'Bridgerton' director says actors were monitored by country-house staff during sex scenes to make sure they weren't breaking furniture

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'Bridgerton' director says actors were monitored by country-house staff during sex scenes to make sure they weren't breaking furniture
Daphne Bridgerton and Violet Bridgerton in "Bridgerton."Netflix
  • "Bridgerton" stars were told to "go easy" during sex scenes by workers at the English film sets.
  • A director said people would patrol the English country homes to ensure no damage was done.
  • "You have to be quite delicate with the furniture," the director said.
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The director of Netflix's hit drama"Bridgerton" told Deadline that the cast was monitored during sex scenes by staff at the real English country homes where they filmed to make sure the property wasn't damaged.

Julie Anne Robinson, who directed two episodes of the show, said there were strict rules about what the cast and crew could do while filming in old regency homes.

"When you go into a country house, there is far less flexibility than you can ever imagine - you can't move the bed, you can't move the painting, you can't move the wardrobe, and you have to be quite delicate with the furniture," Robinson said.

"So in the Duke's bedroom, which was in Castle Howard, (Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page) spent a lot of time in that bed, and there were room monitors in the room when we were doing the sex scenes, and they wouldn't leave. The idea of a closed set is absolutely sacrosanct. But for these room monitors, their jobs were more sacrosanct to them. So they were in the scenes with us.

"We would be shooting a sex scene and they would say: 'Can you go easy on the bed? Go easy on the bedpost," Robinson said.

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'Bridgerton' director says actors were monitored by country-house staff during sex scenes to make sure they weren't breaking furniture
Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page in "Bridgerton."Netflix

"Bridgerton" has yet to be renewed for a second season, but it is currently one of Netflix's most popular TV shows. Earlier this year, the streaming giant announced that over 63 million households tuned in to watch the period drama.

The Shonda Rhimes-produced series, which is an adaptation of Julia Quinn's best-selling novel "The Duke and I," has won acclaim for its steamy sex scenes as well as its contemporary approach to the regency genre, specifically in its diverse casting.

During the same interview with Deadline, Robinson, who was also involved in the show's casting, said that Rhimes "always, always wanted Regé" but that she originally didn't see the British actor as the right fit for the show.

"It's interesting about Regé - I hope he is not offended by this, but I never saw him as a sex symbol," she said. "I always saw him as a serious actor, very committed, a caring professional. And now look at him, I mean goodness me. It's incredible, I hope he is the next James Bond."

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