When Bridgerton first made its royal entry onto Netflix, audiences throughout the globe had been instantly captivated by creator Shonda Rhimes‘ stunningly inclusive reimagining of Julia Quinn‘s novels. Not solely did the collection highlight a Black main man within the type of the dashingly charismatic Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page) however it additionally flipped the idea of regency energy on its head with a formidable Black queen within the type of grownup Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel). Although the illustration, which may be very hardly ever portrayed in interval dramas, was instantly commendable the collection solely briefly touched on race and as a substitute left room for audiences to conjure up their very own tales as to how Regency England got here to be within the Bridgerton-verse. However, the success of the collection birthed a prequel story in contrast to every other within the type of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story – a narrative that tackles racism head-on by the superbly heartbreaking union of King George (Corey Mylchreest) and Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio). That weight of their relationship is one thing present star Amarteifio was actively aware of throughout filming.
During an interview with L’OFFICIELI, the young Charlotte actress, Amarteifio, explored how two societies are successfully introduced collectively by the primary main interracial marriage within the ton by an idea coined “The Great Experiment.” The title in itself alludes to the attitudes of the folks on the time and while Queen Charlotte is certainly a piece of fiction, the racism and prejudice is a really actual facet of historical past which is summed up in a nutshell when George’s mom describes Charlotte as “fairly brown.” Whilst Charlotte and George undoubtedly face challenges because the ton quietly disapproves, it turns into increasingly obvious that Charlotte possesses an immense quantity of affect in terms of giving Black folks a voice and area in elite society. “…She is the article in many individuals’s paths, but in addition, she is the plow, virtually; she is permitting these folks to now be built-in into society,” Amarteifio stated. “She is a frontrunner; she is somebody who takes on duty, unknowingly and knowingly. People hear as a result of she goes in opposition to the grain.”
Queen Charlotte Quickly Learns How Valuable Her Position Is
Whilst Charlotte possesses the power to spark change, it’s her confidant Lady Agatha Danbury (Arsema Thomas) that brings it to her consideration simply how a lot duty is on her shoulders in a strong speech about her palace partitions being “too excessive.” It is then she is ready to lean on George for help in actually enabling the Black group to really feel seen as a substitute of shunned. “A number of it’s helped by Lady Danbury and her re-reminding her of who she is, and the facility that she holds,” Amarteifio defined. “A number of that’s in George as effectively, giving her the arrogance to lean into that energy and never be scared or shy about it, and to recollect the function that she holds in society is way greater than herself.”
Although the pair share a strong bond on-screen they solely spent the equal of 1 week filming collectively out of Queen Charlotte‘s six-month shoot. Nevertheless, Amarteifio stated the pair had been in a position to pull from their “personal experiences” of being Black ladies “in an trade wherein many of the rooms you stroll into are white.” Throughout the present audiences witness a change in society by Charlotte’s refined however impactful actions, similar to attending the Danbury Ball and guaranteeing Lady Danbury’s son inherits his late father’s title. In addition to addressing the rich-in-diversity panorama know in the principle collection, it additionally superbly units the tempo for season three of Bridgerton to additional discover and acknowledge simply how lengthy a street it was for the ton to get there.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is on Netflix now. You can watch a trailer for the present beneath.