There has been plenty of talk about “Bridgerton” viewing romance and intimate scenes in particular from the “female gaze.” It’s something viewers are expecting more of in Season 2 as Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) takes over the central storyline as he seeks a woman of the ton to make his Viscountess.
But, if you’re wondering how creator/showrunner Chris Van Dusen approaches sexiness in the show – especially with Netflix having such a wide audience base – he credits keeping the spirit of Julia Quinn’s novels alive.
“It’s no secret that this is a show based on a series of delicious romance novels, and that was always something we were excited to lean into from the beginning,” Van Dusen told TheWrap. “And I always wanted this show to really not be so different from the experience of reading one of those romance novels in terms of things feeling sexy and dangerous and fun.”
Season 1 of the show, which starred Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne Bridgerton and Regé-Jean Page as Simon, the Duke of Hastings, was full of sexy moments as the characters’ faux-mance turned into a real romance – one that led to an explosion of passion, a forced wedding, and a lot more passion. There was also the much-discussed titillating Simon spoon licking scene.
For Season 2, trailer watchers have already seen – and even Netflix’s own social media account swooned over – Anthony’s soaking wet dress shirt moment when he falls into a lake. And, with the chemistry between this season’s leads – Anthony and Kate (Simone Ashley) – being described as “palpable,” some viewers may find themselves feeling flushed.
“And I wanted to take people on a wild ride at times,” Van Dusen continued of his approach to sexiness on “Bridgerton” across the show’s run. “I want people to, you know, to blush a little bit and I want to leave them hot and bothered and breathless. And I think that, that’s something that I love about the show, but there’s also — there’s a balance in that we never do a sex scene or an intimate scene on the show just for the sake of doing a sex scene/intimate scene.
“All of those scenes have a purpose. They’re all telling a story,” he continued. “They’re all moving the story forward. And that’s been our approach to the intimate scenes from the beginning.”
“Bridgerton” Season 2 begins streaming March 25 on Netflix.