The tale of enemies and lovers between Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) has been the talk of the bin since Netflix released Bridgerton season two.
As the season begins, Anthony is looking for a woman – not true love – and Kate is looking for the perfect husband for her little sister Edwina (Charithra Chandran). Anthony and Kate start off on the wrong foot when she overhears him talking to his friends about how he’s not looking for a love match, but someone who will be a good, kind wife. Kate wants more than that for her sister and what follows over the course of the eight episode season is Kate making it her goal to keep Anthony away from Edwina.
Along the way, Kate and Anthony are at each other’s throats, constantly arguing and joking, but they also encounter a strange and surprising attraction that eventually leads to their marriage. That conflict, showrunner Chris Van Dusen previously told , was at the heart of the show’s second love story.
For Bailey, the most appealing element of his character’s main story on the show (the second season is based on the second novel of best-selling Julia Quinn, The Viscount Who Loved Me) was the certainty that it would be about Anthony’s trauma and how that trauma plays out Part of who he is today, why he’s not looking for love, and his habit of self-sabotage – a habit he and Kate share.
“Both have truly denied themselves hope and belief in a love that is nurturing and nurturing, thrilling and exciting as love seems to be to everyone else around them,” Bailey tells THR. “I think the fact that they’re self-sabotaging — and being able to plan the journey that takes them through breaking the kind of barriers that they’ve put up for themselves, whether it’s through trauma or responsibility — just to really pull that out and allow an audience to follow and really get involved, that was the big achievement I think [this season].”
In the following chat with THR, the actor also opens up about his hopes for Anthony and Kate’s future as Bridgerton has already been renewed for two more seasons on Netflix and why this season didn’t rely as heavily on sex as season one.
Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton. Courtesy of Liam Daniel/Netflix
Given how popular Bridgerton’s debut was, what were your expectations for season two? How was that pressure and how do you feel now after seeing his success?
Oh my god – just kind of excited. It’s such a personal thing, even if it’s an ensemble show like this, every single person cares so much about everything. From character development to returning and working with the crew; it’s a big family. I knew that, in the hands of [showrunner] Chris Van Dusen and I knew this from the original source material for Anthony’s book [the season’s tone] would always totally change because there was so much about Anthony that was unresolved and unconsidered in his actions.
Psychologically I knew we were going to deal with his trauma and I was really looking forward to it; Since we knew this was going to be something we were going to delve into and introduce Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma, it would always naturally show how people in the true love genre come together in completely different ways. Knowing that it was going to be a psychologically driven season was always appealing to me, in my opinion. So it was good to get into it.
But then everything else, you just put the blinders on and you work and think about how you can really believe what your character is doing and fully trust Shonda Rhimes and Netflix to do the rest. So much of the show is in the works as is the beginning and the design and the choreography and all those things. We are incredibly well supported. But now, yes [I feel] incredibly relieved. You just want people to care about your characters like you do, and like Simone and I care about Kate and Anthony. Feeling like people really understand them – because they’re confusing at certain points – is exciting because in a way it validates your understanding of people.
As he explored this trauma for Anthony (he watched his father die, he saw how devastated his mother was and vowed never to love anyone that way, lest he break the path she did , if he ever loses love for his life), what layers does that add to Anthony and Kate’s love story and make it all the more surprising in the end?
Anthony and Kate are all about achieving a positive feeling. I think both have truly denied themselves hope and belief in a love that is nurturing and nurturing and exciting and exciting as love seems to be for everyone else around them and what they seek for their siblings. That they kind of sabotage themselves to be able to plan their journey, how to break down the barriers they’ve put up – whether it’s through trauma or responsibility – just to really unpack it and allow an audience to to really follow it join me, I think that was the great achievement. It’s in the writing, but it’s also when you’re collaborating with someone and it clicks, and you can feel like you’re on the same page and working at the same frequency. And that’s how it felt. That’s what we certainly wanted to achieve: the complexity of when they come together and what that means.
Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma with Bailey’s Anthony in the season 2 finale. Courtesy of Liam Daniel/Netflix
Have you felt the pressure to live up to the Duke and Daphne’s steamy romance, especially since there are less intimate scenes this season?
Yes, it’s interesting. I remember just checking in. I remember talking to Chris Van Dusen pretty early on and saying, “When are they going to get together?” And I think that was something that was always in the writers’ room. But that means it made sense. We have all the episodes of the first season, so Phoebe [Dynevor] and rain[-Jean Page] would have known exactly what was going to happen, but we planned the trip because we were given two scripts at once for each block [in season two]. So it was a surprise for us too, but it meant that I think something was gained too.
And it makes sense for what Bridgerton is up to, which isn’t just a season or two. This is going to be an expanding world and the delicate way in which all the siblings are part of this ensemble and how they will come to the fore at different times is brilliant. That’s why it’s important that we refrained from doing that. I think it’s a really positive thing to show that Bridgerton doesn’t just draw on the physical act of sexuality, but maybe in that way more on the psychology, and that’s going to continue to change in the future. You know, [Kate and Anthony] are married now so we’ll see what happens in season three. We may not be clothed at all for the whole season!
Simone confirmed to THR that Kate will return next season. What do you see for the future of Anthony and Kate?
I hope they continue their joy found at the end of episode eight. I think that last shot of the two is one of my favorites on the show just because I really want to see Anthony happy, and I think he really is at this point. But there will be complications. They are not simple people. I know they will work together as a unit and I know he will give himself completely to her so I’m excited to see and explore that. There is so much in the book and in the source material about her and his past that you may see conversations where they further acknowledge that; and they have a really rich connection, it will be great to explore that a little further. The payoff of the slow burn will continue in my opinion for years to come.
Kate and Anthony Bridgerton Courtesy of Liam Daniel/Netflix
There has been a lot of talk about the show on the internet. Do you read comments or tweets? And if so, did you notice anything about how people are reacting to this season?
I’m trying desperately not to at the moment. What have I read? Oh, I’ve read comments about snooping. (Laughs) You tell the story as you fully understand it, and you believe it should be, and you find the truth in it. And then of course you’re thinking about how you sound or what you’re actually doing, so I liked the idea of someone literally just thinking about me sniffing her and whatnot. Sometimes you don’t think of the literal word, so it’s quite nice that it’s actually taken off. They just hope people sniff each other a little more. I represent all the snoopers out there. (Laughs.)
This season is all about longing. Audiences wait almost until the end of the season to see Anthony and Kate finally have their happy endings. Do you wish they had more time as a couple this season?
I think it just shows the confidence they have in the fact that we have more time. I think we have more time with them. He’s the viscount. She will be the Viscountess and just as Phoebe has not been missed they will be there to support the siblings in any way and that will include exploring their marital relationship. But the payoff really is that these two people, we know due to the romance genre and enemies to lovers trope, will end up together. It’s just the luscious way of engaging with how this is going to happen and when it’s going to happen, and hopefully carrying with it a kind of seriousness that’s backed up by pain and longing. I think it’s great that we got there at the end and that we can look at the people they become and the people they end up being. But the happiness and joy in that final sequence is what it’s all about.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Bridgerton Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.