“So many directors had said to us that we needed to calm it down because we’ve got somewhere to go!”

Fancy some more behind-the-scenes filming secrets about Bridgerton‘s carriage scene? Of course you do!

Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton, who have so brilliantly brought Penelope and Colin’s love story to life on screen in season 3, have revealed that they were asked to ‘tone it down’ while shooting the big climactic carriage scene at the end of episode 4…

In the final moments of episode 4, Pen and Colin finally admit their feelings for each other and share their first official make-out sesh (and the rest…) in the carriage on the way home. Nicola and Luke worked hard to make that iconic book scene something that fans of Polin would love, but it seems like they may have gone a little too hard…

Speaking to Shondaland about how they brought that scene to life on-screen in a way that was true to the characters, Nicola and Luke discussed how important it was to get across that it was Penelope’s first sexual experience.

“We wanted to honour that,” Luke said. “And it also gives them somewhere to go. I mean, so many directors had said to us that we needed to calm it down because we’ve got somewhere to go!”

Forgetting that Pen is a virgin with no experience in the kissing department, Nicola then confessed that she was told to “hold it back a little” when it came to the way she was kissing Luke in the moment.

“Especially as grown adults, you forget. Like, we would be a little more confident than they would be,” she added. “Even with a kiss, they would tell us that we seemed like we’ve kissed before. And I was like, ‘Not to brag, I totally have.'”

“But, of course, they explained that Penelope hasn’t kissed anyone before. Also, what we learned, and it was quite funny, is that sometimes what feels good for kissing in real life doesn’t look as good on-screen! So, we were smushing our faces together, and they were like, ‘No, pull back a little bit, and then it will look prettier,'” she added.

Explaining why they decided to go full throttle on the Polin kiss at first, Luke continued: “We thought it would play that there’s been this tension building up, but they told us it looked a lot better on-screen when we pulled back.”

That’s not the only behind-the-scenes tidbit that Luke and Nicola have shared about filming that scene either. Turns out that they filming multiple versions of the carriage ride, each one providing different takes that were all used in the final edit.

Director Andrew Ahn also confirmed that Luke was the one who added the detail about Colin fixing Penelope’s dress with only a few fingers too.

And if you’re wondering why the show decided to underscore that romantic moment with a Pitbull dancefloor banger, showrunner Jess Brownell has explained why the lyrics were a perfect match for Penelope’s inner monologue.

Bring on part 2! Can’t wait to hear all about the filming of the mirror scene…