Bridgerton The Official Podcast is a production of Shondaland in partnership with iHeartRadio.
Welcome to Bridgerton the Official Podcast, your exclusive peak behind the curtain of Shondaland's Bridgerton series. I'm Betsy Beers, executive producer Bridgerton and your host for Inside the ton a four part special that dives deep into the genesis and journey of some of the most beloved characters from the show. We kick things off with Penelope Featherington the last episode and by the way, if you haven't listened, I really
highly recommend you do. And today we've got a two for one special because we're talking about our favorite rebels amongst the Bridgerton bunch, Eloise and Benedict. Joining me to take a closer look at the notorious wingset siblings are author Julia Quinn and showrunner Jess Brownell. And we'll also hear actress Claudia Jesse and Luke Thompson waiy in on what's heavy on their character's minds ahead of season three. But first, let's recall the recent events in the lives
of Miss Eloise and mister Benedict Bridgerton. Number one, just to fit right in. Eloise has made a habit of rocking the boat of polite society. She's commonly seen refusing to dance in balls, promenading with her nose in a book, and outright questioning the institution of marriage itself. She doesn't buy into the idea that a woman has to marry and raise a family or take up hobbies like flower
ranging and pianoforte in order to be considered accomplished. In season two, Elouise entered society, but her goal wasn't finding a husband. No, she was much more interested in uncovering Lady Whistledown's identity. Her investigation led her to spark an unlikely relationship with a charming printer's assistant after coming close to social ruin, though he's finally found out who was really wielding the pen and discovered it was no other
than her best friend, Penelope Featherington. So now we are all waiting with bita breath to find out how exactly will Eloise deal with her best friend's betrayal. Benedict, on the other hand, is a pretty good foil for Eloise's experience at society. On his side, he's totally free to avoid marriage at least for now, and in the last season we saw him have a couple of flings, one with our modiste, Madame de Lacroix and another with a fellow art student. But Benedict's true love, it turns.
Out, is the arts.
We see him hone his skills with the brush as he immerses himself in the bohemian underbelly of high society. Like his sister, he explores to find a deeper purpose, but his artistic aspirations are crushed when he finds out his brother Anthony.
Paid for his place in art school. Woof.
I wonder what is next for our free spirit in both love and creativity. So let's dive into the rebels, okay, Eloise and Benedict Bridgardon. Julia Quinn has authored nearly forty books, and the Bridgerton novels are among them. By the way, that's quite a lot of characters to make up and
keep track of. From what I can tell. She and I talked about where she got the inspiration for our two rebels in this big world of high society, regency, romance, and why it really is incredibly important to provide that point of view within the ton let's talk a little bit about Eloise and Benedict. I know on the show, some of my favorite scenes are the two of them interacting, just because the Swing. I'm just obsessed with the scenes on the Swing.
I wish I could claim that, but that came from the screenwriters, and I love it. Their friendship is definitely deeper in the show than I believe it was in the book, and I absolutely love it.
And I don't know. I have to think, but thank you.
Someone, Okay, are either of these characters? I'm actually going to open this upisode general question for you. How much are any of these folks based on people? You know?
I don't think there was anybody specific, although for a long time I said I was a combination of Elouise, Francesca, and Penelope, like if you put them.
All together, you would get me.
But now that I've gotten a lot older, I think I might be violent now, which.
Is not a bad thing.
By the way, I'd kill to be a combination of there as three women right there. And why do you feel like it's important that both of these characters are so different from the rest of the Ton, Because what's great is you have the Ton and the Ton's kind of going along, and then Eloise is going through her own journey and Benedict's going through his own journey. It
seems like an important thing to me. But can you speak a little bit to that in terms of the different points of view you're giving up society?
Well, I just think it's important to know that there are people who for whom regular society doesn't work in the same way, or that you can be a little bit of a square peg and you can move along. And the thing is, you know they're a little different, but they actually do okay within it, but not like say, Daphne, did you know it's not a perfect fit.
I think you're right, it's like Daphanie. And this is why I'm asking the question, because I feel like when I watch it, it's really important to be able to and read it. It's really important to have all these different points of view on both the benefits of the time in which they're living and the restrictions. Right. Yeah, So what's great is you really get to fantasize as
Daphne about being the person who can crush it. What I find incredibly to be this it's really refreshing to have Eloise there, you know, as a sort of response, and then Benedictoine you look at the burden of being first born that Anthony has. It just it feels to me like it's a really important thing to have all these different points of view on how different people react in what is an incredibly regimented and traditional sort of society.
It's also a lot about finding yourself within and finding your identity within a large family.
Oh that's so interesting.
Yeah, I come from a large family, so I mean I kind of get that. I get that sense of feeling like, you know, who am I apart from this family in which I was born, which I think is a big part of what drives Benedict specifically, Eloise has the added layer of who am I apart from this family in which I was born? And on top of it, I'm female in a world that like doesn't let me
do anything, So there's that as well. But another thing that I always try to do with these characters, especially the women, is that you know, you have these women who are kind of fighting against these restrictions, but they're not necessarily overthrowing them. They're not the ones who are like I'm going to you know, they're not completely smashing the patriarch. It's a little early in time for anybody
to be able to do that. But you know, they're not the women who history would necessarily label as extraordinary. And yet I think it's so important to tell the stories of women who were doing the best they could with what they had, which which isn't necessarily the same as the ones who you know, we can't all be Marie Curiy. We can't all, you know, be the woman who broke down the barricade. Sometimes we have to be the women who took out the bricks from the wall
so somebody else could smash it down. And I just think so often, you know, we hear these things like, you know, well behaved women rarely make history, that's it.
I love that.
But there are a lot of women who don't make history, but their stories are still so important. And so I feel like I'm kind of fighting the narrative a little that the only women we should celebrate are the extraordinary ones.
That's really really well put.
And I think, you know, because I'm thinking about and you know, they ask a question, which is, oh, is Eloise inspired by any particular you know, rebellious famous sort of early suffragette and you just answered the question. Because the interesting thing is I can't think of it. But that doesn't mean that it's not a ton There's not a tonnage of people doing tiny acts of kindness or
not even rebellion, I think very often. And it's one of the things you do so beautifully with the bridger Tints, and I think you play with with the Featheringtons in a very different way, which is it's women supporting women. And that's what's great about the Bridgetons is they're all different, and they all kind of poke at each other, but everybody's got everybody's back, and there's a genuine sort of
like love and support there. And I think what you're saying about, they're all of these people who are contributing to the moment when Madame Curie discovers the big Madame Carree thing. You know, Yeah, And that's that's incredibly I think that that's an incredible observation.
Some of this has to do with the time period and when in which I'm working, and that if you look at you know, the history of women's rights, you know, and and of suffrage and you know, trying to get into university and things like that, it's all coming enough years after the regency that you know, my characters, it's difficult for them to be the first to.
Be the one to knock down the wall.
But I love the idea of them setting the stage that their granddaughters are going to be able to maybe one of their granddaughters.
Can be the one who ends up in the history books. But but again, I just I.
Just don't like the idea that the only stories of women that deserve to be told are the ones who are in the history books or who, you know, if in fiction, doing.
Things that would put them in the history books.
Like it's sort of like the whole trope of you know, every dystopian novel seems to have like a t teenage girl who is the chosen one.
You know.
It's like, well, I want to hear about some of the people who weren't the chosen ones but are doing stuff all the same, you know, And I just think their stories are also important.
I totally agree with you, and I think that that is delightfully thought. It's a thousand teenage girls to lead to the teenage girl that makes the big teenage blash.
We'll be right back after this short break.
Welcome back to Bridgerton the Official Podcast. I love how Julius so beautifully encapsulated Shondalan's ethos when it comes to storytelling. For us, not every story needs to be about the moment the barrier has been broken, though of course we love those tales. I think, really sometimes the most compelling stories are the ones of those people who are simply doing the absolute best they can to shift and to
grow with the cards that were done them. Thank you, Julia, So I once again sat down with a woman who's shaping the way we will see Eloise and Benedict on screen this season, showrunner Jess Brown. Now we talk shop about the siblings' experiences, their motivations, and what these characters tell us about regency society and our own. I mean, why do we have characters who are on the sides poking fun at the society at the same time we're watching it.
Well, I think they're stand ins for modern audience in a lot of ways. You know, you have both of them who are in some ways two hundred years ahead of their time, and they have like this little itch that something's not right about this world, which we as modern audiences obviously see.
What do you see happening and what can you sort of tease for people happening for Benedict this season too? Because I do feel like I love Benedict. I mean, what can we say about and what can you talk about to expect from Benedict to see and where do you think Benedict's head is as we enter into this season.
Yeah, So Benedict is a really fun character to write for because he's one of the more impulsive characters. You know, season one he was in the party world, he decided he didn't want to do that, and then season two he was in the art world. He got a little tiny feeling of rejection after he found out Anthony bought his way into art school and he gave up. Which
is an area of growth. A potential growth for Benedict is, you know, both the quickness with which he jumps into something and then the quickness with which he jumps out of it. So entering into season three, he's going to be jumping into a new milieu and potentially jumping out of it and jumping into something else again.
I think his.
Journey in season three is about figuring out what he wants because he's a character who could do anything. He's a renaissance man, but he has to decide what he wants to commit to.
Yeah, I can hardly wait to watch that.
So I think there's been a lot of chatter and talk about the fact that there are two characters in the show, obviously that are seem to be kind of moving towards our alternative lifestyles is the best way I can put it, Like Eloise and Benedict both and that they don't fit into the ton They're trying to carve new experiences for themselves and develop new ways of living, and some fans have found parallels in their personal experiences
with being in the LGBTQ community. Why do you think those characters resonate with that audience and what are your thoughts on the theory.
Yeah, First of all, I think if Benedict and Eloise were alive in twenty twenty four, they would both think it's awesome that they're queer icons. In a way, I think they would certainly be allies of the queer community at the very least, whether or not either one of them is queer is, you know, left to be to be discovered. You know, we know that Eloise has had feelings for THEO the printer boy. Does that mean that she couldn't also feel something for a woman? Who knows?
But I'll say this, I think part of the reason it seems people think Eloise might be queer is because she loves to read and she doesn't want to get married. And I just I know a lot of lesbians who have had a Pinterest board for their wedding since they were thirteen and who haven't picked up a book in years. So I don't think that loving to read and you know, not wanting to get married are a definite you know, yes,
she's queer. I do think that it means that maybe she's interested in something other than romance, something bigger than romance, and that might evolve over time. But for where she that right now, I don't think it's just that she hasn't found the right gender. She's just not interested in romance at all right now in her life men, women anyone.
Yeah.
And she and she's had a best friend, you know, and they've shared this in common too, which means she was she has company and it is It's funny. It's like she doesn't like petticoats and dresses, so therefore dot dot dot dot. But I think that's incredibly well put, and any comments on I mean, Benedict's sort of in the same category, which is he just seems like a guy who is interested in searching for what's next and what and where he belongs in that family.
You know, yes, he is trying to figure out his place in the world and what he wants. He's certainly an open minded character.
I think what I would just say about Benedict is Benedict is clearly somebody who he's been in the Demimonde, he's been a painter. I think he's somebody who is is curious about the world. But it's going to be fun to watch him grow and figure out what his place is in the Bridgerton family. I think it's really hard when your brothers, and certainly when your oldest brother is Antony, because I'll never forget. In like season one, Antony's about to go into a duel and you can see on Benedict's.
Face, Oh this blows.
Yeah, are you telling me that I might have to actually take over here?
You've got to be drunk.
I can't.
I can't.
So he's got a long way to go to get anywhere, I think in terms of his sort of his personal growth, which is another reason why I think it was so smart to use Penelope and Colin and bring them up for this season.
Yeah, I don't want to force them into a box too quickly. I also, if I can, while we're here talking about, you know, the LGBT community, I think it's important to note Bridgerton is a show about love and all its forms. You know, we explore friendship love, we explore romantic love. I think it is very import important to explore LGBT love on the show as well, and I'm really excited for fans to see what we're doing with that in coming seasons.
Yep. It's also I think the really interesting decision to make Elouise the one who finds out about Lady Whistledown, because I don't think it was like that in the book.
So in the book, Eloise is one of the last people actually to find out that Penelope is whistled Down. But in our world, we've foregrounded the relationship between Eloise and Penelope so much, and Eloise's search for Whistledown has been such an ongoing runner that it made sense for Eloise to be one of the first people to know that she's whistled down. And I'll also say that I think a lot of really interesting stuff is happening in that fight between them at the end of season two.
You know, of course, Penn is in the wrong in a lot of ways for lying to Eloise, for writing about her the way she did, and plenty of other men stakes, But I wouldn't say Eloise is entirely blameless either. In their friendship. I think Eloise has some growth to do around listening, and I think she spends a lot of time sort of monologuing at Penelope without really holding
quite enough space for Penn. Some of that is Pen's responsibility, you know, for herself, but I think a part of Eloise knows that she's taken up a lot of space in this friendship, and maybe if she had allowed pen a little more space, she would have told her that secret earlier on. So I think it's going to be really interesting to not have them be friends in season three. It gives them both a chance to grow without that safety net of their best friend. Oh.
I think I think that's such a good point, and I totally agree with you, because I feel like we've also you know, I think as a storyteller for you, but also as an audience member, you start to take certain relationships for granted, and I take certain relationships for granted, and then they go in the shitter, and then I understand that I was taking for granted.
Also, you look at the age that.
These girls are, these women are while this story is being told, and of course you start to grow in different directions. And I think it was such a smart thing to do because we get dependent and lazy as watchers when we see the same relationship over and over again. It's going to make the storytelling for this season even more interesting because we get it's almost like a do over for these two characters in a really really cool way.
Yeah, it's a chance to discover whether, you know what, we were just friends of convenience all along as a lot of us, you know, have with these friendships from high school or college or whatever, or are we soul friends who just needed to do a little growing separately. That's the question I think coming into season three.
As you heard Jess allude to, We've got so much to look forward to with these two characters in this season. I am beyond excited to continue our conversations with Jess in the coming episodes.
Wait for it.
You know, we can't let this episode end without hearing from the actual actors who brought these characters to life.
Here's Claudia Jesse, who plays Eloise.
Elouise is nineteen as am I, and in season two we've sort of we've left her with no best mate and the ending of a sort of situationship she had with, you know, a lovely printer boy, and so things have sort of caved in. And then in her family everyone's marrying off or finding their path, and I think I think Eloise is a lot of the time met with a sort of loving eye roll from her family. So
I think she must feel quite alone. I guess if I mean, I'm thirty four, and if my relationship ended and then my best friend Laila and I fell out, and then I turned to my family, who all seemed to love me, but not fully fully get they don't fully catch my hammer, if you will. The one thing that she found solace in was reading Lady Whistledown, which has now been tarnished and tainted slightly. I just think
she will feel quite empty. So there's no surprise that when people are sort of disenfranchised and not enchanted by the things around them, they may end up following an unusual path. The reason I think that the audience connects with Eluise is because she is the closest to the.
Audience that you're going to get.
I believe the beauty about Bridgington is that we can sort of bleed into different, you know, disciplines.
We don't always have to walk this perfect line of like a period drama.
Like you know, it's beautiful, It's like this perfect thing with all these the wicked music and you know, everything's just a little bit, a little bit spread out, do you know what I mean? And I think Eloise is very contemporary, She's very funny.
I've certainly played her with.
What feels like a fresh like physicality as well, So I think I think that's why people connect with her so much. And I haven't seen what people say online, but I do have people that have said to me, you know that they love Eloise because they can relate to her.
Here is the incomparable Luke Thompson who plays Benedictte.
Because it's so relaxed, it was quite nice to hide behind his relaxed Delean they're on set because when I was really stressed, I think, well, benefit's not stressed, so I'll just leave back and enjoy it. So he's actually been a very nice character to sort of just sort of slip into. And you know, obviously it's amazing to
be able to take you know, it's not given. It's quite an opportunity to get to take a character like this through that long a time where because you can really develop the character and all sorts of directions, and that's sort of what's happened in season one and two. I think what's been really fun is you really get a sense of someone trying to find himself and trying different things, and those different things making him feel different ways, and then you get to have a proper sort of
landscape to play with. He's got a nice position with Eloise, one of the sort of I guess, but one of a better word, yeah, Rebels, I guess, certainly sort of outsiders, which is fun because he's sort of always slightly commenting on what's going on. He's slightly sort of to one side. I think people identify with that, that sort of sense of not being sure quite how you fit into a structure and trying to work out who you are in relationship to it all. You know, he's not been pushed out.
It's just that he doesn't feel like he quite fits in, which is a different thing. And again I think maybe that's also what's really fun to play with a character like that, is that the struggle is inside, not outside. The struggle is something to do with who he sees himself as and how he relates to other people, rather than as we discover I think in season two. You know, when he's put in a situation where he is in society, he manages it perfectly well. In many ways, he manages
it better than Anthony. You know, actually he's much more He's much more contained and able to sort of navigate. He's not more diplomatic in a way than Anthony, So you know, in a way, it's not a question of aptitude. It's not a question of him not being able to it. It's something in that and that's really juicy to like, that's really interesting to play around with think about.
So many thank you, thank you, thank you to my special guests Claudia Jesse, Luke Thompson, Jess Brownell and of course Julia Quinn. I'm your host, Betsy Beers, and thank you for listening to Inside the Ton?
What mischief for you?
Kind of hoping Eloise and Benedict get into in season three?
Don't keep it secret. Let us know in reviews. We love reviews.
Next week on Inside the Ton, are you ready, We're spotlighting Yes, Violet Bridgerton and Portia Featherington to mamas who may have more in common than we think.
Stay tuned, Bridgerton. The official podcast is produced by Shondaland Audio and Wonder Media Network. This show is executive produced by Sandy Bailey, Alex Alcea, Lauren Homan, Jenny Kaplan, and Emily Rudder. Our producers are Sarah Schleid, Edie Allard, and Carmen Borca Carrio. This episode is edited by Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder. Our associate producers are Lauren Williams and
Akiah mcnight. If you haven't finished binging Bridgerton, please head to Netflix so you can enjoy these spoilers with us each week. For more podcasts from Shondaland Audio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.