Why Daphne From Bridgerton Looks So Familiar
Bridgerton is Netflix's newest period piece that everyone is currently obsessed with, according to Twitter. In addition to the beautiful 19th century London aesthetic, what makes it truly special is its social commentaries on race, gender, and socioeconomic positions. According to NPR, "Bridgerton is an adaptation of mostly the first book in a successful series of eight Regency romance novels by Julia Quinn. Taking place in the early part of the nineteenth century, the books follow the eight siblings in the Bridgerton family, four boys and four girls, as they seek the loves of their lives."
Actress Phoebe Dynevor plays eldest daughter Daphne Bridgerton, and is just as much of a fan of the series as we are. In an interview with Town & Country, Dynevor said that while she loves a traditional period piece and grew up watching them, she believes that what makes Bridgerton so special are the ways in which it isn't conventional. She said that when she read the script, she could instantly tell that it was unlike any period piece she had seen before. "I think that's why you want to engage with it, because it's not covering anything up," she said.
We love Dynevor and her passion for the series. And if you're anything like us, you've been obsessively wondering where you might have seen the breakout star before.
You might recognize Dynevor from any of these series
Dynevor has a pretty limited filmography at only 25 years old. She has starred in a few lesser known series, her debut work being Siobhan Mailey in the fifth season of Waterloo Road from 2009-2010. Over the next few years, she played a mix of recurring and guest roles in series such as Monroe, Prisoners' Wives, The Village, and The Musketeers (via PopBuzz).
A big moment in Phoebe Dynevor's career happened in 2017 when she made her debut on American television with Snatch, a comedy-drama following the lives of a group of hustlers navigating the world of organized crime. She played Lottie Mott and appeared alongside Rupert Grint, Luke Pasqualino, and Lucien Laviscount (via IMDb). However, if this isn't where you recognize Dynevor from, it could instead be from her most recent work leading up to Bridgerton, a series called Younger by the producer of Sex and the City. While she wasn't the central star in this series, she did have a recurring role (2017-19) in which she played Clare, the Irish bartender and Google employee (via Cosmopolitan).
This is what the rehearsal process for Bridgerton was like for Dynevor
February of 2019 was the start of her big debut on Netflix — but she didn't even know it at the time. After her initial audition, it was months before she heard back from the Bridgerton casting directors. But she tells Harper's Bazaar that once she eventually heard from them, things picked up very quickly. The beginning stages involved meeting her fellow cast members, trying on costumes, reading through the script, and going to countless rehearsals. "And then, as my schedule came in," she said, "horse riding on Monday and piano lessons on Tuesday and etiquette training. I was like, 'Oh, okay. This is kind of crazy.'"
Dynevor recalls that dance rehearsals were what helped her bond most with her fellow cast mates, but especially with Regé-Jean Page, a.k.a. Simon Basset, her hunky love interest. She explains that their six weeks of rigorous rehearsals were busy, but essential to prepping for the roles and developing chemistry with the cast as a whole. As for the intimate scenes (which there are quite a lot of in Bridgerton), Dynevor says the rehearsals and blocking were unlike any intimacy training she has done before. They were given a dedicated intimacy coordinator who helped them through filming these scenes and made them feel safe and comfortable (via Buzzfeed). "We would rehearse the sex scenes like stunts," she said, per Elle. "I would literally know exactly where a guy was going to put his hand at what moment. And we'd have props, like mats, that went in between us [...] It was more intricately choreographed than our dance routines in a way, so I never really felt exposed at all."