‘Bridgerton' Cast Shares Which Characters They Most Relate to in Real Life

Charithra Chandran, who plays Edwina Sharma, thinks she's more of a Kate

Charithra Chandran (L) and Golda Rosheuvel
Lia Toby/Getty Images

Are you a Whistledown admirer? A Lady Danbury fan? Or is Regé-Jean Page's Duke of Hastings still your favorite, even if he's no longer in "Bridgerton?"

Season two of "Bridgerton," which dropped on Netflix in March, saw new additions to the show's sprawling cast — and made it that much harder for fans to choose who, among the many characters, is their "diamond of the first water," or all-time favorite.

Each season, as the Bridgerton siblings meet their eventual matches, the “Bridgerton” universe will continue to grow. While the focus of season three has not been announced, we can bet there will be newcomers, and more characters to love.

In honor of the new season, a few members of the cast spoke to TODAY about which characters they relate to the most. Yes, even the cast of "Bridgerton" has favorite "Bridgerton" characters.

Charithra Chandran (Edwina Sharma)

As the youngest daughter of the Sharma family, Edwina is often left in the dark about family matters. Edwina doesn't know, for example, that she has to marry a man of status in order to get access to her trust fund. More importantly, she's unaware that her sister, Kate, is in love with her fiancé, Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey).

Compared to her "Bridgerton" character, Chandran said that she takes a much more active role in her family life. That's why she relates most to Kate Sharma.

"Definitely Kate. I think I play a similar role in my family. My family is the number one thing to me. They're everything," she told TODAY. "I think a lot of people rely on me and I do it with pride and joy."

However, the character Chandran would most like to be is Queen Charlotte. "Obviously, everybody wants to be Queen Charlotte," she said. "It's so unfair. She's easily the best character."

Charithra Chandran (L) and Golda Rosheuvel
Lia Toby/Getty Images
Charithra Chandran (L) and Golda Rosheuvel attend the "Bridgerton" Series 2 World Premiere at Tate Modern on March 22, 2022 in London, England.

Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte)

Whereas Chandran wants to be like Queen Charlotte, Rosheuvel already relates most to her. In the world of "Bridgerton," Charlotte takes over her husband's royal duties when he falls ill (historians still debate the cause of the real King George III's erratic behavior).

As a ruler, Charlotte doesn't bow to anyone. She's the most independent and powerful woman on the show — with Lady Danbury and Lady Violet Bridgerton in close second.

For all her extravagant jewels and regal fashion moments, Rosheuvel said the monarch reminds her of her mother. Rosheuvel even incorporated her mom's mannerisms and voice into the role.

"It's got to be Charlotte because it's a really lovely memory that I have of my mom," Rosheuvel said. "There's definitely stuff in there from (my mom), which is really glorious."

Rosheuvel also said she "admires" Edwina, and her "amazing relationship" with the queen in season two. "It's a really interesting relationship and a kind of sisterhood, which I think is really, really lovely," Rosheuvel said.

Romance author Julia Quinn joins NBCLX and discusses bringing her Bridgerton characters from the written page to the screen.

Claudia Jessie (Eloise Bridgerton)

Claudia Jessie would not consider herself an "Eloise" in real life. Although she plays the second oldest Bridgerton sister, who longs for independence more than marriage, Jessie told TODAY that she most relates to her character's mother, Lady Violet Bridgerton, played by Ruth Gemmell.

"I'm not a mother, but I just think that is the character I really, really warm up to the most," she said. "That probably has a lot to do with how beautifully Ruth Gemmell plays her. She's world-class and she's a beautiful human being."

"I think with Violet, you see make mistakes with her children and then try and fix them," Jessie continued. "And I think I make a lot of mistakes and I try to fix them. Maybe that's why I love her."

Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton)

Luke Newton plays Colin Bridgerton, the affable third-born Bridgerton brother. Looking ahead, Colin's friendship with Penelope Featherington might turn romantic in future seasons.

Newton said his personality is a mix of multiple Bridgerton brothers, starting with Colin and Benedict.

"It's a mix of the two brothers. Benedict is into his art and I'm into the arts, so I have a connection of the theatrical side. I'm also like Colin. I like to do stuff with humor, no matter how rubbish the jokes are," he said.

However, Newton — who is his family's first-born — can't deny that he sees a little bit of himself in Anthony, the oldest Bridgerton, as well.

"Occasionally, there's like glimpses of Anthony that I see that I'm like, 'That's me," he said. "I'm the eldest brother to my sister. So I have maybe that sort of protective side. But other than that, I am kind of a bit like, 'Chill. Chill out, bro. Chill out.'"

(L to R) Charithra Chandran, Luke Newton, Ruth Gemmell, Nicola Coughlan and Adjoa Andoh
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Netflix
In this March 13, 2022, file photo, (L to R) Charithra Chandran, Luke Newton, Ruth Gemmell, Nicola Coughlan and Adjoa Andoh attend the Netflix BAFTA 2022 party at Chiltern Firehouse on March 13, 2022 in London, England.

Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury)

Although Adjoa Andoh loves playing the wise, independent matchmaker Lady Danbury in "Bridgerton," she said that she relates to a few characters. They all have something that she admires.

"I relate to the Queen's sense of being stranded in this society and having to re-navigate your way through it. I relate to Violet Bridgerton because women have to use skillful means to get what they want because they don't have recognized power in society, so they have to negotiate and navigate," she said.

Last of all, Andoh relates to Penelope. "The way Lady Danbury has taken herself out of being a shy person is to become the scary person. The way that Penelope Featherington takes herself out of being the shy person is to have this alter ego who we now know to be Lady Whistledown," she said.

Nicola Coughlan attends US-Ireland Alliance's 15th Annual Oscar Wilde Awards at Bad Robot on February 06, 2020 in Santa Monica, California.
Jon Kopaloff | Getty Images
Nicola Coughlan attends US-Ireland Alliance's 15th Annual Oscar Wilde Awards at Bad Robot on February 06, 2020 in Santa Monica, California.

Nicola Coughlan (Penelope Featherington)

Forget about Penelope Featherington or her clever alter ego, Lady Whistledown. Nicola Coughlin said that there's one "Bridgerton" character she relates to most — that's her on-screen best friend, Eloise.

"It's funny because Claudia and I would sometimes say that our friendship is a bit of a reverse of (Eloise and Penelope's). I'm probably the one that's more outspoken and things, but Claudia is more of an extroverted introvert," Coughlan said.

Coughlan also relates to Eloise's directness — and her habit of giving advice.

"I always want to try and guide people in the right direction. Then when they don't do what I say, I'm like, 'Oh, why didn't you take my great advice?'" she laughed.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY: 

Copyright Today Digital Originals
Contact Us