Bouncy Balls Were Used To Film Sex Scenes, One Dress Required The Actor To Wear A Back Brace, And 37 Other Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Filming Of "Queen Charlotte"
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🚨 Contains Queen Charlotte spoilers. 🚨
If you're all caught up with Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, you may have wondered how this spectacular production came to be.
Good news! BuzzFeed sat down with India Amarteifio (Young Queen Charlotte), Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), Corey Mylchreest (Young King George), Arsema Thomas (Young Agatha Danbury), Freddie Dennis (Reynolds), and Sam Clemmett (Young Brimsley) to find out how the series came together.
1.Both Sam and Corey auditioned to play King George. Sam even auditioned for about five characters over the course of Bridgerton — including Colin Bridgerton. He was actually offered a small part in Bridgerton, but his agent suggested that he turn it down to await something bigger.
Sam began, "I think Brimsley was the fourth or fifth character that I've read for. So I've read for a whole selection of people from the beginning of Bridgerton and they kept bringing me back. Then this audition came around, and I hadn't had a particularly good day, and I was due to do the tape. I just went out for some food and I came back. After loads and loads of Mexican food and margaritas, I went 'Okay, I'll just do the tape at 10 p.m.' I sent it off, and then here we are!"
When asked if he auditioned for Colin, Sam continued, "Yes, that was the first character I auditioned for. And then actually, around June or July of 2021, I then got another audition for two or three lines in Bridgerton Season 2. They offered me the part and I was going do it because I was like, 'It's post-pandemic, people have been short on work.' My agent went, 'I think this might be worth saying no to, because they love you for this world and you've read for lots of big parts, it feels like you'd be shooting yourself in the foot.' So I trusted him and that is the best bit of agenting he has ever done. If I'd have taken that part, I wouldn't be doing Brimsley."
Freddie added, "I would be a very sad man."
"Trust your agent and don't give up on your dreams, there's the advice," Sam concluded.
2.When Arsema first auditioned, she had never seen Bridgerton and didn't know who Lady Danbury was — but there were mannerisms that she "naturally" shared with Adjoa.
"Even when we initially met, I was like, I feel like I know you. I've met you before. We have the same bookshelf of books. I know we already come from the same foundation of being women who want to be part of the revolution in an active way. Which meant that like there was this passion that we just both share that we kind of effortlessly put into the character, but it was daunting originally," she recalled."
3.Arsema pretended to be English throughout the audition process to the point where the producers didn't know that she was American. A phase where she put on a British accent while in college proved to be helpful.
"When I was in my bachelor's degree, I was going through a weird period in my life where I just wanted to have a change — instead of cutting my hair, I just kept up a British accent for four years of my undergraduate degree. I was thinking to myself, this might be helpful one day! That in conjunction with an amazing dialect coach, drama school training, and living in London two years prior, were all very helpful," she explained.
4.Freddie lied during production and said that he didn't know how to ride a horse, but he actually did. He joked that him on a horse was "the best 15 seconds of the whole show."
When asked if he knew how to ride a horse before the show, Freddie turned to Sam and said, "You're going to love this. So yeah, I actually have ridden a horse before. I don't even know why I did this, but I told the instructors that I had never ridden a horse. And they, as a result of them me saying that, stroked my ego and said, 'You are the best first-time rider we've taught.' I was too scared to tell everyone that I knew exactly what I was doing."
Sam then joked that he wouldn't be trusted on future sets, to which Freddie deadpanned, "Yeah, I've never acted before."
As for why there were no horses for Sam, (Freddie interjected, "Would you trust this man?") Sam said, "I wouldn't trust myself and I was terrified. I really wanted to learn but I never got the opportunity."
5.Queen Charlotte and Bridgerton Season 3 were filmed simultaneously last year, meaning that Golda's work on Queen Charlotte deepened her understanding of the part for Bridgerton.
"In Bridgerton, I did a lot of backstory with the character, who her children were, and what her relationship was with George at that point. But then to have Shonda actually write 13 children and for them to be physically in front of you, that's a real gem of layer to then take on to the next Bridgerton," she explained. "Although the two are separate, they are very much married in the connection that I have with the physical and the imagination."
6.Much of Queen Charlotte was filmed on location, which Freddie called "one of the best things about filming."
Sam continued, "We have a studio in London, which was I suppose our base, but for a lot of it we went all around the country — Blenheim Palace, Wilton House, Bath, Bristol, all over."
a"I had no idea that Lincolnshire was so beautiful. Everyone should go to Lincolnshire," Freddie concurred.
7.Golda hopped on a call with the actors who play Lady Danbury and Violet Bridgerton during the filming of Season 2 to have a "really beautiful conversation about older women."
Golda recalled, "In the middle of filming Season 2 of Bridgerton, we got on a call — there was a few of us on the call — but myself, Adjoa, and Ruth had a really beautiful conversation about older women and how to portray that friendship and us older actresses — and how that storyline was going to go along next to the origin story. It was really nice to have that conversation, but it was a definite pinch me moment. "
8.Freddie and Sam said that they were both "filled with great pride" to be the show's first queer couple.
Freddie began, "[It's] an immense privilege. think we're both filled with with great pride, because the Bridgerton universe is famous for its inclusion and diversity. I am incredibly proud to be part of the series that incorporates LGBTQ+ communities. I hope that it's I hope that fans love the story as much as we have."
Sam echoed his thoughts, continuing, "It's so important, particularly in period dramas, for society to be reflected on screen and the stories that we're telling, regardless of whether it's period or contemporary. I hope everyone feels really empowered watching this story."
Sensitivity was a big big consideration for both actors when reading the script, and Sam continued that the story should be "also full of joy and celebratory. Seeing that real human side of these people that live very isolated lives within the monarchy and the court, and the emotional support system they have for each other within this really challenging period."
9.Queen Charlotte made use of intimacy coordinators for filming, well, intimate scenes. Actors will start by having "open conversations" with the coaches and the director.
Sam said of his relationship with Freddie, "We're also very, very good friends. I think there's there's a natural chemistry that comes from the two of us being so close in our personal lives that adds to it and makes it easier for us to be able to do what we need to do."
10.Sex scenes can take hours to film, even if they only appear on screen for seconds.
India explained, "It's very much a collaboration. We look at it overall as what the scene trying to tell us. It's mapped out like a stunt or a dance. We know exactly where each hand is going, or a leg. In that way, it's very much choreographed. But then it's about having that trust in your scene partner, knowing your boundaries, where is comfortable for you to be touched or not touched."
11.The sex scenes between Lady and Lord Danbury were filmed using a bouncy ball between them.
Arsema sung the intimacy coordinators praises, saying that their work "also meant that Cyril and I could make jokes whenever they yelled cut because we had planned and choreographed the scene to the point where it was so mechanical."
12.Arsema said that the sex scenes between Lord Danbury and Agatha were "not too far off from reality" for her and other women.
When asked about her character's sex-filled, introduction, Arsema replied, "Initially, when I saw the scene, I laughed just as anybody would, because of the fact that it's so clear that she's not enjoying herself and that her pleasure is not at the forefront of his or her mind at all. Then it reminded me of the fact that for a lot of women, that is the norm — that sex is not something that is viewed as pleasurable, but rather as the way you create babies. I think that's the reason you see her zone off and use it as like, Oh, this is me time. I'm not gonna lie, I've been in a similar situation before — so it wasn't too far off from reality."
"But there is the anger that she has about the fact that she had been stuck in that relationship, not able to fully realize herself, for almost 20 years. I think there is this anger that she has about that moment where you realize something and you're like, Man, if I just knew this five or 10 years ago, my life would be different. I think it's because she's living in a space where she's never had an option to even think about her pleasure. That never even crossed her mind, it wasn't how she was raised."
13.Only one dog was used for the origin story scenes. Her name was Victoria. Sam was shown "her little audition tape" and the dog began working on set at about 15 weeks old.
'She was the most well-behaved puppy I think I have ever met. I'm a huge dog fan, I have a dog myself, so when I found out I get to hold the dog — even though he's not pleased about it in the show — I myself was very pleased about it. I think Victoria stole the show. The best actor on the show. She would occasionally fall asleep when I was holding her during my performance, which I felt was an attack on my performance," Sam joked.
14.Golda was peed on four times by Pomeranians during the filming of the Christmas tree scene.
"I got peed on four times, to the horror of my dresser. I mean, that's the joy of working with animals," she joked.
15.Characters wore "all the authentic gear on underneath" their costumes, including corsets. One of Charlotte's coronation outfits was so heavy, she had to wear a back brace and get stitched into it.
India said of wearing a corset, "It's a challenge. It's more about adjusting and finding what works for your body. You don't eat with them on because the food doesn't move, it just sits there. You can drink. It's just learning to work with it, rather than trying to fight against it all the time. You have to let your body relax into it."
16.It took about an hour to do Freddie's hair every day — which he was "very proud" to say was all his own hair.
"I felt like it could have kept a family of small birds. It was really nice and it really helped me feel more like the character. So it served that purpose. But also, there was a lot of hairspray — and it didn't really move no matter how windy the scene was," Freddie recalled.
17.Whenever Golda is sitting down, she's probably wearing her Ugg boots under her dress.
"Wherever I can, comfort is very important," she added.
18.It took Golda two and a half hours to get ready every day, and she would take a special van or car to set because the costumes and wigs were "too big."
"That that journey that that two and a half hours is really important in creating that character and, and I've kind of really grown to love it," she mused.
19.And during Bridgerton Season 2, Golda's own hair started to be incorporated into the wigs — and are ultimately a "celebration" of Black hair.
"Some of the wigs take about a week and a half to make. They are made by this extraordinary wig maker, Emma Rigby who's an absolute talent. It's really interesting because that discussion was had in the second season of Bridgeton about incorporating my own hair into the wigs. I think it's a real celebration that we have wigs that have dreadlocks in them, and textured hair, and plaits, really celebrating my hair — Black hair. That's really a testament to moving the conversation forward within creating a character and the way that they look," Golda enthused.
20.One day during filming, Sam and Freddie were corned by "no less than 40 cows charging towards" them. They dispute who was the first one to run and scream. Pictures were sent to the Queen Charlotte group chat, but "no one cared."
"We got trapped in the center of the field, there was this fenced-off wooded area. We were in the middle of that waiting for these cows to get bored, which they didn't for hours. We considered calling the police," Freddie recalled dramatically.
Sam added, "We then sent pictures on the group chat to the gang and then they showed everyone at work and no one cared. No one cared! No one was concerned for our wellbeing, fending for ourselves in a herd of 40 cows."
21.India approached Charlotte's story as "a new script," and didn't pull too much from Golda's performance.
"I obviously couldn't forget the fact that the reason I'm there is because of Golda and her taking on this role and solidifying Queen Charlotte as her own. So there was always a nod to that and I've got such admiration for Golda — and thank you for being so great, because now I'm employed!" India said. "But it was very much my own undertaking. We had new scripts, new ideas, new relationships to tackle, which is really cool."
Golda echoed India's sentiments, noting that the two met while India was rehearsing. "I was very adamant that she should be supported in taking the role and make it her own. You know, Charlotte really needs that."
22.Golda decided not to do a "deep dive" into the real Queen Charlotte, as she wanted to focus on the content of the scripts and the character's relationship with in-universe characters like Violet, Lady Danbury, and Lady Whistledown.
"We weren't doing a documentary on Queen Charlotte, she was very much a character from history that was being put into the world of Julia Quinn's books. Obviously, I knew who Charlotte was. I had read a bit about her, but I didn't want to deep dive into that. I wanted to know what the scripts were telling me and how the scripts informed this character," Golda said.
23.The show mimics how, in real life, it's not clear what exact mental illness George had. Corey spoke to a specialist to find out how to portray his mental illness.
Corey explained, "[I drew from] the script, really. There's lots of historical research out there and there's a wealth of information to pull from. As a show, we don't diagnose George, because the story is told through the the lens of Charlotte's perspective. And to Charlotte, it's a mystery. Also, retrospectively, in real life, to us, it's a mystery. We will never be able to diagnose George now — we can have a gander, we can have a guess, but we can't, for sure, say anything."
24.The real-life George's relationship with his father and grandfather informed how Corey played the part in the early scenes with Charlotte — as well as when he would begin to lose his lucidity.
"George's relationship with his father, who he lost in his early teens — they had a lovely relationship, the only lovely relationship in that Hanoverian line of kings. He had an awful, abusive relationship with his grandfather. I think that there's a lot of abandonment trauma and thus with Charlotte a fear of intimacy. That was lovely to play, specifically at the beginning when George seemingly feels so much for Charlotte and then suddenly puts up a wall. It also informed why and when he loses his lucidity, because often things can be triggered by stress, panic, or trauma," he said.
25.India went to Kew Gardens and explored where the real-life Charlotte lived with her children.
She added, "I found that really helpful to ground myself, her presence, take in what she would have seen, where she would have walked, and to get a general understanding of who I was playing. It was really important for me but not really for this job — because it's fictitious."
26.The two "medical assistants" who forcibly shove George's head underwater were actually stuntmen. As for the ice in the bath, it was made out of rubber.
"Those baths are incredibly lukewarm. The ice that you see is actually just a rubber that's cut out in a way to make it look like shards of ice — because at the time, they didn't have ice cubes, they just had a big block of ice and they chipped away at it," Corey began.
"You choreograph and mold this scene so that it looks like I'm not in control and they're forcing me under — but in reality, I'm the one controlling when to come up and go down. That's their genius, really, and their technique. And same goes for all the stuff in the chair. It's safe to say that I was never in any physical pain at all. It's all very safe and comfortable. It's an easier road to portraying it mentally, emotionally, and spiritually — because I think if I was in actual danger or physical pain, there's no way that I would have felt safe to have the vulnerability to go to those places that George has," he added.
27.Golda approached Queen Charlotte's family as being similar to the Roy siblings in Succession.
"In Succession, you have these three siblings, who, on the surface, you think hate each other. Because their language is one of quite violent insults. But when one sibling is hit or talked about, or whatever, they all band around to support them. That was really fascinating to me. Something that I noticed about the relationship that Charlotte has with her children, and also the relationship that Charlotte has with George, and that difficulty, is that the solid foundation is always love — no matter what is said, no matter how you react to whatever, the foundation is love. She talks a lot about love to her children, that that is something that is a choice. Charlotte and George chose to be in love, to have that at the core of their relationship. For all of Charlotte's complex ideas and character, love is such a beautiful, simple layer and aspect to her and her relationship with family, friendship, and as a wife," Golda explained.
28.It was the actor who played Lady Danbury's son's first-ever role.
"Naturally, I love children. Naturally, I have that maternal energy — and to play somebody who's devoid of that, who has no real connection with her children in a societally normal way, was so interesting to delve into It really highlights the fact that she was forced into the situation. She didn't want to have kids, it was what she had to do. There is something very palpable in the conversation she has with her son because she treats him like an adult. I think it's also the way that she's been treated. It's just one of those amazing, amazing dynamics that I got to play out with Isaiah — it was his first-ever role, he did such an amazing thing. To be able to connect with somebody who is just as nervous as me in front of a camera has a calming effect," Arsema said.
29.Arsema doesn't think that Lady Danbury and Lord Ledger would have worked out, even under different circumstances — as Lady Danbury fundamentally has "no desire to be in a relationship."
"Agatha, when she is her truest self, really doesn't want to be with anyone. The freedom that she is getting a taste of is something that she's never had before, and she realizes it makes her so much more happier and fulfilled than being somebody's wife. She's able to court for the very first time in secret, and realizes that she actually can take hold and demand her pleasure — she realizes that that can exist outside of marriage," Arsema explained. "I think that then becomes the driving force in why she doesn't kick up a fit when [Ledger] says, 'I can't be together.' Obviously, it hurts. But she recognizes that was what I needed to get me to where I need to go."
30.Arsema was a big Game of Thrones fan, and described Michelle Fairley as "one of the most generous scene partners."
"Those were my favorite scenes to act out, mostly because of this dynamic between them and the fact that it passes the Bechdel test. Michelle has this strong presence about her, without even trying. Even out of the costume!" she explained.
31.During the filming of the Danbury ball scene, Beyoncé was played — leading the professional dancers to start voguing and duckwalking in period costume.
Arsema recalled, "It was so fun because it was my ball. But also because it was one of the few times that they switched the music up towards the end of filming. We were meant to, like, start our dance sequence and suddenly it was 'Run the World (Girls)' by Beyoncé. Everybody just dropped and hit the floor, it became a proper dance party. I felt like I was on the set of Pose or Paris is Burning, it felt so magical."
32.Arsema said that the "moments when Agatha wears her wedding ring and when she doesn't will be a very good Easter egg."
"Partially because I also don't remember, but I'm pretty sure there are there was a lot of symbolism," she added.
33.Charlotte's gown in Episode 6 contains embroidery with astrological signs and stars, "physically representing George and Charlotte's tie to one another."
India said, "I thought that was really beautiful because it's not only have they got the mental kind of connection, but that that physical embodiment. Taking on someone else's passions is true love, isn't it? Seeing someone else's passions as your own and then really coming together to be one unit."
34.Another scene was shot with younger Reynolds dancing with older Brimsley. However, it was cut to leave it more open ended.
When asked what became of Reynolds and Brimsley's relationship, Freddie joked, "Reynolds is on holiday in the Maldives, sipping on a mojito. That's what we keep constantly saying, but I think ultimately we don't know. But regardless, they are deeply in love with each other. And we want to find out."
Sam interjected, "Yeah, please, if you do find out what happens, let us know."
"They didn't use this shot, but one of the ideas that we played with was me, younger Reynolds, dancing with Hugh [Sachs}. So after we shot the scene of Sam and myself, I then went and danced with Hugh and that was, as an actor, probably the most moving day that I had on set. It was brilliant. But then it didn't make the final cut," Freddie explained. "I think they left it more open. I think that would have sent too much of a message."
35.Arsema found it challenging to be "on edge constantly" in-between takes for her crying scene.
"I had been having a very good day, so I was like, dammit. There's something about having to churn up emotion while someone else is talking that almost fights against your instinct as an actor, which is to listen to them," she said.
36.Arsema hopes that viewers are left with "empathy," which she described as "one of the most powerful tools when it comes to fighting against racism."
"There's something really powerful about this show, if people allow it in, which is you get to see yourself reflected back at you. And that person might have a different skin color. I think that's one of the most powerful tools when it comes to fighting against racism, because racism by term is the dehumanization of people. To bring a sense of humanity to specifically Black women and to have that then broadcast everywhere — I hope that people are empathetic," she said.
37.India hopes that tackling race "head on" will "create conversation."
"It tackles a lot of topics head-on: Gender, sexuality, mental health. There's an endless list of societal topics that the show tackles, and race is one of them. I hope that people come away wanting to delve in and do some more research — or to have that conversation and broach that question that seems taboo," she explained.
38.And Corey affirmed the need for "color-conscious" casting, like in Bridgerton.
"It's not just colorblind, it's color-conscious," he continued. "I think that is something the industry needs, but also little girls need. Hopefully the benefits of seeing in India's face in all of the regal gowns, the jewels, and the crown — hopefully, that has an impact for years to come."
39.Finally, Golda thinks that there could be a lot more Bridgerton spin-offs in the future — including Brimsley and Lady Featherington.
When I asked Golda whether she knew about the possibility of Queen Charlotte Season 2, she replied, "Listen, that is definitely for somebody above my pay grade — but what I will say is that there are many many characters in the Bridgerton world that could easily have their own spin-off. I will always champion my dear friend Brimsley. That would be really cool. Also, Lady Featherington, I think would be a really cool spin-off. We'll see! Let's get the first one done and out [of] the way."
Thanks for talking to us, everyone! Young Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is now available for streaming on Netflix.
Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.
