Bridgerton boss Chris Van Dusen insists the show will still be ‘sexy and scandalous’ despite significantly less raunchy sex scenes in the new season.
The highly anticipated second season of the Netflix series is set to drop on the streaming service worldwide on Friday, after its record breaking Christmas Day debut in 2020.
But whilst fans were left swooning over the steamy sex scenes in season one, the showrunner defended his decision to leave more to the imagination this time around.
“It was never about quantity for us. And our approach to intimacy on the show is the same as season one and that’s that we use these intimate scenes to tell a story.”
“We’ve never done a sex scene for the sake of doing a sex scene, and I don’t think we ever will. It all serves as a larger purpose.”
Inspired by Julia Quinn's best selling novels series, the second season follows Anthony, the eldest Bridgerton sibling and Viscount, played by Jonathan Bailey, as he finally gives in to finding himself a wife.
Driven by his duty to uphold the family name, Anthony’s search for a debutante who meets his impossible standards seems ill-fated until he finds himself in a love triangle with new arrivals to the ton, Kate Sharma,
played by Simone Ashley, and her younger sister Edwina Sharma, Charithra Chandran.
And despite tension and torment surrounding the trio, fans of season one’s raunchy relationship between Daphne, played by Phoebe Dynevor and Simon, the Duke of Hastings, played by Regé-Jean Page, will be surprised by the lack of intimacy until the finale episodes.
Defending the decision, executive producer of the hit series, Chris continued: “It’s a different story this season, it’s different characters.
We are with Anthony and Kate most of this season, and that is very different from Daphne and Simon.”
But he said ‘sexiness’ still comes through in other ways this season, teasing the ‘off the charts’ chemistry between the two new leading characters.
He went on: “Let me just say the chemistry between these two [Jonathon and Simone] is just off the charts…It is just so amazing.
“There’s so much sexiness in just the looks across the room, and the hands grazing, and the fingers almost touching. You can really feel that build from episode to episode, from scene to scene really.”
“And you know that when we get there, the climax if you will, the payoff is going to be well worth it.”
Simone Ashley, who plays Kate, agreed with the decision to delay their intimacy until the end of the new season, saying: “I think it makes sense for these characters because they’re so protective over their families and so truthful to their duty and their responsibility.
“So for them to kind of break that wouldn’t have made sense to the characters.
"And as Chris has said, they aren’t performative sex scenes, they have a meaning behind them and I think they’re very earned when the fireworks happen.”
Jonathan Bailey, who plays Anthony added:“ And I think what is achieved in, which is also a nod to the future in how people fall in love.
“There's so many different ways in which people connect with their own bodies and their intimacy.
“But I think Kate and Anthony feel explicit in the way that they feel naked in front of each other.
“And I think that's also really, I mean, it's a very interesting cerebral way of exploring that sort of innate sexuality.
“And I think it just flowed through well for the following seasons, to not just be expected for it just to be about the sex because that is a huge part of it.
“But there's certainly other amazing things that are explored and will be explored.”
But on what fans can expect instead, creator Chris, who is departing the show to work on other projects after this season, quipped: “Fans should expect a wild, wild ride this season. We worked hard to bring everything that fans fell in love with about season one, into season two. And I think we did it.
“It’s amazing, it's emotional, and romantic and sexy and scandalous.”
“And I think we’re back for an even greater escape into 19th century London.”
The American television producer and screenwriter, and the cast of season two were speaking as they reunited for the global press conference ahead of the season two premiere on Monday.
However, Galway born star of the show, Nicola Coughlan, who not only plays Penelope Featherington in the hit show, but also the star, and mysterious gossip writer Lady Whistledown, was forced to pull out of the event at the last minute, due to unforeseen circumstances.
Fellow stars Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Danbury, and Ruth Gemmell, who plays family matriarch Violet Bridgerton, were also pulled from the line-up minutes before the interviews began.
Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton), Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton), Polly Walker (Portia Featherington), and Bessie Carter (Prudence Featherington) and Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte) were among the talent that did take part, and told of their tales from filming throughout the pandemic.
And despite the ladies enduring painful corsets and Jonathon being left red faced after ripping his trousers during fencing scenes, to long night shoots and working with the newest cast member, Kate Sharma's mischievous corgi, the cast described working together this season as a ‘joy’.
And teasing what is to come for fans waiting for the release on Friday, they described the new season as a ‘rollercoaster’ and ‘yearning’.
Adding the word ‘intense’ into the mix, Luke Newton, who plays Colin Bridgerton, said: “That's how I felt when I watched it. I'm just like, there are some scenes that I wasn't involved in and watching it I'm like,
on the edge of my sofa.
“And I've watched those scenes like multiple times. It's amazing.”
