Luke Thompson

2022 - 3 - 26

Luke Thompson on the "Mystery" of Benedict Bridgerton (unknown)

As the popular Regency romp returns Bridgerton to Netflix for season 2, Luke Thompson weighs in on Benedict's feelings about love, compares him to Prince ...

“I tend to think that's a question for the writers really, because in order to be playing a character, I sort of have to surrender that side of my brain. “Benedict seems to be very much a character who takes it as it comes and is very open, but then to have that sense of something pure and romantic is quite... Up to this point on screen, and in the books the show is based on, all of Benedict's romantic and sexual partners are women. While there’s certainly a debate to be had over whether the first trailer of Bridgerton featured a bit of queerbaiting, thus far the series never explicitly suggests that Benedict isn’t straight, only a member of an artistic community, and friends with at least one queer person. Benedict Bridgerton has a bit in common with Prince Harry—or, at least with Prince Harry before he fell in love with Meghan, ditched the official royal role, and moved to California, that is. “But where we end up in season two does sort of prime us for a relationship to his creativity, that's a bit more akin to what it's like in the book, which is that it's something he wanted to explore, has been burnt a bit by it, and now is keeping to himself. "What is it truly to admire a woman? And I like that idea because it's quite touching to feel like you've tried to explore something, it hasn't gone your way, and then you nurture it quietly. Given that Bridgerton has already been officially renewed, the show's writers clearly felt comfortable leaving a few storylines unresolved by the end of this season. “And so he's in that process of finding his own world. And then it turns out that it's through Anthony. There's a real poignancy to that, trying to define yourself and trying to extricate yourself from the family unit and then realizing that maybe you are only there because your older brother helped you.” As evidenced by his partying this season, Benedict clearly likes to have a good time.

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