🚨Warning: There are MASSIVE spoilers ahead for Bridgerton Season 1!🚨
1. First, Shonda Rhimes gave showrunner Chris Van Dusen a copy of the eight-book Bridgerton series three years ago because she wanted to see if he'd be interested in developing it for Shondaland.
2. After being cast, Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page began "six weeks of prep" before filming even began — they had dance lessons, writing lessons, costume fittings, horse riding lessons, etiquette classes, and Phoebe had piano lessons.
3. Phoebe said that the dance rehearsals really helped her and Regé find Simon and Daphne's mesmerizing chemistry.
4. Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page's first day on set — and Phoebe's first scene as Daphne — was when Simon and Daphne have sex in the library.
5. And Jonathan Bailey, who plays Anthony, revealed that his first day on set included Anthony and Siena having sex against a tree — Jonathan joked that he got to know the makeup department "intimately" on day one because they had to "de-shine my bottom."
6. When Nicola Coughlan auditioned for Penelope, she didn't have "any full scripts" and she got offered the job after just one audition.
7. Nicola is pretty short in real life, so originally they had her wearing heels so she would be "eye level" with the other actors, but they quickly got rid of the heels after Nicola fell over "three times" on her first day while wearing them.
8. Julie Andrews' recording sessions for Lady Whistledown were all done virtually and, according to showrunner Chris Van Dusen, they were "a total riot."
9. Also, most of the cast has yet to meet Julie Andrews in real life.
10. The cast and crew had "very limited time" to film the moment when Simon explains to Queen Charlotte that he loves Daphne, because Queen Elizabeth II — yes, the real queen — needed the space.
11. There were close to "7,500" pieces of wardrobe that were made specifically for Bridgerton.
12. Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick and her team designed the costumes with the idea of it being the Regency era, but with modern elements.
13. In fact, when explaining the costumes to the cast, Ellen said it was a perfect combination of real paintings from the 1800s and high fashion outfits, which equals "Shonda."
14. Phoebe Dynevor had "104 dresses" in Season 1 of Bridgerton, and her favorite is from Episode 8 when Daphne is getting her portrait done.
16. It took about two hours to get Nicola Coughlan into Penelope's wig and "ball ready" before filming a scene.
17. All of the sex scenes on the show were choreographed like action sequences and each movement was blocked out by intimacy coordinator Lizzy Talbot.
18. In fact, Phoebe Dynevor, Regé-Jean Page, and Lizzy Talbot blocked all of the sex scenes "weeks and weeks" before filming actually began.
19. Most of the carriage scenes were filmed on a sound stage, so the horses pulling the carriages aren't real — crew members would move the carriage to give the illusion that they were moving.
20. Regé-Jean Page listened to a lot of music while getting into character as Simon, namely Deftones, Vivaldi, and Nina Simone.
21. The moment when Simon and Daphne kiss in the garden maze was filmed on location at Hartfield House — the crew "searched and searched" for the perfect place for this moment.
22. The final scene of Episode 1 when Simon and Daphne dance at the ball was filmed at 4 a.m. in the "English countryside."
23. Nicola Coughlan had no idea Penelope was going to be revealed as Lady Whistledown until she sat down with showrunner Chris Van Dusen and asked — she said knowing that she was Whistledown greatly influenced how she played Penelope.
24. Nicola found out that Julie Andrews was going to voice Lady Whistledown while scrolling through Instagram in her kitchen, and she "burst into tears."
25. The funniest scene to film for Jonathan Bailey was when Anthony and Daphne are riding horses together.
26. The first ball hosted by Lady Danbury was filmed on location at the Bath Assembly Rooms, where actual Regency balls in 1813 took place.
27. And finally, as a wrap gift for Season 1, Luke Thompson, who plays Benedict, drew everyone portraits, and Regé-Jean Page has his displayed in his home.
