Bridgerton is back. Netflix has dropped a brand new mini series delving into the world of Queen Charlotte, the glamorous, domineering monarch that we’ve grown to love and fear in equal measure in the last two seasons, played to perfection by Golda Rosheuvel.
In Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Line of Duty and Sex Education actor India Amarteifio plays a younger iteration of Charlotte, exploring her sexual awakening, her quest for empowerment and acceptance within a racist monarchy and discovering the irrevocable, lifelong importance of female friendship.
The series follows Charlotte finding her feet as Queen of England, navigating her role as the only “brown” member of the Royal Family – her marriage to a white monarch called “the great experiment" – as well as her compelling relationship with King George as his mental health faces frightening depths.
We also see the beginning of Queen Charlotte’s friendship with Lady Danbury (her younger iteration played with fire by Arsema Thomas), a relationship just as important as any romantic one on screen, which India describes as having “natural chemistry”.
GLAMOUR catches up with the star from her family base back in London, to talk about building her own character, working with Shonda Rhimes, fighting for the representation we need on screen and the importance of staying true to herself as fame comes a-knocking.
What was it about Queen Charlotte that called to you as a character?
I felt so connected to her, before I knew too much about her. I'd watched Bridgerton and so I knew Golda [Rosheuvel]’s Charlotte. The character’s biracial background is similar to mine, and I related to the idea of coming into a community who aren’t from the same background as you and having to adapt. So it was really nice to see a character on a piece of paper and think ‘I relate to these topics already’.
In the first few minutes of the series you deliver this amazing speech about the constraints put on “ladies” – in this case, through what they wear. What was that like to play, with the knowledge of the different battles that modern women are fighting now, in terms of liberation?
It was really rewarding. A lot of showrunners and writers can be scared to tackle problems that are still present in society – because it creates conversation. But part of Shonda [Rhimes]’s brilliance is that she's not afraid to do that. It makes for a more enjoyable watch, because not only will people be able to relate to these topics, but they’re no longer taboo. Why ignore the elephant in the room?
We tackle race in the show, we tackle finding one's sexuality and sensuality. We really hit home on things that people shy away from. It’s great as an actor to say, ‘I don't need to tiptoe around this’.
What was it like to step into the world of Shondaland and work with Shonda Rhimes herself, who is responsible for so many amazing TV shows?
I felt immediately protected and comforted. Shonda has a ‘no assholes’ policy on set, so everyone working from the top to the floor is genuinely lovely and incredibly competent at their jobs, which you don't always find.
How did you match your acting to Golda Rosheuvel? How did it feel to step into a role that was already so firmly in the Bridgerton universe?
The beauty of it is that I was told not to emulate her performance. I almost made it my duty to not copy her or create some caricature of her performance.
Because not only is she Golda Rosheuvel – and I'm never going to be able to meet that level – we're playing different characters. Her Charlotte in Bridgerton is a couple of decades apart from my Charlotte. As humans, we evolve and we adapt over the years, so it gave me the liberty to create a different person.
Bridgerton has always had iconic romantic pairings, but one huge relationship in this series is Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury’s friendship. What do you think this says about the importance of platonic love and friendship over romance, and what was it like to play?
To me, it came naturally – my two best friends are two of the most important people in my life. I trust them with everything, and I know how important they are, not just to my mental health, but to me being the person I am. They empower me, they invigorate me. So to have that, and then to see it in a script, I was like, ‘I know what that feels like’.
I think it's incredibly important to show platonic love in a series that is so much about romantic love. Each type of love really helps the other because through finding love from one person to the other, we understand each other better as humans. And that’s all I want to do as an actor.
Bridgerton is known for its raunchy sex scenes. How were your experiences carrying out intimate scenes on set?
I was really nervous, as one probably should be. It's not normal to get your kit off in front of random strangers. I didn't understand how important intimacy coordinators really were until I'd worked with them, and how important sex scenes are – they’re not just thrown in for people's pleasure. They're a part of storytelling. And especially in Queen Charlotte, it is so much about about love and finding yourself and what gives you pleasure and joy. For George and Charlotte, their sexual relationship is incredibly important to them. So I knew I wasn’t just doing it for the sake of it.
The only reason we could get through it is because I really trusted Corey [Mylchreest] – who plays King George – but also Lizzy Talbot and Lucy Fennell, our intimacy coordinators. They would explain what was going on, and we would work through it like a dance routine. It was like any other scene, but you’re using your body in a slightly different way. And detaching yourself and remembering that you’re playing a character as well is incredibly important.
I think it's incredibly important to show platonic love in a series that is so much about romantic love.
You’ve spoken about the importance of every young Black girl seeing themselves represented as royalty, was this a big part of what you wanted to achieve with this role?
Completely. I grew up not really having any reference to a girl in a position of power that looked like me. Usually they were seen as slaves or maids, or people in acts of service.
It is really about representation, even if we don't take it in consciously. It's the subconscious – it's about waking up and knowing that there's a series out there that is doing really well, that is centred around a monarch who is Black. And seeing pictures of hair like mine and it being considered beautiful – without me having it straight.
The racism in Queen Charlotte is quite explicit, with the royals fretting about Charlotte being “very brown”. How important do you think this is to be talking about, given the allegations made within the British royal family in real life?
I think the fact that we can draw comparisons to conversations 400 years ago – fictional or not – to conversations we're still having in modern society just shows how far we've we've got to come still.
The series sees your character find her power, as a monarch, in a situation where the odds are against her. What do you find empowering yourself?
My relationship with my mum. I find her fascinating given the things that she's been through – she really gives me the motivation to forget the past and move on and use it as a lesson.
As an actor, it’s empowering to see roles become more available to everyone. Growing up, I would never have dreamed that I could be in a period piece, let alone play a queen, especially at my age. So the fact that there are people out there writing roles for people like me is really important and inspires me to keep going in an industry that is so oversaturated and incredibly difficult to become successful in.
On social media, you’re very candid. You recently assured your followers that “life is still very much dressing gowns, grand designs and pesto pasta”. What keeps you grounded?
Any kind of fame or elevation of my social status is so not my vibe at all. I find the whole thing ridiculous. And I think the more I laugh about it, the easier it is to stay humble.
If I woke up one day and suddenly started thinking that this lifestyle was normal, I wouldn't be myself. I think my friends and family would pick me up and say 'what are you doing?’. A lot of my social posts at the moment are me in full head-to-toe glam, but it takes a lot of people that create this image. At the end of the day, I'm kind of a product.
I think it's so important to show that this is the reality of the job. I would be doing a disservice to myself, but also to people that know me, if I if I acted any other way.
A lot of my social posts at the moment are me in full head-to-toe glam, but it takes a lot of people that create this image. At the end of the day, I'm kind of a product.
You had your break in theatre in shows like The Lion King, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – if you could do any stage role now, what would it be?
I'd love to do some Shakespeare – maybe Lady Macbeth. Yeah, I'd want to do some really dark, classical texts, because they’re rooted in all acting.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is available to watch on Netflix.
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