Fans of “Bridgerton” have a question: “What is in the water on set?”
Luke Newton’s Colin Bridgerton enters the social season as one of the most eligible bachelors of the Ton in Season Three, flaunting stories of travels and a sophisticated new look.
In Season Two, Anthony went through a similar makeover, ditching Season One’s intense sideburns for styled brunette waves appealing to a modern fashion sense. He also traded in high collars for white cotton shirts that turn translucent when wet (if you know, you know).
The phenomenon has since been dubbed the “Bridgerton” “glow-up.” Before the premiere of Season Three May 16 on Netflix, fans took notice of Colin’s new debonair style, nicknaming it a “sexy pirate” look.
Showrunner Jess Brownell says the physical “transformation” is meant to reflect all that’s passed for the character between seasons.
“He has been traveling, and he comes back looking much more worldly, wearing darker clothes sourced from across the globe,” Brownell says.
In the first few minutes of Season Three, he’s back, attracting new attention from his family and the debutantes of the Ton.
Newton says his character’s go-to courting move is talking about those travels.
“He thinks that it’s something no one else has, which is kind of true, but also, it’s a bit much bro,” he says with a laugh.
His hair, which before was styled into a gravity-defying coif, is now in gentle waves.
His sideburns also get a crop, all of which aim to make him look “even more chiseled and grown,” Brownell says.
The character’s physical change was a team effort, Newton says.
“I think it’s when all departments align, when everyone comes together and there’s a set goal,” he says.
He was “excited” to lean into the change.
“For me it was all about story,” he says. “Coming back and portraying this new version of Colin and yes, he looks slightly different and yes, he’s getting compliments from his brothers and and debutantes in society. But he’s also gone through a lot of emotional changes, some that he wears on his sleeve, some that are deep inside.”
Colin’s love interest, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) also gets a makeover in Season Three. After years of living with her overbearing mother, she realizes the only way to experience freedom on her terms is through marriage and running her own home. To do so, she decides to change her entire look, swapping pinks, oranges and yellows for emerald, light blue and soft green.
Their transformations share something in common: They help to conceal aspects of their character’s true personality that they have not yet embraced.
“Similar to Penelope, the external transformation belies the fact that while he’s coming back with all this swagger, he’s also denying a whole other part of his personality that he has to learn how to own,” Brownell says.
For Penelope, her real change comes from finding internal confidence. For Colin, it’s about accepting his own sensitivity and being vulnerable.
“When I say he’s sensitive, I don’t just mean that he’s emotional. I mean, he’s really sensitive to other people as well,” Brownell says. “He is always trying to help out. He has a bit of white knight syndrome, I think. And he’s someone who is a bit of a people pleaser.”
At the end of Season Two, Colin takes on a protective role towards Penelope and the Featherington family by trying to uncover their cousin Jack’s true motives.
But, in the same episode, he unknowingly breaks Penelope’s heart by announcing to a crowd of his friends that he would never court her.
“I think something he needs to realize is that it’s OK to have a wobble. It’s OK to be vulnerable. It’s OK to be sensitive. And it’s OK to be a different kind of man in an era that was very prescriptive about what it meant to be a man,” Brownell says.
Like their characters, Newton and Coughlan are also stepping into the spotlight by taking a turn to lead a season of the TV phenomenon that is “Bridgerton.”
Armed with years of experience in the theater, Newton says playing the romantic lead wasn’t marked by nerves — but joy.
“Something that I’ve always wanted to do is kind of step into a role like that and explore a full character arc,” Newton says. “It was an experience that I’d always wanted to do, and I’m so grateful and appreciate that we had the opportunity to do it.”