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Making the role his own. Freddie Dennis had quite a challenge on his hands bringing Reynolds to life in Queen Charlotte — a character that didn’t exist in the franchise’s original series Bridgerton.
Dennis, who plays King George III’s (Corey Mylchreest) right-hand man, admitted he wasn’t familiar with the popular regency show before joining the cast.
“I’ve become a fan [of Bridgerton] since I got this job, I would say, but I actually had not seen it prior to being offered this role,” he told Netflix’s Tudum in April 2023. “But now I am, yes, definitely. I still haven’t read the books though, please don’t tell [book author] Julia Quinn.”
According to the actor, it was “slightly overwhelming” to step into the Bridgerton universe. “I think I’ve settled into the process really, really quickly because of everyone being lovely,” he added, referring to his fellow cast members.
Queen Charlotte, which debuted in May 2023, explored the origins of Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio) amid her arranged marriage to King George III. The spinoff series also introduced viewers to characters such as young Lady Danbury (Arsema Thomas) and young Violet Bridgerton (Connie Jenkins-Greig).
One month prior, showrunner Shonda Rhimes teased the “completely new world” presented in the show.
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“We’re going back in time to a very different era of costume, customs, the way things were done,” the screenwriter explained in a behind-the-scenes featurette. “We’re always talking about how Queen Charlotte and King George made this new England possible, where we’re seeing integrated society and everybody’s got titles. I wanted to show how that came to be.”
During an interview with Netflix’s Tudum, Rhimes elaborated on what fans can expect from the prequel. “I loved delving into the romance between Charlotte and King George. I want people to feel like this is what happens with real love. Love is hard. Love is difficult. Love has many layers,” she said at the time. “The idea that the happy ending that we always talk about for characters doesn’t have to be the obvious one.”
The executive producer promised “power” and “real love” would be the main themes of the show.
Meanwhile, executive producer Betsy Beers addressed the decision to have two different timelines. “The primary time period of the series is Georgian England, when King George was the king of England,” Beers shared. “We also have whole sections which take place in present-day Bridger-verse.”
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