Why Queen Charlotte is dedicated to Jacqueline Avant
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The first episode of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story includes a dedication placard that might leave viewers reaching for their phones.
Reading "In Memory of Jacqueline Avant," the title card is not, as previous Bridgerton dedications have been, for a late member of the crew or production team. Instead, it's for a luminary in the Black cultural world with a strong connection to Netflix.
Jacqueline Avant was shot and killed in Dec. 2021 at the age of 81. She was the mother of Nicole Avant, the wife of Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.
Avant, as is turns out, had a long-running interest in Charlotte as a historical figure, which is what prompted Sarandos to first reach out to creator and showrunner Shonda Rhimes about a possible spin-off. "What really pushed it was Ted Sarandos, who called me up and said, 'My mother-in-law is obsessed with Queen Charlotte. Do you want to do a Queen Charlotte story?'" Rhimes recalled in press notes. "And I immediately said yes."
Liam Daniel/Netflix; Jesse Grant/Getty Images India Amarteifio, Jacqueline Avant
On Thursday, Sarandos also posted on Instagram, sharing a photo of one of Charlotte's letters Avant had collected and explaining his late mother-in-law's fascination with Charlotte and her connection to the series. "Queen Charlotte, is not just a real historical figure, she was a favorite historical figure of my late mother-in-law, Jacqueline Avant," he wrote in a caption. "After the release of the first season of Bridgerton I had the occasion to be at her home with my wife @Nicoleavantofficial and while Nicole was talking to her father Clarence, Jacquie pulled me aside and said 'You really must do something on Netflix about Queen Charlotte.'"
"When I told her that she was in Bridgerton, she rolled her eyes and disappeared down the hallway and returned with a stack of books and actual handwritten letters written by Queen Charlotte that she had bought at auctions and collected over the years," he continued. "I politely took them home and started to read and instantly could see what an amazing story she had and my head filled with possibilities. I called Shonda Rhimes, who was deep into breaking season 2. I told her about Jacquie's inspired idea and told her that now that she had made Queen Charlotte such a popular character, someone was certainly going to tell her story in a film or series and it should be her. Shonda loved the idea and jumped in and built what would be the first expansion of Bridgerton beyond the book series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story."
Avant also had many connections to Rhimes, herself a major force and philanthropist for underserved communities in Los Angeles. Avant — wife of music executive Clarence, who was known as "the Godfather of Black music," had a long history of philanthropic work across Los Angeles and Black communities.
The Avant family were deeply involved in politics and entertainment, dating back to their involvement in campaigning for Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley (the city's only Black mayor prior to Karen Bass), President Barack Obama, and many others. Rhimes, as an activist, has supported women's rights, campaigns to get out the vote, and more, bringing her into the circle of the Avant family.
Additionally, Rhimes has a relationship with Sarandos and Nicole Avant due to her creative deal with Netflix.
"Jacqueline did not live to see what you all will see tonight but you will see in the last moments of episode one, Shonda has dedicated the series to the memory of Jacqueline Avant," Sarandos concluded in his Instagram post. "I love that Jacquie and I shared that special moment and it led to the creation of something really magical. Thank You Shonda. Thank You Jacquie."
The placard is, in essence, a queen recognizing a queen.
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