(Warning: this post contains spoilers from the end of the first season of “Bridgerton.”)
“Bridgerton”, by Shonda Rhimes, is an adaptation of Julia Quinn’s novels that does not escape the reality of the romance genre because it becomes very, very intimate. Yes, we are talking about passionate sex scenes and liberating masturbation moments, of which “Bridgerton” is full.
But star Phoebe Dynevor – who plays Daphne Bridgerton, the oldest daughter of the Bridgerton family who falls in love and marries Simon Basset, also known as the Duke of Hastings, halfway through the first season of the Netflix drama – said sex it’s not just there because it’s fun to watch.
“It was a very important story to tell. I never felt like the sex scenes were there just because of the sex scenes. They really did tell a story. They talked about Daphne’s sexual evolution and it was very important to get them right, ”Dynevor told TheWrap.
Read too: ‘Bridgerton’: Who is Lady Whistledown?
This sexual evolution begins before Daphne and Simon’s wedding, when he teaches her how to please herself. Simon reveals this and more to Daphne, as she knew nothing about sex before the duke appeared. Throughout the first few days of their marriage, Simon gives Daphne an intensive course on everything about making love. And that includes male-to-female oral sex, an act that is less often portrayed on the screen.
“It’s sad. I think Daphne is a feminist born at the wrong time,” said Dynevor. “She is very powerful and really has her own voice and she doesn’t want to love anyone she doesn’t love – although she isn’t sure what love is. when we met her. But also, no one told her about her sexuality, she doesn’t know what sex or lust is or all those feelings. So, we discovered this with her on the journey, which is a really lovely aspect of her, along with the look that runs the show. ”
Dynevor said that “each person can identify to find their sexuality”, as Daphne does in “Bridgerton”, “but not when you’ve never heard of it, in the context of the Regency of England, where you are literally not exposed to that type of conversation – you just have no idea it exists. “
Read too: ‘Bridgerton’: Here are all the modern songs that get classic covers
She added: “It was a fascinating part of bringing the character to life and understanding his struggles, which existed at the time.”
Page, Dynevor and “Bridgerton” creator Chris Van Dusen worked closely with an intimacy coordinator to plan Daphne and Simon’s sexual activities on the screen step by step, while the actors simulated sex and were partially nude in some scenes. Dynevor said the close collaboration made the actors feel “really safe” in what would normally be very private moments for a real-life couple.
“We just wanted to tell the story in a really real way and also the journey they make with sex,” she said. “Daphne doesn’t know anything about sex when they are together for the first time and, in the end, she has a lot of power and control over her sexuality. So, it was finding that journey too, all those aspects that kind of brought everything together. “
As fans who finished the first season of “Bridgerton” now know, Daphne’s sexual awakening is not always a pleasant experience, as it leads to one of the most disturbing moments in the series: when Daphne discovers that the ejaculation of semen into the vagina is the which leads to reproduction – something Simon has specifically avoided doing to keep Daphne from getting pregnant.
Read too: ‘Bridgerton’ Switched Book Characters’ Races for the series – just don’t call the cast ‘colorblind’
This is a big betrayal to Daphne, who believed that her husband really couldn’t have children, instead of simply not wanting them.
“I think there is even more frustration for her because she is desperate to know that,” said Dynevor. “She is a person who absorbs knowledge and wants to know everything in the world and about every human being. She is super empathetic. She really wants to know Simon’s story and where he came from and what makes him so closed in a strange way. So I think it’s even more frustrating that people are hiding things from her because she is the opposite of that in nature. And also, just the frustrations of being kept in the dark, which must be so frustrating. It was an important aspect of their relationship, really. I mean, it’s so fundamental, isn’t it? I think this scene is a climax for the show, because even Rege and I would have real-life conversations about where he was and where I was and that made it seem a little more real. “
Everything is fine when it ends well, however, when Simon decides not to let his dead father’s bad parents get in the way of his own happiness with Daphne, and the two have their first child in the final moments of the ending.
“Bridgerton” has not yet been renewed for a second season, but Dynevor hopes it will and that fans will be able to see the story of Daphne and Simon continue – along with the journey of his older brother, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey).
Read too: ‘Bridgerton’ star Rege-Jean Page says Shonda Rhimes ‘series is Jane Austen meets’ Gossip Girl ‘with ’49 Shades’ of Gray (video)
“I think it’s lovely to end as it did, it’s good to have a happy ending,” said Dynevor. “But there are also many places where their relationship could go and Anthony would be so involved in Daphne’s combination that I think she will probably have some kind of say about him. I would be intrigued to see how they would understand this story and how much Daphne would be involved in his. “
Check back with TheWrap over the weekend for more “Bridgerton” coverage, including interviews with Page and Van Dusen.