Phoebe Dynevor knows you’re still processing the news that Regé-Jean Page won’t be back on Season 2 of Netflix’s juicy “Bridgerton.” But rest assured, Phoebe and Simon — a.k.a. the Duke and Duchess of Hastings — are doing quite fine. Dynevor has just returned to the set of “Bridgerton,” and confirms Phoebe will still be a major part of the action as she now turns her attention to finding true love for her brother, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey).
Based on Julia Quinn’s best-selling series of novels, “Bridgerton” is set in the lavish and competitive world of London high society during the Regency period of the early 1800s. “Bridgerton” has already been renewed through Season 4, so there’s plenty of your period soapy obsession to come. But because each season will be inspired by a different book in the series, that means the focus on each Bridgerton child will change.
“I had a bit of a heads up so I knew but yeah, I guess it is a spanner,” Dynevor tells Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast of Page’s departure. “But again, the show centers around the Bridgertons and there are eight books. I think maybe the fans of the books were more aware of that happening than the fans of the show. I think fans of the books know that every episode is about a different sibling. And we’re very much passing the baton to the lovely Johnny, who plays Anthony. Obviously it’s sad to to see [Page] go but I’m looking forward to being reunited with my with my family.”
The Variety Awards Circuit podcast recently spoke to Dynevor about what the last several months have been like for the actor, who has quite the busy year. She just wrapped a film and is now immediately back at work on the “Bridgerton” set. We began by talking about how it was a bit hard to celebrate the show’s success while in quarantine — but maybe that was a good thing. Listen below!
“I remember shooting the last scene in episode one where Regé and I have our first dance together,” Dynevor recalls. “And I remember thinking, wow, this feels kind of special.”
But nonetheless, she wasn’t prepared for the firestorm of attention that “Bridgerton” has received in the weeks, and now months, since its debut during the holiday season. “I had no idea what we were filming and I just I just worked my butt off and hoped for the best,” she says. “I remember, Johnny Bailey and I having conversations where we were like, what is this? Are people gonna get what we’re trying to do? Because it just feels so strange. And luckily, they did.”
That hard work included piano lessons, etiquette classes and learning how to ride horseback, among other things. “We had six weeks prep, so it was pretty mega,” she says. “I was so nervous about dancing because I’ve always thought of myself as a terrible dancer. So I was like, ‘oh, God, they cast me and I can’t dance and they’re gonna find out and it’s gonna be awful!’ But luckily, I had a great dance instructor and ended up just really enjoying it. And we got to dance to modern music. I really loved horse riding as well. Piano, I’m not so good at.”
The most difficult element of the show was its intimacy scenes, which Dynevor describes as a challenge, but one that the show’s producers treated with care. “I remember talking a lot to Regé and our intimacy coordinator, and our showrunner and directorm particularly the first intimate scene, about how it has to look very consensual. Even though Daphne has no idea what she’s doing, she still has to be in control in a certain way. So it was finding that balance and how we were going to portray that on screen in an authentic way.”
Also on this episode: John Wilson is a New York filmmaker who has obsessively been shooting the lives of the people around him and out in the world for years. Sometimes he asks their permission, and sometimes it’s better that he doesn’t. He has long compiled them into short films. But then HBO gave him a show, one that is also executive produced by Nathan Fielder, the “Nathan for You” star who knows a thing or two about highlighting the interesting contradictions and absurdities of every day people. On “How To With John Wilson,” as writer/director/cameraman/executive producer and narrator, Wilson takes simple questions, like how to make small talk or how to improve your memory, and he turns it into deep dives into humanity.
The Awards Circuit podcast recently spoke with Wilson to get more of an insight into his process, and also into some of the interesting personal details he has revealed, such as his daily chronicle of everything that he experiences.
But first, on the Variety Awards Circuit Roundtable, we recap this week’s broadcast upfronts and what surprised us about the greenlights, renewals and cancellations.
Variety’s Emmy edition of the “Awards Circuit” podcast is hosted by Michael Schneider, Jazz Tangcay and Danielle Turchiano and is your one-stop listen for lively conversations about the best in television. Each week during Emmy season, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top TV talent and creatives; discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines; and much, much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts. New episodes post every Thursday.