WEBVTT - Inside the Ton: The Rebels 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:03.600 Bridgerton The Official Podcast is a production of Shondaland in 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:05.120 partnership with iHeartRadio. 0:00:10.760 --> 0:00:15.800 Welcome to Bridgerton the Official Podcast, your exclusive peak behind 0:00:15.840 --> 0:00:21.040 the curtain of Shondaland's Bridgerton series. I'm Betsy Beers, executive 0:00:21.040 --> 0:00:24.720 producer Bridgerton and your host for Inside the ton a 0:00:24.800 --> 0:00:27.680 four part special that dives deep into the genesis and 0:00:27.800 --> 0:00:30.360 journey of some of the most beloved characters from the show. 0:00:33.479 --> 0:00:36.560 We kick things off with Penelope Featherington the last episode 0:00:36.800 --> 0:00:39.840 and by the way, if you haven't listened, I really 0:00:39.960 --> 0:00:43.319 highly recommend you do. And today we've got a two 0:00:43.440 --> 0:00:46.479 for one special because we're talking about our favorite rebels 0:00:46.479 --> 0:00:51.239 amongst the Bridgerton bunch, Eloise and Benedict. Joining me to 0:00:51.320 --> 0:00:55.000 take a closer look at the notorious wingset siblings are 0:00:55.080 --> 0:00:59.080 author Julia Quinn and showrunner Jess Brownell. And we'll also 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:02.960 hear actress Claudia Jesse and Luke Thompson waiy in on 0:01:03.040 --> 0:01:06.880 what's heavy on their character's minds ahead of season three. 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:09.679 But first, let's recall the recent events in the lives 0:01:09.720 --> 0:01:15.319 of Miss Eloise and mister Benedict Bridgerton. Number one, just 0:01:15.360 --> 0:01:18.520 to fit right in. Eloise has made a habit of 0:01:18.640 --> 0:01:22.360 rocking the boat of polite society. She's commonly seen refusing 0:01:22.360 --> 0:01:25.199 to dance in balls, promenading with her nose in a book, 0:01:25.400 --> 0:01:29.560 and outright questioning the institution of marriage itself. She doesn't 0:01:29.560 --> 0:01:31.559 buy into the idea that a woman has to marry 0:01:31.560 --> 0:01:34.479 and raise a family or take up hobbies like flower 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:40.200 ranging and pianoforte in order to be considered accomplished. In 0:01:40.240 --> 0:01:44.240 season two, Elouise entered society, but her goal wasn't finding 0:01:44.280 --> 0:01:48.640 a husband. No, she was much more interested in uncovering 0:01:48.720 --> 0:01:52.920 Lady Whistledown's identity. Her investigation led her to spark an 0:01:53.000 --> 0:01:58.120 unlikely relationship with a charming printer's assistant after coming close 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:01.200 to social ruin, though he's finally found out who was 0:02:01.240 --> 0:02:04.200 really wielding the pen and discovered it was no other 0:02:04.320 --> 0:02:08.919 than her best friend, Penelope Featherington. So now we are 0:02:08.960 --> 0:02:11.880 all waiting with bita breath to find out how exactly 0:02:11.880 --> 0:02:18.919 will Eloise deal with her best friend's betrayal. Benedict, on 0:02:18.960 --> 0:02:21.280 the other hand, is a pretty good foil for Eloise's 0:02:21.320 --> 0:02:25.560 experience at society. On his side, he's totally free to 0:02:25.600 --> 0:02:28.680 avoid marriage at least for now, and in the last 0:02:28.720 --> 0:02:31.200 season we saw him have a couple of flings, one 0:02:31.240 --> 0:02:34.320 with our modiste, Madame de Lacroix and another with a 0:02:34.360 --> 0:02:38.480 fellow art student. But Benedict's true love, it turns. 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:39.360 Out, is the arts. 0:02:40.680 --> 0:02:42.840 We see him hone his skills with the brush as 0:02:42.840 --> 0:02:46.920 he immerses himself in the bohemian underbelly of high society. 0:02:47.000 --> 0:02:50.080 Like his sister, he explores to find a deeper purpose, 0:02:50.440 --> 0:02:53.679 but his artistic aspirations are crushed when he finds out 0:02:53.720 --> 0:02:55.280 his brother Anthony. 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:58.320 Paid for his place in art school. Woof. 0:02:58.960 --> 0:03:01.240 I wonder what is next for our free spirit in 0:03:01.320 --> 0:03:05.400 both love and creativity. So let's dive into the rebels, okay, 0:03:06.120 --> 0:03:14.200 Eloise and Benedict Bridgardon. Julia Quinn has authored nearly forty books, 0:03:14.360 --> 0:03:16.480 and the Bridgerton novels are among them. By the way, 0:03:16.520 --> 0:03:18.240 that's quite a lot of characters to make up and 0:03:18.320 --> 0:03:20.800 keep track of. From what I can tell. She and 0:03:20.840 --> 0:03:23.520 I talked about where she got the inspiration for our 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:27.679 two rebels in this big world of high society, regency, romance, 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:31.000 and why it really is incredibly important to provide that 0:03:31.120 --> 0:03:39.440 point of view within the ton let's talk a little 0:03:39.440 --> 0:03:43.720 bit about Eloise and Benedict. I know on the show, 0:03:44.280 --> 0:03:47.040 some of my favorite scenes are the two of them interacting, 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:50.600 just because the Swing. I'm just obsessed with the scenes 0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:51.120 on the Swing. 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:54.560 I wish I could claim that, but that came from 0:03:54.800 --> 0:03:57.880 the screenwriters, and I love it. Their friendship is definitely 0:03:57.960 --> 0:03:59.640 deeper in the show than I believe it was in 0:03:59.680 --> 0:04:01.440 the book, and I absolutely love it. 0:04:01.480 --> 0:04:03.600 And I don't know. I have to think, but thank you. 0:04:03.560 --> 0:04:08.280 Someone, Okay, are either of these characters? I'm actually going 0:04:08.320 --> 0:04:11.440 to open this upisode general question for you. How much 0:04:11.440 --> 0:04:13.320 are any of these folks based on people? You know? 0:04:13.880 --> 0:04:18.599 I don't think there was anybody specific, although for a 0:04:18.600 --> 0:04:22.320 long time I said I was a combination of Elouise, Francesca, 0:04:22.360 --> 0:04:24.800 and Penelope, like if you put them. 0:04:24.640 --> 0:04:25.760 All together, you would get me. 0:04:26.440 --> 0:04:28.839 But now that I've gotten a lot older, I think 0:04:28.880 --> 0:04:32.200 I might be violent now, which. 0:04:32.040 --> 0:04:32.720 Is not a bad thing. 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:34.720 By the way, I'd kill to be a combination of 0:04:34.760 --> 0:04:36.800 there as three women right there. And why do you 0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:39.160 feel like it's important that both of these characters are 0:04:39.200 --> 0:04:41.600 so different from the rest of the Ton, Because what's 0:04:41.640 --> 0:04:43.320 great is you have the Ton and the Ton's kind 0:04:43.320 --> 0:04:45.840 of going along, and then Eloise is going through her 0:04:45.839 --> 0:04:48.520 own journey and Benedict's going through his own journey. It 0:04:48.640 --> 0:04:51.080 seems like an important thing to me. But can you 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:52.880 speak a little bit to that in terms of the 0:04:52.880 --> 0:04:55.040 different points of view you're giving up society? 0:04:55.560 --> 0:04:59.479 Well, I just think it's important to know that there 0:04:59.480 --> 0:05:04.600 are people who for whom regular society doesn't work in 0:05:05.160 --> 0:05:07.640 the same way, or that you can be a little 0:05:07.640 --> 0:05:10.279 bit of a square peg and you can move along. 0:05:10.520 --> 0:05:13.120 And the thing is, you know they're a little different, 0:05:13.160 --> 0:05:17.359 but they actually do okay within it, but not like say, Daphne, 0:05:17.480 --> 0:05:19.640 did you know it's not a perfect fit. 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:21.640 I think you're right, it's like Daphanie. And this is 0:05:21.640 --> 0:05:24.400 why I'm asking the question, because I feel like when 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:28.480 I watch it, it's really important to be able to 0:05:28.839 --> 0:05:31.200 and read it. It's really important to have all these 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:35.039 different points of view on both the benefits of the 0:05:35.080 --> 0:05:37.920 time in which they're living and the restrictions. Right. Yeah, 0:05:37.960 --> 0:05:40.520 So what's great is you really get to fantasize as 0:05:40.600 --> 0:05:43.719 Daphne about being the person who can crush it. What 0:05:44.000 --> 0:05:47.800 I find incredibly to be this it's really refreshing to 0:05:47.880 --> 0:05:50.400 have Eloise there, you know, as a sort of response, 0:05:50.440 --> 0:05:53.680 and then Benedictoine you look at the burden of being 0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:58.080 first born that Anthony has. It just it feels to 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:00.400 me like it's a really important thing to have all 0:06:00.440 --> 0:06:05.360 these different points of view on how different people react 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:10.200 in what is an incredibly regimented and traditional sort of society. 0:06:10.960 --> 0:06:14.000 It's also a lot about finding yourself within and finding 0:06:14.040 --> 0:06:15.600 your identity within a large family. 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:16.919 Oh that's so interesting. 0:06:17.080 --> 0:06:19.960 Yeah, I come from a large family, so I mean 0:06:20.000 --> 0:06:22.760 I kind of get that. I get that sense of 0:06:22.800 --> 0:06:24.960 feeling like, you know, who am I apart from this 0:06:25.839 --> 0:06:28.000 family in which I was born, which I think is 0:06:28.000 --> 0:06:32.640 a big part of what drives Benedict specifically, Eloise has 0:06:32.680 --> 0:06:35.359 the added layer of who am I apart from this 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:37.440 family in which I was born? And on top of it, 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:40.719 I'm female in a world that like doesn't let me 0:06:40.760 --> 0:06:44.000 do anything, So there's that as well. But another thing 0:06:44.040 --> 0:06:47.919 that I always try to do with these characters, especially 0:06:47.920 --> 0:06:49.520 the women, is that you know, you have these women 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:51.680 who are kind of fighting against these restrictions, but they're 0:06:51.720 --> 0:06:56.360 not necessarily overthrowing them. They're not the ones who are 0:06:56.400 --> 0:06:59.400 like I'm going to you know, they're not completely smashing 0:06:59.400 --> 0:07:02.479 the patriarch. It's a little early in time for anybody 0:07:02.520 --> 0:07:05.320 to be able to do that. But you know, they're 0:07:05.400 --> 0:07:09.159 not the women who history would necessarily label as extraordinary. 0:07:10.280 --> 0:07:12.680 And yet I think it's so important to tell the 0:07:12.720 --> 0:07:16.520 stories of women who were doing the best they could 0:07:17.520 --> 0:07:20.960 with what they had, which which isn't necessarily the same 0:07:21.000 --> 0:07:23.040 as the ones who you know, we can't all be 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:28.040 Marie Curiy. We can't all, you know, be the woman 0:07:28.160 --> 0:07:31.200 who broke down the barricade. Sometimes we have to be 0:07:31.240 --> 0:07:33.600 the women who took out the bricks from the wall 0:07:33.640 --> 0:07:35.800 so somebody else could smash it down. And I just 0:07:35.880 --> 0:07:38.440 think so often, you know, we hear these things like, 0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:41.080 you know, well behaved women rarely make history, that's it. 0:07:41.160 --> 0:07:41.680 I love that. 0:07:42.320 --> 0:07:45.520 But there are a lot of women who don't make history, 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:50.040 but their stories are still so important. And so I 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:52.440 feel like I'm kind of fighting the narrative a little 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:56.640 that the only women we should celebrate are the extraordinary ones. 0:07:56.960 --> 0:07:58.240 That's really really well put. 0:07:58.280 --> 0:08:00.400 And I think, you know, because I'm thinking about and 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:02.680 you know, they ask a question, which is, oh, is 0:08:02.720 --> 0:08:08.560 Eloise inspired by any particular you know, rebellious famous sort 0:08:08.600 --> 0:08:12.360 of early suffragette and you just answered the question. Because 0:08:12.400 --> 0:08:15.280 the interesting thing is I can't think of it. But 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:19.240 that doesn't mean that it's not a ton There's not 0:08:19.320 --> 0:08:23.680 a tonnage of people doing tiny acts of kindness or 0:08:24.280 --> 0:08:27.840 not even rebellion, I think very often. And it's one 0:08:27.840 --> 0:08:30.800 of the things you do so beautifully with the bridger Tints, 0:08:30.840 --> 0:08:33.080 and I think you play with with the Featheringtons in 0:08:33.120 --> 0:08:35.840 a very different way, which is it's women supporting women. 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:40.680 And that's what's great about the Bridgetons is they're all different, 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:43.160 and they all kind of poke at each other, but 0:08:44.520 --> 0:08:48.800 everybody's got everybody's back, and there's a genuine sort of 0:08:48.880 --> 0:08:52.400 like love and support there. And I think what you're 0:08:52.440 --> 0:08:56.439 saying about, they're all of these people who are contributing 0:08:56.559 --> 0:09:01.600 to the moment when Madame Curie discovers the big Madame 0:09:01.640 --> 0:09:06.319 Carree thing. You know, Yeah, And that's that's incredibly I 0:09:06.360 --> 0:09:08.599 think that that's an incredible observation. 0:09:08.960 --> 0:09:10.520 Some of this has to do with the time period 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:12.840 and when in which I'm working, and that if you 0:09:12.880 --> 0:09:15.720 look at you know, the history of women's rights, you know, 0:09:15.720 --> 0:09:19.000 and and of suffrage and you know, trying to get 0:09:19.000 --> 0:09:23.120 into university and things like that, it's all coming enough 0:09:23.240 --> 0:09:26.640 years after the regency that you know, my characters, it's 0:09:26.760 --> 0:09:28.559 difficult for them to be the first to. 0:09:28.480 --> 0:09:29.760 Be the one to knock down the wall. 0:09:30.240 --> 0:09:32.760 But I love the idea of them setting the stage 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:36.120 that their granddaughters are going to be able to maybe 0:09:36.160 --> 0:09:37.560 one of their granddaughters. 0:09:37.000 --> 0:09:38.880 Can be the one who ends up in the history books. 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:40.360 But but again, I just I. 0:09:41.280 --> 0:09:45.040 Just don't like the idea that the only stories of 0:09:45.080 --> 0:09:48.640 women that deserve to be told are the ones who 0:09:49.640 --> 0:09:51.600 are in the history books or who, you know, if 0:09:51.600 --> 0:09:52.839 in fiction, doing. 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:54.800 Things that would put them in the history books. 0:09:54.800 --> 0:09:56.920 Like it's sort of like the whole trope of you know, 0:09:57.000 --> 0:10:00.440 every dystopian novel seems to have like a t teenage 0:10:00.440 --> 0:10:01.880 girl who is the chosen one. 0:10:01.960 --> 0:10:02.200 You know. 0:10:02.280 --> 0:10:03.520 It's like, well, I want to hear about some of 0:10:03.559 --> 0:10:05.840 the people who weren't the chosen ones but are doing 0:10:05.840 --> 0:10:08.719 stuff all the same, you know, And I just think 0:10:08.760 --> 0:10:10.120 their stories are also important. 0:10:10.640 --> 0:10:12.920 I totally agree with you, and I think that that 0:10:13.040 --> 0:10:16.679 is delightfully thought. It's a thousand teenage girls to lead 0:10:16.720 --> 0:10:25.360 to the teenage girl that makes the big teenage blash. 0:10:25.720 --> 0:10:28.040 We'll be right back after this short break. 0:10:30.720 --> 0:10:36.920 Welcome back to Bridgerton the Official Podcast. I love how 0:10:37.040 --> 0:10:41.880 Julius so beautifully encapsulated Shondalan's ethos when it comes to storytelling. 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:45.320 For us, not every story needs to be about the 0:10:45.400 --> 0:10:48.640 moment the barrier has been broken, though of course we 0:10:48.760 --> 0:10:52.480 love those tales. I think, really sometimes the most compelling 0:10:52.520 --> 0:10:55.400 stories are the ones of those people who are simply 0:10:55.440 --> 0:10:58.160 doing the absolute best they can to shift and to 0:10:58.200 --> 0:11:02.880 grow with the cards that were done them. Thank you, Julia, 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:05.520 So I once again sat down with a woman who's 0:11:05.559 --> 0:11:07.800 shaping the way we will see Eloise and Benedict on 0:11:07.840 --> 0:11:11.560 screen this season, showrunner Jess Brown. Now we talk shop 0:11:11.600 --> 0:11:15.160 about the siblings' experiences, their motivations, and what these characters 0:11:15.200 --> 0:11:21.679 tell us about regency society and our own. I mean, 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:24.720 why do we have characters who are on the sides 0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:27.480 poking fun at the society at the same time we're 0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:27.960 watching it. 0:11:28.160 --> 0:11:31.000 Well, I think they're stand ins for modern audience in 0:11:31.080 --> 0:11:33.840 a lot of ways. You know, you have both of 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:37.240 them who are in some ways two hundred years ahead 0:11:37.240 --> 0:11:40.920 of their time, and they have like this little itch 0:11:41.080 --> 0:11:44.000 that something's not right about this world, which we as 0:11:44.080 --> 0:11:46.760 modern audiences obviously see. 0:11:46.760 --> 0:11:48.800 What do you see happening and what can you sort 0:11:48.800 --> 0:11:51.880 of tease for people happening for Benedict this season too? 0:11:51.960 --> 0:11:54.959 Because I do feel like I love Benedict. I mean, 0:11:55.400 --> 0:11:57.280 what can we say about and what can you talk 0:11:57.320 --> 0:12:01.040 about to expect from Benedict to see and where do 0:12:01.080 --> 0:12:04.000 you think Benedict's head is as we enter into this season. 0:12:04.480 --> 0:12:07.280 Yeah, So Benedict is a really fun character to write 0:12:07.280 --> 0:12:11.800 for because he's one of the more impulsive characters. You know, 0:12:12.000 --> 0:12:15.520 season one he was in the party world, he decided 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:18.160 he didn't want to do that, and then season two 0:12:18.280 --> 0:12:21.360 he was in the art world. He got a little 0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:26.080 tiny feeling of rejection after he found out Anthony bought 0:12:26.080 --> 0:12:29.600 his way into art school and he gave up. Which 0:12:29.679 --> 0:12:34.120 is an area of growth. A potential growth for Benedict is, 0:12:34.559 --> 0:12:38.680 you know, both the quickness with which he jumps into 0:12:38.720 --> 0:12:41.439 something and then the quickness with which he jumps out 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:44.959 of it. So entering into season three, he's going to 0:12:45.000 --> 0:12:50.000 be jumping into a new milieu and potentially jumping out 0:12:50.040 --> 0:12:51.800 of it and jumping into something else again. 0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:52.960 I think his. 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:56.959 Journey in season three is about figuring out what he 0:12:57.000 --> 0:13:00.640 wants because he's a character who could do anything. He's 0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:04.320 a renaissance man, but he has to decide what he 0:13:04.400 --> 0:13:05.280 wants to commit to. 0:13:06.000 --> 0:13:08.280 Yeah, I can hardly wait to watch that. 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:11.080 So I think there's been a lot of chatter and 0:13:11.120 --> 0:13:13.240 talk about the fact that there are two characters in 0:13:13.280 --> 0:13:16.600 the show, obviously that are seem to be kind of 0:13:16.840 --> 0:13:19.560 moving towards our alternative lifestyles is the best way I 0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:22.080 can put it, Like Eloise and Benedict both and that 0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:24.920 they don't fit into the ton They're trying to carve 0:13:25.600 --> 0:13:30.280 new experiences for themselves and develop new ways of living, 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:33.839 and some fans have found parallels in their personal experiences 0:13:33.880 --> 0:13:38.160 with being in the LGBTQ community. Why do you think 0:13:38.280 --> 0:13:42.240 those characters resonate with that audience and what are your 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:43.079 thoughts on the theory. 0:13:44.600 --> 0:13:48.040 Yeah, First of all, I think if Benedict and Eloise 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:51.600 were alive in twenty twenty four, they would both think 0:13:51.640 --> 0:13:55.240 it's awesome that they're queer icons. In a way, I 0:13:55.240 --> 0:13:58.439 think they would certainly be allies of the queer community 0:13:58.480 --> 0:14:01.680 at the very least, whether or not either one of 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:04.679 them is queer is, you know, left to be to 0:14:04.760 --> 0:14:08.840 be discovered. You know, we know that Eloise has had 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:13.560 feelings for THEO the printer boy. Does that mean that 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:16.600 she couldn't also feel something for a woman? Who knows? 0:14:17.000 --> 0:14:20.280 But I'll say this, I think part of the reason 0:14:20.520 --> 0:14:23.880 it seems people think Eloise might be queer is because 0:14:24.400 --> 0:14:27.720 she loves to read and she doesn't want to get married. 0:14:28.280 --> 0:14:30.960 And I just I know a lot of lesbians who 0:14:31.000 --> 0:14:34.120 have had a Pinterest board for their wedding since they 0:14:34.120 --> 0:14:37.680 were thirteen and who haven't picked up a book in years. 0:14:38.080 --> 0:14:41.960 So I don't think that loving to read and you know, 0:14:42.040 --> 0:14:47.240 not wanting to get married are a definite you know, yes, 0:14:47.360 --> 0:14:52.120 she's queer. I do think that it means that maybe 0:14:52.160 --> 0:14:56.360 she's interested in something other than romance, something bigger than romance, 0:14:56.960 --> 0:14:59.920 and that might evolve over time. But for where she 0:15:00.200 --> 0:15:02.880 that right now, I don't think it's just that she 0:15:03.360 --> 0:15:06.840 hasn't found the right gender. She's just not interested in 0:15:06.960 --> 0:15:11.200 romance at all right now in her life men, women anyone. 0:15:11.840 --> 0:15:12.040 Yeah. 0:15:12.120 --> 0:15:14.920 And she and she's had a best friend, you know, 0:15:14.960 --> 0:15:17.320 and they've shared this in common too, which means she 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:20.400 was she has company and it is It's funny. It's 0:15:20.400 --> 0:15:22.840 like she doesn't like petticoats and dresses, so therefore dot 0:15:22.880 --> 0:15:26.680 dot dot dot. But I think that's incredibly well put, 0:15:26.760 --> 0:15:29.480 and any comments on I mean, Benedict's sort of in 0:15:29.520 --> 0:15:32.960 the same category, which is he just seems like a 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:36.920 guy who is interested in searching for what's next and 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:40.200 what and where he belongs in that family. 0:15:40.400 --> 0:15:43.560 You know, yes, he is trying to figure out his 0:15:43.640 --> 0:15:47.560 place in the world and what he wants. He's certainly 0:15:47.640 --> 0:15:49.000 an open minded character. 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:51.120 I think what I would just say about Benedict is 0:15:51.120 --> 0:15:54.520 Benedict is clearly somebody who he's been in the Demimonde, 0:15:54.800 --> 0:15:57.520 he's been a painter. I think he's somebody who is 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:01.640 is curious about the world. But it's going to be 0:16:01.680 --> 0:16:03.920 fun to watch him grow and figure out what his 0:16:04.080 --> 0:16:06.280 place is in the Bridgerton family. I think it's really 0:16:06.320 --> 0:16:09.960 hard when your brothers, and certainly when your oldest brother 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:14.080 is Antony, because I'll never forget. In like season one, 0:16:14.280 --> 0:16:16.600 Antony's about to go into a duel and you can 0:16:16.600 --> 0:16:18.080 see on Benedict's. 0:16:17.520 --> 0:16:19.360 Face, Oh this blows. 0:16:20.160 --> 0:16:22.920 Yeah, are you telling me that I might have to 0:16:22.920 --> 0:16:23.920 actually take over here? 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:24.960 You've got to be drunk. 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:26.400 I can't. 0:16:26.680 --> 0:16:27.160 I can't. 0:16:27.760 --> 0:16:32.000 So he's got a long way to go to get anywhere, 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:36.280 I think in terms of his sort of his personal growth, 0:16:36.280 --> 0:16:38.040 which is another reason why I think it was so 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:41.200 smart to use Penelope and Colin and bring them up 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:41.880 for this season. 0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:43.880 Yeah, I don't want to force them into a box 0:16:43.920 --> 0:16:46.840 too quickly. I also, if I can, while we're here 0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:51.000 talking about, you know, the LGBT community, I think it's 0:16:51.040 --> 0:16:53.920 important to note Bridgerton is a show about love and 0:16:54.000 --> 0:16:57.080 all its forms. You know, we explore friendship love, we 0:16:57.120 --> 0:17:00.360 explore romantic love. I think it is very import important 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:04.280 to explore LGBT love on the show as well, and 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:07.120 I'm really excited for fans to see what we're doing 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:08.520 with that in coming seasons. 0:17:08.960 --> 0:17:13.560 Yep. It's also I think the really interesting decision to 0:17:14.000 --> 0:17:17.359 make Elouise the one who finds out about Lady Whistledown, 0:17:17.359 --> 0:17:18.879 because I don't think it was like that in the book. 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:21.600 So in the book, Eloise is one of the last 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:24.840 people actually to find out that Penelope is whistled Down. 0:17:25.000 --> 0:17:30.080 But in our world, we've foregrounded the relationship between Eloise 0:17:30.080 --> 0:17:34.560 and Penelope so much, and Eloise's search for Whistledown has 0:17:34.600 --> 0:17:37.879 been such an ongoing runner that it made sense for 0:17:37.960 --> 0:17:41.560 Eloise to be one of the first people to know 0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:45.080 that she's whistled down. And I'll also say that I 0:17:45.119 --> 0:17:48.399 think a lot of really interesting stuff is happening in 0:17:48.400 --> 0:17:50.920 that fight between them at the end of season two. 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:53.679 You know, of course, Penn is in the wrong in 0:17:53.720 --> 0:17:57.119 a lot of ways for lying to Eloise, for writing 0:17:57.160 --> 0:17:59.760 about her the way she did, and plenty of other 0:17:59.760 --> 0:18:04.520 men stakes, But I wouldn't say Eloise is entirely blameless either. 0:18:04.640 --> 0:18:08.399 In their friendship. I think Eloise has some growth to 0:18:08.480 --> 0:18:12.640 do around listening, and I think she spends a lot 0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:18.159 of time sort of monologuing at Penelope without really holding 0:18:18.480 --> 0:18:22.320 quite enough space for Penn. Some of that is Pen's responsibility, 0:18:22.960 --> 0:18:25.879 you know, for herself, but I think a part of 0:18:25.960 --> 0:18:29.159 Eloise knows that she's taken up a lot of space 0:18:29.160 --> 0:18:32.000 in this friendship, and maybe if she had allowed pen 0:18:32.080 --> 0:18:34.359 a little more space, she would have told her that 0:18:34.520 --> 0:18:38.000 secret earlier on. So I think it's going to be 0:18:38.119 --> 0:18:42.120 really interesting to not have them be friends in season three. 0:18:42.320 --> 0:18:45.240 It gives them both a chance to grow without that 0:18:45.400 --> 0:18:48.160 safety net of their best friend. Oh. 0:18:48.240 --> 0:18:50.239 I think I think that's such a good point, and 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:52.840 I totally agree with you, because I feel like we've 0:18:52.920 --> 0:18:56.040 also you know, I think as a storyteller for you, 0:18:56.080 --> 0:18:58.439 but also as an audience member, you start to take 0:18:58.480 --> 0:19:02.359 certain relationships for granted, and I take certain relationships for granted, 0:19:02.359 --> 0:19:04.560 and then they go in the shitter, and then I 0:19:04.640 --> 0:19:06.560 understand that I was taking for granted. 0:19:07.240 --> 0:19:09.520 Also, you look at the age that. 0:19:09.520 --> 0:19:12.119 These girls are, these women are while this story is 0:19:12.160 --> 0:19:14.280 being told, and of course you start to grow in 0:19:14.320 --> 0:19:17.560 different directions. And I think it was such a smart 0:19:17.680 --> 0:19:21.680 thing to do because we get dependent and lazy as 0:19:21.760 --> 0:19:24.640 watchers when we see the same relationship over and over again. 0:19:24.920 --> 0:19:28.120 It's going to make the storytelling for this season even 0:19:28.160 --> 0:19:31.200 more interesting because we get it's almost like a do 0:19:31.400 --> 0:19:34.200 over for these two characters in a really really cool way. 0:19:35.440 --> 0:19:39.520 Yeah, it's a chance to discover whether, you know what, 0:19:39.680 --> 0:19:43.159 we were just friends of convenience all along as a 0:19:43.200 --> 0:19:45.439 lot of us, you know, have with these friendships from 0:19:45.520 --> 0:19:49.320 high school or college or whatever, or are we soul 0:19:49.400 --> 0:19:52.400 friends who just needed to do a little growing separately. 0:19:52.880 --> 0:20:04.959 That's the question I think coming into season three. 0:20:02.320 --> 0:20:05.640 As you heard Jess allude to, We've got so much 0:20:05.720 --> 0:20:08.240 to look forward to with these two characters in this season. 0:20:09.040 --> 0:20:12.480 I am beyond excited to continue our conversations with Jess 0:20:12.520 --> 0:20:13.760 in the coming episodes. 0:20:14.280 --> 0:20:14.919 Wait for it. 0:20:15.680 --> 0:20:18.320 You know, we can't let this episode end without hearing 0:20:18.320 --> 0:20:21.600 from the actual actors who brought these characters to life. 0:20:21.840 --> 0:20:24.520 Here's Claudia Jesse, who plays Eloise. 0:20:28.440 --> 0:20:36.400 Elouise is nineteen as am I, and in season two 0:20:36.520 --> 0:20:39.920 we've sort of we've left her with no best mate 0:20:40.640 --> 0:20:44.760 and the ending of a sort of situationship she had with, 0:20:45.680 --> 0:20:48.800 you know, a lovely printer boy, and so things have 0:20:48.920 --> 0:20:52.720 sort of caved in. And then in her family everyone's 0:20:52.800 --> 0:20:57.119 marrying off or finding their path, and I think I 0:20:57.119 --> 0:20:59.359 think Eloise is a lot of the time met with 0:20:59.480 --> 0:21:03.080 a sort of loving eye roll from her family. So 0:21:03.160 --> 0:21:06.240 I think she must feel quite alone. I guess if 0:21:06.560 --> 0:21:10.679 I mean, I'm thirty four, and if my relationship ended 0:21:11.800 --> 0:21:16.440 and then my best friend Laila and I fell out, 0:21:17.200 --> 0:21:19.639 and then I turned to my family, who all seemed 0:21:19.640 --> 0:21:23.720 to love me, but not fully fully get they don't 0:21:23.720 --> 0:21:28.520 fully catch my hammer, if you will. The one thing 0:21:28.560 --> 0:21:31.480 that she found solace in was reading Lady Whistledown, which 0:21:31.480 --> 0:21:35.840 has now been tarnished and tainted slightly. I just think 0:21:35.920 --> 0:21:40.879 she will feel quite empty. So there's no surprise that 0:21:40.920 --> 0:21:46.320 when people are sort of disenfranchised and not enchanted by 0:21:46.320 --> 0:21:51.080 the things around them, they may end up following an 0:21:51.240 --> 0:21:55.399 unusual path. The reason I think that the audience connects 0:21:55.400 --> 0:21:57.160 with Eluise is because she is the closest to the. 0:21:57.119 --> 0:21:58.879 Audience that you're going to get. 0:21:59.080 --> 0:22:02.000 I believe the beauty about Bridgington is that we can 0:22:02.119 --> 0:22:05.960 sort of bleed into different, you know, disciplines. 0:22:06.320 --> 0:22:08.600 We don't always have to walk this perfect line of 0:22:08.640 --> 0:22:11.400