The Surprising Reason Phoebe Dynevor Hasn’t Returned to Bridgerton

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Phoebe Dynevor would gladly return to society. 

Regé-Jean Page starred as the lead in the first season of Netflix’s historical romance, Bridgerton, and made a quick appearance in season two. Now, Phoebe Dynevor, who plays his on-screen wife, has explained why her character, Daphne Bridgerton, hasn’t been shown reuniting with her family since then.

She mentioned in an interview with Collider Ladies Night, published on April 11th, that she hadn’t received a call yet, but would attend if she could once she did.

Since briefly appearing in season two, Daphne hasn’t been seen on screen. Her last major moment was a disagreement with her brother, Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), while he was looking for a wife.

Even though the show continued with storylines for other Bridgerton siblings, focusing on Colin (Luke Newton) and Benedict (Luke Thompson) finding love in seasons five and six, Phoebe Dynevor revealed they didn’t have those future seasons planned out while filming Daphne and Simon Bassett’s story.

 

She explained that the show’s creators hadn’t fully prepared when the first season launched. Because of that, the cast felt like they were able to shape things as they went along. Personally, she said she’d definitely return if invited to participate in future seasons.

While it’s still uncertain if the actress will reprise her role – her former co-star has been hesitant about returning as well – she shared how much the show meant to her and her career, explaining the acting opportunities it provided.

She explained that she suddenly understood she had the chance to play a wide variety of roles, which was something she’d always dreamed of in her career.

If Daphne and Simon were to return to the Bridgerton house in Mayfair, Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page would be the ones to reprise their roles in costume.

Addressing speculation about replacing the actors, Bridgerton’s creator, Jess Brownell, explained to Variety in February that recasting would undermine the strong foundation Regé and Phoebe built with their characters in the first season and diminish their excellent work.

She added that they’d be happy to invite them back in the future, but they want to wait until they have a substantial project or role for them.

The earliest we can expect their return is in season five, which will focus on Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) and Michaela Sterling (Masali Baduza) and is currently being filmed. In the meantime, here are some behind-the-scenes details from the set of Bridgerton.

In season two, there’s a scene where the cast plays Pall Mall, an early version of croquet. They were all encouraged to learn how to play before filming. Luke Thompson, who plays Benedict Bridgerton, got a little too into it and accidentally broke two of the mallets!

Charithra Chandran has a unique advantage on set. As the actress who plays Edwina Sharma, she actually has experience playing croquet from her childhood!

I used to play a lot of croquet, both at boarding school and university, so I was already quite familiar with the game. Pall Mall is very similar, and we received the rules in advance to study. Luckily, there were always people on hand to explain what was going on. A lot of it was planned, but they also filmed us just having fun, and I think some of those candid moments made it into the final scenes, which is great.

Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) became known for his impressive sideburns in the first season of the show. However, viewers noticed they were gone at the start of season two, leaving many wondering what happened!

It was a deliberate choice by showrunner Chris Van Dusen to highlight Anthony’s development from a carefree socialite into a central character.

Anthony always looks amazing, but some of us secretly wish he’d bring back the sideburns! Luckily, we can always rewatch the first season to see them.

On Bridgerton, tea is basically a character in and of itself. 

We initially thought the actors were just drinking water on set, but it turns out they’re actually enjoying tea! Netflix says they typically serve “PG Tips or Twinings.” We’ll nod and pretend to be familiar with those brands.

As for the food, that’s not always real.

Believe it or not, the show employs a head food economist named Lisa Heathcote! She had to find food that wouldn’t wilt or spoil during the elaborate ball scenes, so much of what you see there isn’t actually edible. But when the actors are filming dinner scenes, they do eat real food. Because scenes are often filmed in multiple takes, the food is frequently made with uncooked vegetables to keep it fresh and allow for repeated eating. It’s a bit like a raw vegetable tray at Grandma’s!

Every single actor on Bridgerton has their own horse. 

Jonathan Bailey rode a black Spanish Friesian horse called Jack, and Simone Ashley rode a bay Spanish horse named Nirvana.

Because the horses formed strong bonds with their riders in the first season, a lot of them were brought back for the second season.

We just hope Regé-Jean Page‘s horse is doing okay.

Created by Shonda Rhimes, the talented producer of shows like Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder, Bridgerton is known for its diverse cast. A great example is Golda Rosheuvel, a Guyanese-British actress who plays Queen Charlotte, a historical figure. PBS reports that some historians believe Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, was descended from a Portuguese royal family with African roots.

Makeup and hair designer Marc Pilcher shared with Vogue that learning about Queen Charlotte’s African ancestry greatly inspired the show’s stunning visuals. He blended the hairstyles of the period with styles celebrating her heritage, incorporating elements like locs, braids, and Afro-textured hair. He even designed her elaborate, large Afro to resemble a traditional Gainsborough wig, taking inspiration from Beyoncé’s look as Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers in Goldmember.

Pilcher told Essence he was inspired by Beyoncé’s hair in Austin Powers Goldmember. He knew he wanted a huge afro, and the one he created for her was incredibly complex – it actually used four or five wigs combined. They used wigs for the curls, bought separate afros, straightened and re-curled those, brushed them for maximum volume, and then layered everything together to achieve the desired shape.

Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Danbury, explained to New African magazine that men during the Regency era always carried a cane and wore a hat. She wanted Lady Danbury, as a widow, to express a sense of strength and power traditionally associated with men, especially given the limited freedom women had at the time. That’s why she asked for her character to wear a hat – she loves hats!

Costume designer Pilcher explained to Vogue that Lady Featherington (Polly Walker) had a distinct style. “I noticed her outfits were very 1950s, so instead of giving her typical Regency-era hair and makeup, I drew inspiration from actresses like Elizabeth Taylor and Deborah Kerr. I combined that 1950s look with the shape and style of Regency-era clothing.”

Eloise Bridgerton’s actress, Claudia Jessie, and Penelope Featherington’s actress, Nicola Coughlan, are actually friends outside of the show, according to the show’s creator, Chris Van Dusen.

We in the writers’ room have nicknamed them ‘PenEloise,’ and that name is starting to catch on with fans online. We’ve noticed a lot of people are using that hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.

He explained that they instantly recognized Penelope and Eloise Bridgerton, and he believes they’ve found something truly remarkable with them.

Throughout the first season, Simon, the Duke of Hastings, always wore a special brooch on his jacket – a piece decorated with diamonds and emeralds. The brooch was a cherished memento of his mother, who sadly passed away shortly after his birth, a moment shown in a flashback on the series.

Jonathan Bailey, the actor who plays Anthony Bridgerton, revealed that makeup was applied to his rear end for a sex scene. He explained that after he began to undress, the crew asked for a makeup artist to reduce shine in that area, as he shared during an appearance on the British TV show Lorraine.

Phoebe Dynevor, the actress who plays Daphne, revealed to Glamour that she wore 93 dresses during filming. She was amazed by the detail, explaining that each one was custom-made and hand-embroidered, with a team of six people dedicated solely to creating her wardrobe.

As a stylist, I always find it fascinating how color reflects a character’s journey. With Daphne, it was all about showing her growth. Initially, she gravitated towards blue – it felt right for her youthful, innocent phase. But as she matured, especially after becoming the Duchess, her wardrobe shifted too. We subtly deepened her color palette – moving away from bright shades to richer, more muted tones – to visually represent her newfound confidence and independence. It’s a beautiful way to tell a story without words!

As a huge Bridgerton fan, I remember being surprised by how intimate things got between Daphne and the Duke (Regé-Jean Page) – seriously, it seemed like they explored every room in that house! What I didn’t realize at the time was that they actually had an intimacy coordinator on set to help choreograph all those nude and sex scenes. The showrunner, Chris Van Dusen, explained that everything was carefully planned and worked out beforehand, which is good to know!

The goal was to make the actors feel at ease, and we gave them a lot of freedom to interpret the scenes as they saw fit, according to a recent interview with TopMob News. Those scenes were carefully planned and rehearsed, almost like a complex action sequence – with very specific directions for each movement.

Dynevor shared with TopMob News that she’s very proud of those scenes, explaining that a lot of effort went into making them feel authentic. She emphasized that safety was a top priority, and she felt completely secure working with Regé and an intimacy coordinator. They carefully planned and rehearsed the scenes, much like complex stunts.

In one intimate scene, Daphne realizes she misunderstood her husband Simon’s feelings about having children and, after learning about how babies are made, confidently initiates intimacy to achieve what she desires. Every visual aspect of this scene was carefully planned, and actress Phoebe Dynevor had significant input into how her character was depicted.

Bridgerton’s intimacy coordinator, Lizzy Talbot, explained to Vulture that the show’s creators wanted a clear demonstration of Daphne taking control. That’s why Daphne herself is the one who removes her hair from the braids and pushes the male character away – to assert herself and signal her agency. Phoebe Dynevor, who plays Daphne, specifically wanted to perform this action herself, as it’s a powerful moment representing female empowerment during that historical period. While not directly about sex, this scene establishes her readiness and sets the stage for intimacy.

Daphne and Simon were quite intimate, often finding moments of privacy whenever and wherever they could. The filmmakers had a funny problem: Page, who is tall, almost didn’t fit on the smaller beds used in the Regency era scenes, and they worried he might fall off!

Talbot, speaking to Vulture, explained that filming the intimate scenes in Bridgerton presented a surprising challenge: the beds. Authentic to the Regency period, they were much smaller than modern beds. With Rege-Jean Page being so tall, fitting him and another actor comfortably—and safely—required careful planning. The crew had to work hard to prevent the actors from accidentally rolling off the bed during the many scenes involving movement.

She added, “That was a real issue! On nearly every bed that we had.”

The emotionally powerful party scene with the rain, which happened at the Hastings’ courtyard, wasn’t filmed outside. It was actually shot inside a studio, giving the filmmakers complete control over the water – they could manage how much fell, its temperature, and ensure it drained away without causing a flood.

As a long-time fan, I was fascinated to learn about the incredible work that went into creating the look of the show! Apparently, they built a massive tank under the studio floor to catch all the rainwater – you can’t just let it flood the set, right? It needed a whole system of pipes to manage it all. My focus, as the set director Gina Cromwell explained to Buzzfeed, was on the details – making sure there were always flowers and beautiful food arrangements. But the real magic was that, hopefully, the audience was completely convinced it all looked like a real outdoor location!

Daphne’s rival, Cressida (played by Jessica Madsen), was inspired by the character Nellie Oleson from Little House on the Prairie. According to makeup and hair designer Marc Pilcher in Vogue, Cressida was designed to look beautiful outwardly but be unkind underneath.

In the series Bridgerton, Marina Thompson (played by Ruby Barker) secretly arrives at the Featherington estate while pregnant. She often wears a pendant known as a “lover’s eye.”

Costume designer John Glaser explained that the small portrait she carries represents a secret lover. Traditionally, people chose miniatures to represent themselves, keeping them private. However, this character has a portrait of someone else, meaning she’s the only one who knows the identity of her beloved.

The first season ended with the big reveal of who was writing the gossip newsletter as Lady Whistledown.

Filming was a blast,” Coughlan shared with Variety. “It was during the height of COVID, so I had to be incredibly discreet. I flew in from Ireland and underwent constant testing and fittings. The whole thing was top secret – I couldn’t tell anyone I was there or what I was doing. But despite all the precautions, it was really enjoyable to film.

Golda Rosheuvel recently revealed to TopMob News that she included a subtle nod to Bridgerton‘s first season in the show’s second season. When choosing Edwina Sharma as the diamond of the season, Queen Charlotte lifted Edwina’s chin in the same way she previously did with Daphne Bridgerton.

You know, as a lifestyle expert, I’ve noticed something fascinating about connection. Someone recently pointed out this subtle gesture – just lifting the chin – and it instantly resonated with me. I actually do the exact same thing when I’m connecting with someone like my friend Daphne! It’s those little, often unconscious, mirroring behaviors that really build rapport.

Per the actress, this small gesture helped her see “how it all connected.”

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2026-04-13 21:48