Spoilers for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story follow.
With the debut of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story on Netflix, people all over the world have fallen head over heels in love with Charlotte and George’s blooming romance.
However, there was another significant connection in the series that received the attention it deserved: Brimsley and Reynolds, the royal couple’s faithful footmen.
Fans have been waiting for a big LGBT+ subplot to be featured in the screenplay since Bridgerton first debuted in 2020 – but have been bitterly disappointed, especially when one was teased in a season one promo.
Finally, in the prequel spin-off, a homosexual love story between two prominent characters comes to reality – and Metro.co.uk recently got the opportunity to ask Queen Charlotte herself, Golda Rosheuvel, how she felt about its lauded inclusion.
Hugh Sachs, who portrays the elder Brimsley while Sam Clemmett plays his younger self, was full of admiration for Golda, who plays the older Queen Charlotte while India Amarteifio plays the monarch in her younger years.
Golda talked out about the emotional moments she experienced with her co-star on set, saying she was happy to see Hugh ‘grow into his own’ and Brimsley get more lines in the Bridgerton franchise.
‘To have that relationship portrayed, it’s so important to Charlotte, that relationship,’ the 53-year-old explained.
‘Brimsley has always been a gay man. That’s what Hugh and I discussed. That scene where she talks about his family and, “Have you had family?”
‘The layers and layers and layers of history of them talking about Reynolds, perhaps, and her giving advice and comforting him or not comforting him, wherever she is in that.’
‘It’s fantastic to be a part of it and to have a character know that and support it and be supportive of it in that moment,’ the actress said of Brimsley’s connection with Reynolds.
‘Again, for me, it’s really fascinating to have a period drama that discusses modern issues that feel so modern. But yet it’s a period drama, a genre that has not been accessible to a lot of people and now through the diversity, through the representation, through the inclusion, it is out there for all people.’
When asked whether there were any especially emotional scenes to shoot, Golda didn’t hesitate to recollect a specific scene with the elder Brimsley, in which he doesn’t hold back from telling the older Queen Charlotte that she hasn’t always been the most attentive mother to her children.
The queen dismisses him because she can’t stand hearing the servant’s brutal honesty – but in real life, it meant a lot to Golda and her co-star that they were able to convey Charlotte’s’strong relationship’ with her right hand man.
‘The ones with Brimsley. The one where he tells me about my children and stuff. Hugh and I wept because it was so emotional that finally, these two people got a chance to show the world what their strong bond was like, and how important this man was to her, and how important she is to him,’ Golda recollected.
‘If you look at India and Sam, that’s a long voyage mate, do you know what I mean?’ she said, referring to the younger Queen Charlotte and Brimsley. We spent a lot of time together.
‘To be able to show that and celebrate and to celebrate Hugh as an actor, to show what he can do… because we know him in this country, and his glory in acting. So that’s very special. Those scenes are very special for me.’
While Brimsley and Reynolds’ relationship has left viewers in floods of emotions due to their obvious love, many hearts fell at the end of the series when the elder Brimsley was shown dancing on his lonesome.
Fans have pondered whether this means Reynolds perished at some time in the past… But we don’t want to think about that sad potential.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is available to watch on Netflix.
