This is the racy Regency on rocket fuel – ramped-up Austen. Based on best-selling novels by American author Julia Quinn, the eight-episode series arrives on Christmas Day but has already been generating a bit of a buzz.
It has a ready-made army of fans in the books’ dedicated global readership, but is also arousing interest because it’s the first Netflix show from Shonda Rhimes, the super-producer behind the political intrigue series Scandal and long-running hospital drama Grey’s Anatomy, which has racked up more viewing hours than any other Netflix show.
Rhimes was signed up to an exclusive deal by the streaming giant for an astonishing $150million and is one of the most powerful figures in entertainment so expectations are high.
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Jonathan Bailey (
Broadchurch, Leonardo) plays one of those siblings, and as a gay man who plays a heterosexual character in the series, was asked his thoughts by Digital Spy about the debate over straight actors playing gay roles and vice versa.
Said Bailey: “I think it shouldn’t matter at all what character people play, but of course there is a narrative that’s very clear, that openly gay men aren’t playing straight in leading roles.”
“And also, there’s a reason why gay characters are so interesting,” Bailey added. “Because much like the women in Bridgerton, there are a lot of hurdles and there’s a lot of self-growth, and there’s a real strength to gay men. So the fact that a lot of straight men have gone on to play iconic gay roles and to be lauded for that is fantastic, that that story is being told. But wouldn’t it be brilliant to see gay men play their own experience?”