SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from Season 3 of “Bridgerton,” now streaming on Netflix.
Before “Bridgerton” Season 3 lead Luke Newton booked his role on the Regency era-drama, he was juggling auditions, any acting work he could find and working at a bar trying to pay his rent. Now, he’s leading the series, the third season of which saw its biggest debut in the show’s history.
Part 2 of “Bridgerton” brought gossip galore among the ton, especially for its lead couple, Polin. Penelope Bridgerton (née Featherington, played by Nicola Coughlan) reveals herself as gossip columnist Lady Whistledown to nearly everyone in greater London at the Dankworth-Finch ball after writing a letter to Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) and Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell).
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After the Queen permits Penelope to keep writing, her husband Colin (Newton) finds a way to support her, despite his initial detestation for the column.
And beyond Polin drama, Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen) is shunned from the ton, Bridgerton brother Benedict (Luke Thompson) finds a new throuple and a new gender-swapped Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza) could potentially throw a wrench in Francesca Bridgerton’s (Hannah Dodd) fresh marriage to Lord Kilmartin (Victor Alli).
With the lovebirds’ future up in the air, Variety spoke with Newton, who stepped into the spotlight alongside Coughlin this season. Below, he discusses forgiveness between the pair, that mirror scene in Episode 5, how the series shifted his entire life and what’s up next for Polin in Season 4.
Tell me about when you found out that this would be the Polin season.
I found out during Season 2. Early on during the filming process, we jumped on a Zoom and found out that they were swapping the original order of the books. Ultimately, I was really excited because it felt like our story had gone in a certain direction and we couldn’t drag it out much longer.
The slow burn of the romance, I was worried that if we had to do that for another season, fans would be frustrated that Colin wouldn’t see what was right in front of his eyes this whole time. I was excited for the swap, and then it just became about focusing on where they were taking our characters next season.
One of my favorite things about the show is that we always have this summer break between each season, so there’s time for each character to grow. For Colin and Pen, it feels most appropriate, because they’re still teenagers — so to play with the changes going into adulthood was the exciting step for me for this new version of Colin.
What was your preparation like for your acting and health routine?
I dived into what he would experience in his travels and journey, the kind of trip he would have had. I did as much research as I could, and expanded off of that. Historically, his grand tour would consist of traveling to different cities in Europe, and he’d have someone who would look after him.
I kind of played with the idea that he ran away from that, and had a completely solo experience. He had his gap year, and found himself. I also had influences from how his style changed from my fittings, and it was less formal and more like he’d lived an almost normal life. He had maybe met people that weren’t as wealthy as him or from the same background, pretended he wasn’t a Bridgerton, had this wild experience and really grew up. And then came back into society, feeling like he had an experience that no one else in the ton had. It gave him some sense of purpose.
There’s also a large theme of forgiveness throughout this last half of the season. How does Colin forgive Penelope after he finds out that she’s Lady Whistledown?
It’s actually amazing to get to talk about it, because this is the first opportunity I’ve had. I think it’s really difficult, because we play on the fact that he’s the most hurt by Whistledown, and carries the weight of that on his shoulders. It’s not just from the things that are written about him or things that directly affect him, it’s about everyone around him. We knew that when we got to that scene, it was going to be quite heavy, and he wasn’t going to take it lightly.
I played with the thought that it’s the ultimate betrayal — feeling like you’re completely in love with someone, and then not knowing them completely. There’s been this secret this whole time. The most beautiful thing about this romance is that they’ve grown up together, so there are no secrets. The ultimate betrayal needed to feel quite loaded, and we needed to hit that.
The theme of forgiveness is massive in Part 2, but it also goes both ways. There are ways that Colin acts, and how he struggles with the fact that she’s the most successful businesswoman in London society. His journey is about overcoming that, and still appreciating that Penelope is the person that he knows and has loved this whole time.
What was it like playing the resentment that Colin felt toward Penelope after finding out what a successful writer she is as Whistledown?
When I read that, it was one of the most interesting parts to me, because we haven’t really explored that in the world of Bridgerton before. Everyone comes from very privileged and wealthy backgrounds, and it almost feels like there’s an even playing field. Colin’s always been put on a pedestal: He’s from this very powerful family that everyone respects and loves. And now the tables have turned, and suddenly Pen is the most powerful woman.
I think it’s something that people really relate with now. That’s one of the most amazing things about the show. It feels very far removed from today, but ultimately, all these themes is something that people really relate to.
How were your days on set different, being the focus of this season?
It felt like an absolute dream. It felt like the kind of job I’d always been waiting to do. I had a continuous storyline previously, but I was part of the ensemble. The thing I loved the most was feeling like every single moment that we were on screen mattered. In previous seasons, if I was standing at a ball and I would have a conversation with someone, my intentions behind that conversation at that moment wouldn’t always necessarily matter.
The dot-to-dot of how scenes connect was a really fun game I just enjoyed diving into. That’s why I really didn’t have any sort of life outside the show for 10 months of the year. I just enjoyed piecing it all together.
As for next season, how do you think it’ll feel going back to being a part of the larger ensemble?
I’m excited for it. I think it’s such a unique thing about the show that the lead characters change every season. I can’t think of anything I’ve seen that where it focuses on a new love story every single time, and someone else takes center stage. When you go through your romantic story, there are moments of your character being quite tortured, and there’s a lot of drama. I’m quite excited for the moment where there’s just a level of contentment.
I had moments of that early in Part 2, when they’re newly engaged and Colin is just giddy and happy and madly in love. And as an actor, it’s really nice to just sit in that, because you don’t often get to. The show is so fueled with gossip and drama, that there’s always something going on. So, I’m quite excited for the honeymoon period.
The sex scene in Episode 5 is already being talked about all over social media — and the season just came out! What was it like for you and Nicola finding your comfortability while filming?
We both treated it in exactly same way. Our work ethic toward those scenes was exactly the same. We gave everything; we wanted to stay so true to their story. And as much as we wanted it to feel romantic and sexy — and we knew that’s what audiences really resonate with — we we also wanted it to be true to Colin and Pen. We wanted there to be true intention behind every single moment.
I think sharing that experience and giving an equal amount between us paid off. Having a friendship now of five years, and knowing how each other works, we discussed how comfortable we felt about it, and felt very supported by the team on set. It really felt like such a safe place to explore that. Everything really came together.
We watched it back for the first time and had a discussion, because it was obviously a scary moment to watch that scene for the first time and go, “How’s it gonna look? How’s it all gonna cut together? Is it gonna play right? Did that look right?” Having that moment of watching it, and then discussing it, was really cool to be like, every beat that we discussed — and every moment that we wanted — is in there. And we’re really proud of it.
What do you think will be next for Colin and Penelope now that the ton has discovered she’s Whistledown?
That’s the kind of sort of spanner in the works that I have no idea how that plays out after that. I had my predictions before we got to read the last couple of episodes, but now that’s flipped everything on its head, and I have no idea of how they navigate that.
I guess ultimately, there’s still some level of drama, as much as I’ve just said to you that I can’t wait for a little bit of contentment. There will be still something underlying, and something that may cause potential conflict or drama between them. But all I know is I’ll be so excited to read the scripts for the next part, because Jess Brownell always has a way of writing such beautiful scripts that take you every which way that you don’t expect.
I also recently saw a hilarious clip of Nicola pranking you on set by playing a song from your old boy band. What were some of the pranks you pulled back on her on set?
Oh, God. I had some plans of things I wanted to do, and I struggled. To be honest, I love a real basic scare. I posted a video of me scaring her in the makeup trailer, but I would do that constantly. Particularly in the studio, there’s just corners everywhere that you can jump out on anyone and get some amazing reactions. I think there’s something so funny when people jump.
I think next season I’ll have more time. I’m excited to set some things up, particularly on a few of my siblings. She did amazing to prank me on that level whilst doing that schedule, she’s a real multitasker. But for me, I think next season will be my prank season.
How has “Bridgerton” changed your life? What has your experience been with the fandom?
The promo tour we’ve done this year has opened my eyes to the scale of the show, and the response and how much it means for fans. Traveling the world and meeting people in cities I never thought I’d go to. Going to their local coffee shop, and being able to meet like people and have a human interaction and find out their favorite moments, and who they relate to in the story.
This experience has changed my life. I just love that I get to wake up every day, and this is my job. It takes years and years to be able to get to a place in your career where you feel like it’s happening for you. Before “Bridgerton,” I was juggling trying to audition, doing any sort of acting work and working at a bar trying to pay rent. Now, the fact that I can wake up every day and talk about this show that I love to be on — and I’ve worked on for five years now — feels like such a crazy journey.
What do people say to you when they see you in public?
There’s just so much love for [Polin] as a couple. Someone said to me yesterday, actually, “Has anyone ever told you your eyes are the most remarkable shade of blue?” from the first part. And I think I just said “Yeah, I’ve heard it a few times.” When we shot that scene, Nicola must’ve said it to me about 50 times that day.
It’s amazing when they find moments that stand out, and come back to us and shout it to us on the street. Even in London now, I live here, and we shoot the show here and people are still so shocked to bump into one of us. It’s really funny.
This interview has been edited and condensed.