The show is about smart, funny, tortured people. I think that misconception has held people back, as far as thinking these were a viable franchise. It certainly wasn't true for the Bridgerton books. Why haven’t romance novels gotten that same big-budget, mainstream screen adaptation treatment until now?ĬVD: I think there's a misconception out there that all romance novels are trashy and disposable, or that they can't be smartly written. I wanted to get the spirit of their banter right, and I wanted to capture the way that Violet, this powerful matriarch, loves her family with such a fierceness.ĮSQ: There are other forms of genre fiction that we often see adapted on screen, like the detective novel or the science fiction novel. I wanted them to see all the elements they love from these novels I think we did that with Simon and Daphne's incredible, sweeping, moving love story, and in the incredible love the Bridgerton family members feel for one another.
I knew that there were certain things I wanted to get right for fans of the books. Knowing that the books were so beloved added a healthy sense of pressure and maybe a healthy sense of anxiety. I think with any adaptation, there will always be differences from the source material. They have such a passionate following, and fans of the books feel so strongly about these characters. As you developed this series, did you feel anxiety about how Julia Quinn's fan base would receive it?ĬVD: Going into the project, I knew that these books were beloved. From the beginning, we were definitely excited to lean into the sensuality and sexuality.ĮSQ: With beloved entertainment properties like Bridgerton, there comes a built-in audience with a huge swath of defined opinions.
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It’s no secret that we're based on a series of really delicious romance novels. That image of Colin Firth coming out of the lake is seared into my mind, but I wanted a period piece that goes a little further than that and pushes the envelope.ĮSQ: It sounds like you wanted to create a piece that didn't just have the male lead wet in the lake-you wanted one where he could fully strip down.ĬVD: Absolutely. I wanted to make the period piece that I always wanted to see and one I hadn't seen before. I wanted to put my own fresh spin on the genre. But as much as I love a good period piece, they’re considered a little traditional and conservative. Specifically, there's a 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, with a white-shirted Colin Firth coming out of the lake… I think that image is seared into my brain. When you took on this project, what appealed to you about breaking into that very specific genre, with its very specific conventions?ĬVD: I've always been a fan of the period genre. Sorry 'Westworld,' 'Bridgerton' Has Better CoversĮSQ: Mainstream adaptations of popular historical romance novels are few and far between.The Anatomy of a Period Drama Dance Scene.Regé-Jean Page: A Leading Man For the Next Decade.It's a little surreal, and I'm overwhelmed with the response, but the response has been so positive and so exciting. How does the enormity of that feel to you?Ĭhris Van Dusen: It feels amazing. Van Dusen spoke with Esquire about striking the right balance of historical accuracy, challenging conservative attitudes, and bringing the show’s steamy sex scenes to life.Įsquire: Bridgerton has been such a massive hit, ranking among the top five most-watched Netflix debuts. The finished product is exactly that: a lovingly adapted fantasy of romance and glamour, but also a keen dissection of genre tropes about gender, race, and class.
As the creator and showrunner of Bridgerton, Van Dusen spent years developing the story from Julia Quinn’s beloved historical romance novels, seeking to create an adaptation that would read as both faithful and modern. Van Dusen is still reeling from the enormity of it all, but in the wake of the show’s outstanding launch, he’s had a lot of time to think about what went into the making of this stratospheric hit. Even for Van Dusen, a Shondaland veteran accustomed to the enormous followings that have coalesced around shows like Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, and Private Practice, Bridgerton’s hit debut was surreal. What he didn’t anticipate was how the series would skyrocket into the pantheon of Netflix’s top five debuts of all time, with 63 million households projected to stream it within less than a month of the series premiere. When Chris Van Dusen launched Bridgerton on Christmas Day, he hoped that this sexy, escapist period romance would find an eager audience.
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