Phoebe Dynevor and Rege-Jean Page on Bridgerton's "raunchy" Daphne and The Duke
TV Features Bridgerton
Bridgerton is not your grandmother’s regency period drama. There’s sex—and not just “it’s our wedding night, I suppose we must” sex. There’s naked, in the rain, in a field sex. There’s library-ladder sex. There’s under-the-bleachers-at-a-boxing-match sex. There’s a lot of sex.
But how well does all that sex serve the story? As Phoebe Dynevor, who plays Daphne Bridgerton, tell us in the video above, all that “raunchiness” serves a purpose. Rege-Jean Page, who plays the Duke Of Hastings, has thoughts (and giggles) as well. That, plus whether or not Dynevor and Page ever wanted to scream “Just get over it!” at the Duke, can be found in the video above.
Bridgerton is available to stream now on Netflix.
7 Comments
I have to admit, I enjoyed Bridgerton far more than I ever expected. The two leads have superb chemistry never mind impossibly attractive helped immensely by the jaw dropping costumes which in sheer scale is a bit mind blowing (Nearly 8000 costumes I read). The multi-racial cast did not throw me at all and actually I was grateful because Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury lit up every scene she had throughout the series and I can’t wait to see her again in any role. The sex scenes were, what is the word, “choreographed” such that it became a game to catch every subtle object, appendage or lighting fig leafing throughout, an arm, a shadow a pillow, a sheet, yards of Regency era fabric- think the adult version of Where’s Waldo?
It was very clear it was a much more femine gaze than you usually see. The best comparison I can make is Orange is the New Black which famously opened with an R-rated version of a softcore porn in a pretty naked attempt to draw in men, despite that being outside the target demo.
In contrast, they’re really restrained with Dynevor’s nudity, but not in a way that feels prudish. It’s just not what they want to be the main focus.
Who the hell is Janice from the AV Club?
“Eh, what’d ya wanna do tonight, Duke?”
“The same thing we do every night, Daphne: COSPLAY COSPLAY COSPLAY!”
Not gonna lie, pretty darn uncomfortable with hyping the raunchiness of the sex scenes without even mentioning the reproductive coercion aka sexual assault?! I mean, if the roles were reversed and Simon had done this to Daphne I’m pretty sure there would be an article here on it and some understandable ire, particularly as the show did not engage with it in any sort of a thoughtful or meaningful way. Making light of it all and just seeing it as fun, spicy TV is really disturbing and part of why so many male survivors worry they won’t be taken seriously.
I think they have such wonderful chemistry and it really makes the relationship between Daphne and Simon believable. The entire cast and production really went all out, and it’s such a fantastical romance. I hope this opens door to other regency stories being told.
“Phoebe Dynevor, who plays Daphne Bridgerton”
>Adds new row to the “Phoebes with Bridges” spreadsheet.