‘Queen Charlotte’ Cast on a ‘Grittier’ Take on ‘Bridgerton,’ Filming Non-Gratuitous Love Scenes and Tackling an Intense Mental Health Struggle
variety.comEmily Longeretta Warning: This story contains spoilers from “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” now streaming on Netflix. “Queen Charlotte” may be an extension of the “Bridgerton” universe, but its brand-new story by Shonda Rhimes is quite different, with a much more serious tone. “The series in itself is like a different beast,” says Corey Mylchreest, who portrays young King George III in the Netflix drama. “It feels like ‘Bridgerton’ but it has maybe darker moments to it, and it’s a little bit grittier.
So it feels like its own thing.” The story of Queen Charlotte and King George III was briefly touched on in Season 2 of “Bridgerton,” but this prequel dives in to the origin story of a young Charlotte (India Amarteifio) as she embarks on her arranged marriage to a young King George.
Charlotte’s fearlessness — especially as a Black woman marrying the King of England — changes the country, under the auspices of what the show calls “The Great Experiment.” Meanwhile, her husband spends most of his time in hiding due to an unidentified mental illness.
In real life, King George III was never specifically diagnosed. He suffers from manic symptoms including hallucinations and both physical and emotional pain. “As a show, we don’t diagnose him, but as an actor, I simply had to make a decision.
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