Bridgerton's Jonathan Bailey on the challenges of being an eldest son
On Netflix’s new series Bridgerton, there’s one hand guiding the romantic life of Daphne Bridgerton—and it’s not necessarily her own. Rather, it’s her stern and seemingly unyielding older brother, Anthony, who seems determined to find her an appropriate match. Of course, to him, almost all available matches are inappropriate.
In reality, Anthony should be worried less about dominating his sister’s romances and more about getting a handle on his own troubled love life. He wants what he should not have, and—by virtue of being the untimely patriarch of his brood of siblings—has stumbled into a rather restrictive set of romantic limitations.
In the video above, The A.V. Club speaks with Jonathan Bailey, who plays Anthony, about the eldest Bridgerton’s golden handcuffs, as well as how Bridgerton subverts traditional period piece tropes by shining a light on the struggles of the men behind the swoons.