Since steaming up our TV screens over the lockdown winter of 2020, Netflix’s Regency-era romp has been one of the streamer’s most watched shows. A Shondaland Production created by Chris Van Dusen, the series is based on Julia Quinn’s bestselling novel series, charting the romances of the eight Bridgerton siblings as they come of age in London’s high society.
Three seasons have already been released, and now a fourth is coming to our screens in two parts: the first four episodes are being released on 29 January, the second four on 26 February. A fifth and sixth season have also been confirmed.
It’s likely all eight books will eventually be adapted for the screen. Which, dear reader, means several more chances to be cast in the show. If you're burning for a role, here’s what you need to know about the process.
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Each season follows a different Bridgerton sibling on their quest to find a love match amongst London’s elite. Heightening the drama are plot lines involving meddling matriarchs, the watchful Queen Charlotte, and the mysterious Lady Whistledown, reporting all of their goings on in her gossip pamphlet.
Seasons 1 and 2 stuck loyally to Quinn’s books, with the first instalment following the courtship of Daphne and Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, and the second Anthony’s slow-burning relationship with Kate Sharma. But the third season skipped book three and went straight to book four, in which Colin develops feelings for his friend, Penelope Featherington.
Showrunner Jess Brownell explained the decision to jump to the plot of book four in an interview with Variety: “I really feel like it’s Colin and Penelope’s time. Because we’ve been watching both of these actors on our screens since Season 1, we’ve already invested in them a little bit.”
Season 4 retraces the saga to focus on the plot of book three: Benedict’s search to find the identity of his love interest, the Lady in Silver, who we know to be Sophie, a maid with a Cinderella-like history.
Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page were the lead cast members of Season 1, which focused on the steamy courtship and marriage of their characters Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset. Dynevor stayed for Season 2 (but not 3), while Page left to pursue other projects.
On Season 2, Jonathan Bailey’s Lord Anthony Bridgerton meets his match in Simone Ashley’s competitive Kate Sharma, and the two eventually declare their love for one another. Season 3 followed the will-they-won’t-they relationship between Nicola Coughlan’s Penelope Featherington and Luke Newton’s Colin Bridgerton. And Season 4 is set to follow the relationship between Luke Thompson’s Benedict Bridgerton and newcomer Yerin Ha’s Sophie Baek.
Also in the cast are:
- Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte
- Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton
- Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury
- Ruth Gemmell as Lady Violet Bridgerton
- Polly Walker as Lady Portia Featherington
- Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown
- Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton
- Harriet Cains as Philipa Featherington
- Bessie Carter as Prudence Featherington
- Jessica Madsen as Cressida Cowper
- Florence Hunt as Hyacinth Bridgerton
- Martins Imhangbe as Will Mondrich
- Will Tilston as Gregory Bridgerton
- Hugh Sachs as Brimsley
- Lorraine Ashbourne as Mrs. Varley
- Emma Naomi as Alice Mondrich
- Kathryn Drysdale as Genevieve Delacroix
- Daniel Francis as Marcus Anderson
- James Phoon as Harry Dankworth
- Sam Phillips as Lord Debling
Kelly Valentine Hendry has been the principal casting director on Bridgerton since the show’s first season. She’s worked in the industry for 25 years and heads up her own company, KVH Casting, through which she’s cast a number of other well-known TV shows, including Fleabag and Broadchurch.
Hendry casts a “wide net” when searching for talent for the series, and credits Shondaland’s decision not to focus on historical accuracy for allowing her to “just go after the best actors.” She explains: “It doesn’t matter where they come from or their class or anything. It’s freeing.”
The casting process on Bridgerton is also notably democratic for a series of its calibre: Each character in the show is cast through an audition, ensuring multiple actors have the chance to try out. “One of the most important things to me is that Bridgerton genuinely is an example of how casting should happen: Actors get cast from an audition, and may the best person win. It’s not about algorithms; that word is never mentioned on this show, and that’s why the cast is good,” Hendry says.
Hendry also takes the casting process slowly to ensure she gets it right. “I never compromise on Bridgerton because we don’t need to. If someone is not good enough, we’ll keep on going until it’s good enough. Until it’s better than good enough. Because when you’ve got something that people want to be in so badly, there’s no excuse not to get a great cast,” she says.
While the show has made many of its leading cast members famous, Hendry stresses that she and her team are not looking to cast existing big name actors, in part to ensure “parity and fairness” when it comes to actors’ pay. “When you’ve got an existing show, you can’t just bring someone in and pay them a ton of money when another actor who’s been on the show for three seasons hasn’t been paid that amount. It’s just absolutely unacceptable, so we don’t need to do it. Why would we?”
This, in turn, means each season offers plenty of casting opportunities for actors yet to make their name in the business.
At the time of writing, there are no open casting calls for Bridgerton Season 5, but it’s always worth keeping an eye on our casting page for opportunities. When they arise, you’ll want to be prepared: Have your acting CV, showreel, and headshots ready. It also helps to have an understanding of how casting for Netflix works in the UK.
Bridgerton casting is “all about the dialogue,” according to Hendry. “Some actors can do it, some actors can’t…There’s a very quick quality to the Bridgerton dialogue – it’s like a dance. And that makes casting really easy for me because I can watch an audition and know in seconds if they get that rhythm correctly.” So, be sure to watch the existing seasons closely and practice before auditioning.
When it comes to recording a self-taped audition, Hendry shared the following tips with Backstage.
- “I don’t like white backgrounds. They don’t make you look as good. You want a blue or a gray, and you want to light yourself.”
- “Make sure that your sound is really good, and have your readers stand a little bit away from the camera, because you want to just hear them. Sometimes readers are terrible, and it genuinely does distract. Quite often, directors will watch with headphones on, and they’ll have really good headphones that pick up all the extra noise. It doesn’t take much for things to annoy people.”
- “Attempt to perfect your self-tape, but don’t think about it too much.”
When you’re ready to send your application to a casting director via email, Hendry recommends putting yourself across accurately and briefly in the subject line. “For example, in The Last Kingdom, [I told actors if they] happen to be Scandinavian, you put: ‘Scandinavian 6’5” actor re: “The Last Kingdom.”’ “I’m definitely opening that, because I’m running out of big, strapping Vikings! So, just be clear in the subject [line], and keep it short, simple, and specific.”
With eight books primed to be adapted for the screen, not to mention spinoff shows – including Netflix’s Queen Charlotte, which Hendry also cast – the world of Bridgerton is never far from the CD’s mind, and her hunt for fresh talent to join the crew is continual. In her own words: “All I can say is that my eye is always looking for the next Bridgerton lead.”
