'Bridgerton': Significance of the sensational 'rule-breaking' mirror scene
What's the story
Bridgerton stars Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan recently discussed their characters' tendency to break societal norms in the third season of the beloved Netflix series.
In the fifth episode of the new season, their characters Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington express love before sleeping together for the first time, a move that defies Regency-era traditions.
"They're constantly breaking rules," Coughlan told TheWrap, with Newton echoing her sentiments.
Episode background
When Colin shows Penelope her beauty in a floor-length mirror
The episode—which premiered on June 13—picks up after the season's cliffhanger fourth episode, which aired on May 16.
As the season continues, viewers find the newly engaged Penelope and Colin together, with Colin confessing his love to his fiancée for the first time.
He then shows Penelope her beauty in a floor-length mirror, and in a bold move that defies societal norms, the couple shares their first night before their wedding.
Statement
'The world doesn't matter in that moment...'
"They're sneaky, they seem like little sweeties... but they're always breaking rules," stated Coughlan.
Newton added, "They both love that—Colin is a big rule breaker, they like to break the rules. Something about that era as well—the danger of it—makes it quite sexy—being forbidden. But I think, at that moment, they're so in love that everything else..."
"Everything washes away," Coughlan concluded. "The world doesn't matter in that moment."
On-set support
Actors appreciated intimacy coordinators on 'Bridgerton' set
Further, Coughlan and Newton expressed their appreciation for the role of intimacy coordinators on the set.
Coughlan reportedly explained that these professionals help actors "feel safe and free in how [they] do things."
"I thought like, 'Oh, God, I don't want it to be like a dance routine where they tell you to kiss for this many seconds...that feels really stagnant and I feel like I can read that in scenes when it happens," Coughlan said.
Character evolution
Penelope's character development in 'Bridgerton' Season 3
Earlier, Jess Brownell, the showrunner for Season 3, discussed Penelope's character development with the same portal.
According to Brownell, Penelope transitions from being a wallflower to becoming the center of her own story.
"Her nakedness in that scene is actually, I think, very representative of her taking a step on that journey, allowing herself and her body to be seen by the man she loves," she added.
Authentic representation
'Bridgerton' stars strive for authenticity in portraying relationship
Meanwhile, in a separate interview with PEOPLE, Newton and Coughlan emphasized their commitment to authenticity.
"We just wanted to honor that because people have a lot of love for their relationship, and we wanted to keep it really true to that," Newton said.
Coughlan added, "They get to be intimate together in a very real and beautiful way, and I think that's what makes it so affecting."
Season 3 Part 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.