A Bridgerton cast member has revealed she “went home and cried” after filming an intimate moment for the series.
Ruth Gemmell, who portrays Violet Bridgerton, explained that she only learned she would be shooting a sex scene with co-star Daniel Francis while she was at a costume fitting.
In an interview with Ciné-Télé-Revue, Gemmell said she was taken aback by the discovery, admitting she hadn’t known the scene was coming until that point.
She told the outlet: “I was a little bit shocked. I was in a costume fitting, and I realized that I was being fitted for something that I had no idea was going to happen.”
Now 58, Gemmell said the surprise lingered even after filming wrapped, and that the experience left her emotional once she returned home.
Still, she noted that once the initial shock faded, she felt reassured by the way the moment was approached and executed by the Netflix production.
She said: “Thankfully, we tackled this one in a slightly different way to the kids of the show, because I don’t think anyone would want to watch that really.”
Gemmell also pointed out that the scene relied heavily on subdued visuals, including “a lot of low lighting.”
Looking back, she said it mattered to her that Violet’s story included the possibility of intimacy after the death of her husband Edmund years earlier.
“We don’t die after a certain age,” she said. “So, it’s quite nice to kind of represent that.”
She also reflected on how love can look different with age—especially for someone who has already experienced devotion, loss, and grief.
She said: “It’s very lovely to see young love and love for the first time, but it’s also very important and lovely to see somebody who has loved and lost and grieved and comes with a myriad of baggage, because everyone can identify with that, and I think that’s important to show.”
Violet’s storyline may not be finished, either, with the character potentially getting even more focus in the future.
Executive producer Shonda Williams previously discussed the idea of a Violet-centered spin-off while speaking on Craig Melvin’s Glass Half Full podcast.
“That’s an area that we’re excited about and know that that could be really rich and really mined well,” she said.
“I’ve always said that I thought if we were going to do something like that, Violet would be a great person to tell the story about – the Bridgerton mom. So, yeah, that’s a possibility.”