Aside from Shonda Rhimes and Netflix, what were the main selling points of the project for you early on?
That it felt very new. For any project, it needs to start with a good script. If it does not, you can do nothing to fix it. You get the best actors in the world, the best cinematographer, the best director, everything, [but] it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a good script, and Bridgerton script was excellent. The characters were very complex, which is something I always draw on. Penelope begins as this very innocent child who was pushed into an adult society too young. She knows him. She doesn’t want to be in the marriage market. She wants her best friend Eloise by her side. She has no relationship. With Eloise, you can see that Penelope is funny. She is nimble; she has a lot to say. Then when she’s around Colin Bridgerton, she’s a lovestruck puppy. She is romantic. I think that’s what Shondaland does very well – they write women who are complex and not one thing or another. People used to say to me, “[Penelope] it’s very sweet, ”and I would say,“ She is, but she has a lot more than that. Things quickly get complicated for her because she is not equipped to deal with what she is thinking. She’s wise, so she takes 10 steps, but then she’s in trouble. ”
Yes, things will work out for her a bit as the season goes on. How would you say you and Penelope are alike?
I think in similar ways. I’ve definitely been that lovestruck puppy. I’ve definitely seen my favorite boy dance with other girls, and I remember that, and he’s heartbroken. [Your] first love is so alcoholic and it takes over everything. She has loved Colin Bridgerton since she was a little girl. In the novels, she fell in love with him when he fell off a horse when she was nine years old. He is so kind to her and sees in her what not many people are. It is this wallflower that is dripping from the background. I’ve had that in my life where I say, “I want to be an actor,” and people leave, “Really?” Do you think you can do it as an actor? ” People can disparage you, and I felt that. I think in different ways. Penelope introduces much more. I think she’s a real spectator. She takes it all in, but I say this to friends too: You can never come in because it’s about to come out. I think for her, it comes out, and in a main way. I’m also obsessed with keeping a secret. Penelope can hold endless mysteries. I’m a trash. I’m not a bad friend telling my friends stuff, but to myself, when something happens, I’m like, “Okay, but I have to tell my sister. ”Also, I am very close to my sister and Penelope is not as big as her sisters. That’s another big difference.