Bringing a role to life. The cast of Netflix’s Queen Charlotte series bear a striking resemblance to their Bridgerton counterparts.
In December 2022, the original regency series introduced viewers to Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte. Bridgerton, which was inspired by Julia Quinn‘s novels, hinted at the monarch’s past with scenes between her and husband King George III (James Fleet).
Before the second season premiered, Netflix announced that Charlotte would be the focus of a prequel show.
“Many viewers had never known the story of Queen Charlotte before Bridgerton brought her to the world, and I’m thrilled this new series will further expand her story and the world of Bridgerton,” Netflix’s Head of Global TV Bela Bajaria in a statement in May 2021. “Shonda [Rhimes] and her team are thoughtfully building out the Bridgerton universe so they can keep delivering for the fans with the same quality and style they love. And by planning and prepping all the upcoming seasons now, we also hope to keep up a pace that will keep even the most insatiable viewers totally fulfilled.”
That same month, Rosheuvel praised the impact that Bridgerton has had on the entertainment industry.
“I saw [its success] before it came out, because we kinda get a sneak peek of it and I knew it was something that I hadn’t seen before,” the actress told Town & Country. “And I knew that it was something that I was hoping to see. That I have always been hoping to see. That inclusion, that diversity, pushing the boundaries so Black and brown artists can be celebrated in fabulous clothes and fabulous wigs.”
She continued: “The debate [over representation] has been ongoing and very, very long. I hope that it spills out into other characters in other shows. Playing royalty is fabulous, it’s really great, but I think we need to spill out into other [genres] like sci-fi and fantasies and dramas and cop shows — all of that stuff.”
The Dune star noted that her hope would be for representation to “not be a conversation” but a given on screen. “That’s the beauty of Bridgeton,” she added. “We can sit there and it just be, and it be celebrated. We can push the boundaries, then allow people to just sit in it, experience it, and recognize themselves in it. That’s the power of storytelling — to just be and play.”
Rosheuvel later teased that Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story would explore several characters from the OG show, which starred Phoebe Dynevor, Regé-Jean Page, Jonathan Bailey, Nicola Coughlan, Simone Ashley and more.
“We’re going to still be in the world of Bridgerton. We’re not moving away from the world that we know and love Queen Charlotte to be in. I think that’s really clever, because it kind of keeps us on the same track,” she told E! News in March 2022. “I think it’s really going to be interesting to see where she has come from and the things that have led her to her in the Bridgerton that we know and love.”
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Scroll down to see what the stars of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story look like in real life: