Not only does pretty much everyone with a Netflix subscription know that the Regency romance, Bridgerton, caused a stir when it debuted in late 2020, but nearly the entire planet’s population understands that fact, as well. While people have lauded the multicultural cast (something that continues in the spinoff, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story), the costumes, and classical pop song covers, we all get that one of the show’s much-talked-about aspects are the sex scenes. Now, as super producer Shonda Rhimes is preparing for the release of Bridgerton Season 3, she’s gotten very candid about shooting them and how she goes about writing such scenes.
What Did Bridgerton’s Shonda Rhimes Say About Shooting And Writing Sex Scenes?
There was a lot to love about the first, mega-hit season of Bridgerton, but one thing that viewers took special note of was how this was pretty much the first time an on-screen love story set in Regency England included sex scenes and nudity. We all remember the stir that was caused by that Taylor Swift-scored sex marathon scene, correct? Well, Shonda Rhimes recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the franchise’s very intimate scenes, and said:
I'm very strongly for the fact that we have intimacy coordinators, who can then work with the actors to make sure they're comfortable in doing everything. I always say, 'If you wanna do a love scene in a snowsuit, do a love scene in a snowsuit, we'll figure it out.' To let them have that freedom is really empowering for actors.
As we now know, there was once a time, not that long ago, when actors were largely expected to wing it when it came to sex scenes. Thankfully, we now live in a time with intimacy coordinators who help to craft those moments with the actors and directors, both to make sure the important emotional beats of the scene are communicated to the audience, and to see to it that no one on camera is doing anything they’re actually uncomfortable with.
Seeing as how the bingeable Netflix series has plenty of these scenes, the intimacy coordinator who works on the show has talked about things like her favorite steamy scene from the romantic drama, and the challenges of the job. Meanwhile, star Jonathan Bailey opened up about why he likes working with intimacy coordinators and how sometimes filming sex scenes requires “silly” methods to get the job done respectfully.
Rhimes also spoke about her approach to writing intimate moments, and it turns out that it’s not as exciting as it might seem to be. When asked if she can take the breaks off for her popular streaming shows because there aren’t the same restrictions which are place on series like Grey’s Anatomy, she told the outlet:
What's funny [is] I don't write them any differently. I really don't. I'm kind of a prude. So, what I write into the scenes is what I want the audience to get in terms of the character emotion or the character story that's playing out. I basically write like, 'This is how we want them to feel.'
Even former Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor said her sex scenes were ‘important,” as they were a part of her Daphne having a “sexual awakening” that needed to be shown, and noted that they “worked really hard at making them feel real.” Considering how people react to those moments in this romantic drama, I’d say that everyone involved is doing a great job when taking sex scenes from the page to the screen.
