Rege-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor Filmed the First Scene of ‘Bridgerton’s’ First Episode and It Was the Steamiest
Starting off strong! According to Bridgerton’s intimacy director, Lizzy Talbot, the show’s steamiest scene was the first thing filmed when shooting began.
“The very first scene, day one, we were doing a scene of female sexual pleasure in a gentlemen’s club that didn’t allow women in until 1980,” Talbot told London’s The Times in an interview published on Thursday, February 25.
The much-adored series follows the Bridgerton family as they attempt to find love in Regency-era London high society. When working with the Bridgerton cast for sex scenes, Talbot requested the same amount of rehearsal and filming time a stunt scene would be offered. Her wish was granted.
“Normally you have to rehearse the same day that we shoot and that didn’t happen for Bridgerton. Because we had the time, we turned up prepared and all the choreography was laid out,” she said. “When you’re treating the intimacy scenes in the same way that you are treating the stunt rehearsals, as you are treating the dance rehearsals, it takes the awkwardness and the fear out of them because it’s just another scene at that point.”
While rehearsing a sex scene between Sabrina Bartlett, who plays Siena Rosso, and Jonathan Bailey, who plays Anthony Bridgerton, Bartlett slipped.
“[She] sort of did this fireman’s pole down Johnny to the floor. And I don’t think we recovered for about 10 minutes. Production was calling up — ‘Are you finished?’ ‘One minute, I’m regaining the room!’” Talbot said. “You’ve sort of got to find the joy in it because it is there inherently — bodies are funny and messy and they don’t always do what we want them to do.”
Phoebe Dynevor, who plays Daphne Bridgerton, has previously remarked on how comfortable she felt filming the show’s sex scenes — that first one especially.
“I love [Daphne’s] coming-of-age story and her sexual awakening. … My first-ever scene was in episode six, where Simon is going down on Daphne,” the actress said during a January interview with Grazia UK. “It was so great, because it felt safe and fun: you choreograph it like a stunt or a dance. It’s crazy to me that that hasn’t been there in the past.”
Another scene, in which Daphne had to orgasm solo, was a bit harder for Dynevor to shoot. Still, she felt comfortable knowing Talbot was doing her job.
“On my own, it’s a different thing. The stage directions are very specific: You have to have an orgasm. It’s a difficult thing to rehearse, which means you don’t. You just do it,” the actress told Glamour in January. “I felt so safe in the knowledge that Lizzy was there, so that if something went wrong or the director wanted something different, he could speak to her first. I think it would have been a very difficult experience if Lizzy hadn’t been on set protecting me and looking after me. No one wants to be told how to orgasm by a man.”
