Luke Thompson Talks Regency Fashion and Being Benedict Bridgerton

String quartets are covering top 40 songs, ballgowns are flying off the shelves, and masquerade parties are back in vogue. You guessed it, dear reader! Netflix’s Regency romance, Bridgerton, is back for a fourth season.

For its fourth instalment, Bridgerton turns its focus to forbidden romance once more. This time, however, the story ventures beyond the familiar stomping grounds of aristocracy, swooping viewers down the stairs and into the servants’ quarters. It’s there that we find our leading lady, Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), scrubbing the floors and — to kick off the season — sneaking into a particularly fateful masquerade ball. In a sparkling silver disguise, Baek earns the affection of Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson). An artistically-inclined bachelor, Benedict’s disdain for formality and enthusiasm for alcohol makes him a bit of a black sheep amongst the Bridgerton brothers.

Will these two make it? Probably, if the past three seasons are any indication. But, as Thompson tells me, Bridgerton fans don’t tune in for a mystery. It’s fantasy that keeps them coming back. “I think that comes from a desire for a bit of magic and a bit of make believe — Bridgerton taps into that very well, and I think that’s why it has the fan base it has,” Thompson tells me.

“In a fairly cynical, realistic world, people want a bit of make-believe.” Luke Thompson

It’s a Friday afternoon in Toronto and Thompson is in town to meet fans and chat with journalists. This is at least the second time he’s been to the Fairmont Royal York — the night before, fans donned their best Regency-era attire and crowded into a regal ballroom to celebrate the season premiere with a “Bridgerton Ball.” Hundreds of floral bouquets lined the walls; live violins filled the air as attendees turned up in flowing ballgowns and intricate waistcoats. When Thompson and Ha made an appearance, smiles and cheers bloomed across the crowd.

“It’s amazing. It’s very touching,” Thompson says. “The event yesterday — all these influencers dressed up to the nines, just living a bit of fantasy — I think it’s something that we all crave. In a fairly cynical, realistic world, people want a bit of make-believe.”

Thompson is an expert in make-believe. Apart from Bridgerton, the British actor has featured in film — including a role in Christopher Nolan’s 2017 historical drama, Dunkirk — and earned award nominations for his role as Willem Ragnarsson in the 2023 stage adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life. Yet Bridgerton presented its own set challenges. “They sent me to art classes! I did about — oh God — hours and hours of drawing,” he laughs.

In a candid conversation, Thompson tells me about filming Season 4 of Bridgerton, including his favourite fan experiences and the best Regency ‘fits.

Congrats on Season 4! How does it feel?

It’s amazing. It has been a long way. It’s nice to finally just give it to people and let them do what they want with it.

After some time away, what was it like to jump back into Benedict’s headspace?

That’s a very interesting one. It’s the same headspace, I think, that we found him in for a lot of the previous seasons, but I think there’s something about finding himself in that place, year after year, that obviously feels different.

What felt, earlier on, like curiosity and fun — exploration, going, discovering and valuing your freedom that highly — there’s a sell by date on that after a while. I think it’s interesting for him to come back. It was really fun, after a season, to jump back where we find him in episode one. [He’s] in a very similar place to where we’ve left him. It’s obviously very different from, say, season 3 where Colin comes back and he’s actually changed a lot. Benedict is like, “I’m still here and I’m still doing this thing and it’s fun — but actually, what’s going on? Why? Why am I stuck on? Why do I feel like I’m on a little hamster wheel, suddenly?”

“In life, we’re not psychologically coherent. We’re full of contradictions. We do things that are completely out of character sometimes, and that’s why we’re interesting. But somehow I feel like in fiction, we expect characters to add up.”Luke Thompson

Absolutely. It’s interesting how Season 4 has these Cinderella parallels: you have Sophie and her stepsisters and the glove and the ball — but Benedict is not a Prince Charming character. Where does he fit into that story?

Oh, it’s the fun and the tension of the whole season, right? There’s that Cinderella element, which is great because it’s a familiar story. It’s a story that is as old as time, so everyone knows how it goes. Then, the fun is bringing a character who, in many ways, isn’t committed to anything enough to be able to be Prince Charming. That’s the fun of the show this season. To actually have the fairy tale aspect — which feels, in some ways, like familiar territory for Bridgerton — and then undercutting it suddenly with reality. [With] how people really are.

I just appreciate that side of things because, often, you can watch a romantic show or romantic film and think, “Yeah, but it’s not like that in real life.” Whereas things that happen in real life happen in this season. There are big, record-scratch moments. That’s the fun, the whole dynamic of the season. It’s borrowing that Cinderella thing, but only so that you can then surprise people and tell it in a slightly different way — and depart from Cinderella entirely.

That’s actually an interesting segue; I wanted to ask you about that line between fantasy and reality in Bridgerton. It’s obviously a fictional story but, especially this season, we see a lot of realistic conflicts and confrontations. There’s a real disconnect between the wealthy and the working classes. How do you approach that line between fiction and reality from within Benedict’s character?

I think that the temptation, as an actor, is to try to create something psychologically coherent. It’s a weird anomaly because, in life, we’re not psychologically coherent. We’re full of contradictions. We do things that are completely out of character sometimes, and that’s why we’re interesting. But somehow I feel like in fiction, we expect characters to add up very neatly and nicely — and that’s not true.

The only thing I think I try to do — particularly with this story, because of the dynamic of this story — is to just do every moment on its own, and not worry about the fact that it contradicts, maybe, a version of Benedict that we know. Just take each moment as it is and let the audience put it all together, if that makes sense. Not try and make it coherent, not try and soften it. I’m not going to sit here and throw a pity party about the reasons why he does what he does in episode four. I think it’s about honouring that that is also part of Benedict. It’s just a part of Benedict that we haven’t seen before.

“Life’s not just about the real and the material stuff that’s in front of us. It’s also about what’s in our heads.”Luke Thompson

That point about letting the viewers piece together those moments of his character — as an actor, you’re probably not thinking about that while you’re filming — but afterwards, is there something you hope viewers can take away from the show?

Yeah, I mean, loads. You just hope that people get something from it and see themselves reflected, or elements of themselves reflected. It’s poetic license, the show. The fact that Benedict doesn’t recognize that the Lady in Silver is Sophie is to be taken metaphorically as much as it’s to be taken literally. Like, “Well, yes, they were actually wearing masks,” [but] that’s not the interesting thing. The interesting thing is, “Oh, why is it hard, in life, to marry? What’s in our minds — the fantasy in our minds — and the actual reality? Why can’t we connect those two things?” So, I don’t hope that anyone takes anything specific. I just hope that people will take what they want to take.

The fun of having a character that jars [viewers] sometimes or occasionally surprises, is that people will have opinions and thoughts and feelings about it and that’s all to be encouraged. I think that’s the fun. I’m not really looking to communicate a very specific version that I’ve created of the character. The idea is that you play the character, you give the character away, and then everyone plays around with it. And it’s almost none of my business anymore. It’s strange, you know?

“[Season 4 Part 1] leaves you in a bit of a knot, like, ‘God, how are they going to untangle this? How are they going to find their way to each other?’ And I think, in the process of that, Part 2 goes somewhere that maybe we’re not accustomed for the Bridgeton world to go.”Luke Thompson

That’s part of the fun too, seeing — especially with Bridgerton — such a dedicated fan base around the show. What is it like to see the fans respond to the show?

It’s amazing. I mean, it’s very touching as well because I think that comes from a desire for a bit of magic and a bit of make-believe — Bridgerton taps into that very well, and I think that’s why it has the fan base it has. Even doing these events, like the event yesterday — all these influencers dressed up to the nines, just living a bit of fantasy — I think it’s something that we all crave. In a fairly cynical, realistic world, people want a bit of make-believe.

I remember with the premiere, they surprised someone in the UK. This woman, her friend tricked her — they were supposedly going to the doctors — then the walls fell through and, suddenly, she was in a ballroom.

Oh wow.

Yeah! Then, you know, she was walking down this red carpet and everyone was behind her. It was very touching to see her walk down and, like, be bowed at, and for her friends say, ‘Oh, you’re going to go to the premiere.’ It just taps into something about make-believe. Life’s not just about the real and the material stuff that’s in front of us. It’s also about what’s in our heads.

Yeah, absolutely. And another huge piece of the fantasy the fashion. It’s colourful, it’s eye-catching, it’s elaborate. After having spent so much time on the show, like, how has your opinion of Regency-era fashion evolved?

It was the first dandies, around that time. Male fashion has gotten a little more extravagant recently, and you see that as quite a modern development, but actually, like, men’s fashion was way more extravagant then. And that whole idea — I mean, dandies are maybe a little bit later — but that idea of curating your appearance, it started in around that time. So, yeah, it could and it should rub off on us.

Has it rubbed off on your personal style at all?

I don’t know. I quite like to separate them, but I do feel, going to costume things — having, like, two tailors arguing over a millimetre and whether the collar should be here or there — it’s really cool to be around that creativity. Just that skill… I think it’s curating yourself. When you’re an actor, you have it done for you — it’s much easier.

Do you have a favourite look from this season?

I really like the my cottage look. That waistcoat. It’s just a very simple waistcoat. Those shirts, those nice flowing shirts were amazing. But maybe I like it because it’s a slight departure from a lot of the colour palette of Bridgerton. It’s a bit out in the countryside. So yeah, that one, I think. The combination of the waistcoat and brown trousers and the flowing shirt I really liked.

It’s interesting to see how the colour palette and tone shifts while you’re at the cottage. I think it’s where we see Benedict’s creativity come back to life this season, with drawings and things. How do you prepare for that aspect of the role?

They sent me to drawing classes.

They did?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I did about — oh, God — hours and hours of drawing. I mean, it’s the fun. I’m not a very methodical actor, particularly when it comes to the emotional stuff. I think it’s better to sort of… let that stuff happen. That tends to be more interesting. So, I really latch onto this practical stuff. Being sent for drawing classes, or [learning] how to drive a horse and carriage — I get so much from that. It’s just quantifiable. You have to learn to do this thing. Whereas the emotional stuff is a bit more difficult to grab onto. It’s more complex.

The drawing classes were amazing. The thing I keep remember about drawing, which is interesting, is you think there’s a right and wrong answer. You start drawing and if it’s wrong, then you have to start again. Whereas with charcoal drawing, which is what I was doing, it’s literally about layering charcoal on paper. You can always correct it. You’re just adjusting how much shadow you put into it.

There’s a value scale.

Yeah, it’s actually more like sculpture. You’re sort of taking away, which is not what you’d think. I don’t know if that’s clear: you have to just draw, and you’d think there’s a right and wrong answer, but you can actually make a mistake. You’re just layering charcoal. So, if you’ve overdone one bit, you just have to adjust elsewhere. I found that really fascinating.

I know we’re coming up on time, so last question: is there a moment that you’re most looking forward to sharing with viewers?

There’s so many moments. I’m excited to see — because obviously the first four episodes are out — and I do think it leaves you in a bit of a knot, like, “God, how are they going to untangle this? How are they going to find their way to each other?” And I think, in the process of that, Part 2 goes somewhere that maybe we’re not accustomed for the Bridgeton world to go, particularly in one episode.

I’m very excited for people to go on that journey and see whether they catch Benedict at the end, because obviously at the beginning — as in, at the end of episode four — I can imagine some people might feel jarred by Benedict. So it will be interesting to see how people take the next 4 chapters.

Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix. Part 2 will be released on February 26th.

This transcript has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

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