Julia talks with OprahMag.com…
on how involved she was with the script.
on showrunner Chris Van Dusen making changes from the book.
on meeting the real Duke of Hastings, Regé-Jean Page.
on visiting the Bridgerton set.
on the period drama’s multiracial cast.
on what Quinn would like to see in future seasons.
on potentially writing more Bridgerton books.
on her favorite Bridgerton sibling.
From the article:
“As an adaptation of romance author Julia Quinn’s beloved Bridgerton novels, the show is pitch perfection. Creator Chris Van Dusen has brought Quinn’s first novel in the series, The Duke and I, to soapy, sexy, and scathingly funny life all while teasing out future heartaches and rival happily ever afters. Bridgerton is a deceptively genius show that will seduce viewers as easily as any rake in any romance novel steals his lady’s heart. It is that damn fun and that damn good. Bridgerton is historic romance gold.”
“The whole show is a celebration of the straight female gaze, making the men the objects of sexual desire on screen and prioritizing feminine pleasure.”
“Ultimately what makes Bridgerton such a gem is its adoration of the historic romance genre. The attention to detail in this show doesn’t cater to fussy historic accuracy, but the way the romance genre drowns readers in fantasy.”
From the article:
“At the end of this miserable year, at least there is Bridgerton, arriving this holiday season like a frivolous but fulfilling present. The show is a Shonda Rhimes–produced adaptation of Julia Quinn’s series of romance novels of the same name…”
“The series tells that story with sparkling momentum, pausing at all the moments when one character or another wrestles with unexpected feelings, then prodding them forward before anyone can wallow for too long. Like the best romances, it marches its protagonists through agony (loathing, hidden lust, buried secrets) with regular intervals of relief, only to reinstate them in some even more unbearable state of tension.”
“A beguiling example of what can happen when romance is allowed to belong to characters who aren’t all straight and white, and a fanfare-and-confetti reminder of what the genre can be at its best.”
Have you seen the BRIDGERTON official trailer? It dropped last week, and in the first 24 hours alone it was viewed 3.3 million times. Are you ready for the premiere? On December 25, worldwide, everyone can start watching!
Season 1 of Bridgerton is based on The Duke and I, book 1 in the Bridgerton series. Get a taste for the characters and some backstory in the Prologue & Chapter One, or listen to five minutes of the prologue right here on JuliaQuinn.com. (Note from TeamJQ: the audio excerpt inexplicably starts nine paragraphs into the Prologue, and ends before Chapter One starts. We recommend reading and listening.)
Did you know that TeamJQ has built a hub on JuliaQuinn.com where the show and the books come together? Simply click on any top-of-page banner, like this one for instance:
or any BRIDGERTON “B”, peppered around the site.
On that page you can find the trailer (and other videos), links to all the book excerpts (and the series reading order), photos from the show, select news articles (curated by JQ), and links to the many JuliaQuinn.com Bridgerton Bonus Features, including the poignant essay JQ wrote about how she dreamed up the character of Lady Whistledown, the Bridgerton Family Tree (available on a mug as well, because, why not?), and much, much more.
Only a few more sleeps until BRIDGERTON drops on Netflix!
Quoted from the article’s beginning:
Shonda Rhimes generally doesn’t pay much attention to the breathless fan chatter around her television shows. (It’s because she’s too busy, she said, not because she doesn’t care.)
But in the lead-up to the premiere of “Bridgerton,” the first original Netflix show under the Shondaland banner, she found herself watching a fan video in which a young woman plays the show’s trailer and records her in-the-moment reactions. In the video, the YouTuber, a devotee of romance novels, said that television was finally taking her genre seriously, Rhimes recalled.
The prolific showrunner does not consider herself an avid romance reader, but she devoured Julia Quinn’s “Bridgerton” series about the moneyed marriage market of 19th century England, and like the fan, she did not understand why more books of that genre have not been adapted onto the screen, while Jane Austen novels have been wrung dry.
“It’s fascinating to me that no one has really done it before,” said Rhimes, an executive producer on the show. “Romance novels really lend themselves to the TV genre. They’re visual; they’re well paced; they have great plots.”
Finish reading Julia Jacobs‘ article with its gorgeous, lush photos on The New York Times online. If you don’t have a paid subscription to The New York Times, you can make a limited account for free. Simply click here to open the article, and sign up for a free account.
Quinn spoke to Shondaland about seeing the transformation of her stories onto the screen, her thoughts on the already established fandom surrounding the books and what scene she really wished made it into the show.
“Every character is dripping in jewels, feathers and finery, hellbent on outshining one another. There are silk gowns rendered in ice-cream pastels, acid-bright florals, acres of ruffles, rhinestone-encrusted puff sleeves and wigs that could rival Marie Antoinette’s.
The person responsible for these flamboyant outfits is 71-year-old New York native Ellen Mirojnick, the prolific costume designer behind cult hits such as Fatal Attraction (1987), Wall Street (1987) and Basic Instinct (1992).”
Netflix’s new period drama Bridgerton doesn’t stream until Christmas, but we’re already counting down the days.
Based on Julia Quinn’s beloved historic romance novel series of the same name, the show is the first of eight that will be created for Netflix by Shonda Rhimes’s production company Shondaland (Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal anyone?)
“I’ve been a fan of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series since I can remember,” Rhimes tweeted. “The originality. The sexiness. The storytelling. Everything about it. I quickly knew that @shondaland had to turn them into a series.”
Slate spoke to costume designer Ellen Mirojnick to find out how she approached the task of creating intentionally gaudy dresses and how much historical accuracy played into her design process.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Regency romance must be in want of glittering ballrooms, witty banter, a dashing leading man, and a piquant heroine.”
“Bridgerton, Netflix’s first scripted title with über-producer Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland production company — has all of this in abundance. Not to mention a diverse cast that’s a far cry from the typical lily-white hues of Jane Austen adaptations and their ilk.”
