, like telling Marina that they'll run away to Gretna Green and get married. I think the idea of that was a lot more romantic and attractive to him than how he actually felt. In Season 2, you see him struggling with unsettled guilt, which seems to have stolen the enjoyment of his travels and adventures. He may like gossiping in the corner with Penelope, but he didn't want to hurt or negatively affect someone's life. He's probably taking too much responsibility, though, simply because he wants to be a man.
Colin's traveling is the theme of two seasons—it's this constant prompt to suggest he's going to have some excitement in life, something that will make him seem interesting. But I think once he checks it off his list, he feels his lack of purpose and drive even more acutely. It's this "What's next? What do I do next?" feeling, which makes him talk about his travels to anyone who will listen. Particularly Eloise, because she hasn't experienced anything like it, so he can say what he wants and fabricate his journeys and adventures. When you see him with Sir Phillip, and he gets into plants and all these boring specifics, I don't think he is bragging, I think he just finally feels validated. They really have an intimate moment geeking out together.
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The women of Bridgerton have plenty to worry about when it comes to dressing for a ball, a presentation before the Queen, or any number of social events in the ton.
But imagine being responsible for what everyone's wearing. That was the task set to the series costume designers, including Ellen Mirojnick, who shares her thoughts on costuming Daphne in the exclusive excerpt below.
Costuming Daphne:
Daphne is the only character in the series who has so much simplicity in her costume design—we wanted to keep the lines and palette as elegant and refined as possible.
Because of this, there's practically no adornment at all—just color and shape and Daphne! Her accessories are tiny, nothing is overdone or overblown. She's just a breath of beauty. And her hair and makeup were designed to channel Audrey Hepburn in War and Peace. Her ball gowns are stoned and embellished by hand, and each one has a different design—but it's very subtle. It's pretty difficult to achieve this, to be honest, because you want the cut of the clothes and the movement to be divine.
As she evolves and matures, she is no longer a porcelain doll— she becomes a mature woman, which we achieve simply by shifting the color toward more dusky, richer tones. We didn't want her to look older—after all, she's not older—but she does become more worldly through her relationship with Simon, and we wanted to reflect that in the clothing, just as it was subtly reflected in the makeup and the hair.
"It's funny looking back at early versions, because we really reimagined Daphne. At first she had aspirations of attending Oxford and then had to put those dreams down to enter the marriage mart as the dutiful oldest daughter. (Those aspirations would later be given to Eloise.) But in those early days, Chris realized it would be way more fun if you had a girl who didn't have to suppress her desires and was ready for her moment in the marriage mart—a girl so perfect and primed for landing her love match that when it goes south in slow dawning terror, it would really carry the story forward."
—Alison Eakle
Excerpted from Inside Bridgerton by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers. Excerpted with the permission of Scribner/Marysue Rucci Books, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Copyright © 2022 by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers.
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Inside Bridgerton will be published by Scribner/Marysue Rucci Books on October 25, and is available for preorder now.
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