Beneath the Mask: Luke Thompson, Yerin Ha & Executive Producer Shonda Rhimes

Like seriously steaming, I'm never going to look at a bathtub in the same light ever again.

I was in the hotel, I was not allowed to look to the bathtub, I was like, "I'm missing someone." Dearest gentle reader, welcome back to the Bridgetham podcast. I'm Lady Allison Hammond, your host for the final event of the season, and one in the event, it's been so far. I mean, we've met cast members and creators, we've giggled, we've gassed, and we've grieved. And today's final show looks set to be just as thrilling as the season 4 finale of Bridgetham,

except with fewer cheeky moments in the bathtub. A hardly need to say this now, but remember this show is jam-pat full of spoilers, so if you haven't already watched all eight episodes of season 4, a Bridgetham on Netflix, stop searching for your favourite shoe clips, and catch up now. On today's show, I am honored to welcome the behind-the-scenes Queen of Bridgetham,

executive producer Shonda Rhymes, I just hope I can hold it together.

But first, the beating heart of season 4 has to be the love story between Benedict and Sophie.

I sat down once again with Luke Thompson and Yeering Har, who played the star cross lovers to talk about the romance that started with a glove and ended with true love. I've missed you, Beau. Yeah, let's see. Welcome back. Yeah, welcome back. Should we just get into it? Oh, we need to do it. Well, let's talk about the big reveal. Yeah. Discovering that Sophie is the woman in Silver. Oh, necklace. I love found.

Isn't it beautiful? It's such a beautiful detail that it's like, there have been so many details. So far with this, it's that one thing that makes the penny drop. It's great. It's great, man. I just still don't get why Sophie just didn't really match as a guy, do you know what I mean? Why do you think it is? Not a shame.

“People keep thinking, you know, people keep things back. You know, you have to, it's hard.”

Yeah. I need that. It's a pity. I need that. It's a passion. I need it. Yeah. But thing is, Benedict was going to leave it all. Yeah. Before he even found out, he was going to leave. He was ready to go to the country. Do you think he was living in reality or was he in his own little fairy? I think he probably was a little bit in his fairy tale. I think he moves very slowly towards marrying Sophie. I think, but just because of his own worries and insecurities. I think, yeah, there's

something beautiful about what he does, the gesture of the cottage and all that. It's lovely. But then there is still that bit where you're like, okay, so I'm going to be sectioned off. It's still kind of sectioning off his life. Yeah. And so I think it's so, it's so not in his nature, I think, what's happening to him. Yeah. Which is great. It's great to watch a character like that falling love. He's mom brings in batteryality, doesn't she? Yeah. She's like, well, you're not going

“to be able to do this and you're not going to be able to come back and you have to stay there. Yeah.”

We won't see you very often. It's like, oh, reality. Yeah. Of this love. Yeah. It is the proposal dance though. Yeah, really. It was just stunning. What was it like, filming those lovely emotional scenes? I'll tell you, it was really hot. What's he? Why was it so hot in the board? Right. Lots of people, lots of body heat rising. Yeah, well, it's tricky isn't it? It was. Yeah, it is a bit of a dance,

like, literally and metaphorically. But I just remember, like, the dance is so beautiful,

Jack Murphy is an amazing choreographer. And it's lovely that starts and ends with a dance. Yeah.

Yeah, and full circle. Can you remember the dance? No, maybe. You know what? It goes somewhere in your memory. I remember for, for a higher sense ball, recently, I had to recreate the ball that I danced with them flow. And if you stop your mind from getting in the way, it just, it just flows back. It just magically flows back. Yeah. So maybe I thought if we actually stood up, right now for you, we could do it. But I don't think we should. And action. Yeah.

It's like, great podcast content. We can't set the cameras by so much. Everyone's having a heart attack. It's such a lovely moment though. And if you think about the first dance to the last dance and how much is changed, the emotion, everything. It's so different and so

“beautiful. Yeah. It is. It's a lovely, I think it's a really good, how Bridgetton always”

manages to make dances properly part the story. And like, a dance is sort of how they first met. And, you know, it's not to go too metaphorical. They sort of dance around each other. It is kind of like a thing. They sort of like constantly dancing around each other. And their first encounter is this little dance lesson. So, when you did that first dance, did you actually know each other very well? The first dance? No, no, not really. Not very well. It was early on in the

shoe. So, think about the last dance. Yeah, Ryan. Yeah. They were emotional white of everything. Yeah. What was that like? It was beautiful. I mean, I remember like doing that really tricky step.

Flickle. It crops up on strictly condancing, I think, sometimes. Is it quite difficult? Yeah. It is

quite difficult. Yeah. But what I'm not there. We got there. It's like you're sort of constantly spinning.

“That I think, because in the beginning, so if he doesn't really know how to dance and then by the end,”

like maybe she's practiced with Alfie or something, like I do think it's a really beautiful emotional journey of being able to be free and let go and take the pressure off herself. And yeah, I think it's a beautiful. It's an extension of an emotion, I think. Yeah, them. And it's lovely that you sort of go back to where you start, you know, like in a strange kind of way that you go through or they gone through this proper, like emotional rollercoaster together.

And then they sort of meet again at the end, having done all that, that beautiful circle. You talk about this a emotional rollercoaster. Do you think their relationship is stronger because of that? Yeah. Yeah. There's this great, I think it's the boxing who says like, you know, how do you expect it to negotiate something that negotiating

each other's feelings basically? Yeah. You know, and it is that's it and it's hard and it's

exposing and it's, but you do end up sort of stronger by the end. But then you do have to go through moments where like I'm going to lose it all. Can we talk about this daily scenes? Yeah, of course we can. Because I mean, you told me about this in part one that it was going to get hard. But it gets hat. Okay. Like seriously, steaming. Yeah. Very spicy. I'm not going to, I'm not going to lie I love it. Yeah. And as I'm going to look at a bathtub in the same light ever again. No, no,

that's hard. I was in the hotel, that's not a look to the bathtub, I was like, and missing someone. Yeah. Try being in it for a day. Oh, tell me. Did they not have any eaters? Rooney proof. Yeah. Yeah. You know, the petals? Yeah. They bring more than it. By the end it was full. Yeah. It was beautiful. Yeah. It was beautiful. Of course it does. But you know, by the end after a day, it was like, you know, like cereal, like when you leave cereal

and milk, it looked a bit like that. Do you know where any new petals are they did? But then you know, you're in the bath tub there, kind of naked. And then you have jet and milk. It's

my lunch man who I love. But they're pouring this milk key thing and they're just mix it while

you're in the tub. And did they heat it up for you? It was super warm, wasn't it? It was. You did pour hot water over my head. Yeah. It was scorching hot. But you know, we made it look sexy, I think. And is it really not sexy? There are a lot of people there. Oh, there are some like, was it close? No, it was crazy. Yeah, it was crazy. We're sexy. They do you think or close set? Yeah, which is, yeah, they sort of bring only people who absolutely need to be in the room.

Yeah, I'd be like, yeah, I need to be in the room. Do you want to do why would you get the call? I know. And do you know what I wanted to talk about as well? The conversation between Benedict and Sophie, we regard to the fact that Benedict's like men and we mean I thought that was

“quite important. Did you have to speak to Jess about that? And what was the conversation?”

I'm not really a huge fan of, of getting involved in that. That feels above my, as in like, I, a big fan as an actor, just tell me what to do. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I am. I like quite like being a puppet. That's kind of the fun of the game is, you're not sure what's going to come out and you just do as you're told and you just let the character take you where it takes you. But no, I mean, I think it's, it's a nice moment, I think, because it is. It's about honesty. Yeah. And, you know,

that feeling when you're just like, do I have to be honest? Do I have to be honest? Okay, I have to be honest. Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's what, you know, human relationships, particularly like when a couple are falling in love. That's what it's based on. And you have to relentlessly do that. And I think, again, it's one of those moments where Benedict could pick the route of just being like, oh, just, you know, we, well, not even under the carpet, so much is just, you know, not necessarily

have to, you know, have to bring it up for something. But I think it's a really lovely moment. And it is, it's quite striking, I think, when I watch the, the show because I think him as a character, he says it, and I do really believe when, when he says, you know, I refuse to be a tool ashamed of it. And I think what's really refreshing about him as a character is that he hasn't had a very sort of angsty relationship with his sexuality. Hey, there's absolutely time and place for those kind of

stories, and we've had a lot of those kind of stories in terms of male sexuality. But it's nice that it's something that doesn't feel like his sexuality really defines his identity and that's

“sort of a way. And I think that's really refreshing. Do you think Sophie's surprised by that?”

I think, yeah. I mean, I think what's so lovely about Sophie's being Benedict is that she really does just accept him for who he is. She falls, she fell in love with him. Yeah, it came in his entirety. And I think it doesn't phase her because it's, it's him and she just sees him for who he is and whatever his past is, it's, you know, we all have our secrets and that and she does too. So I think she's just accepts him for who he is. Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I'm getting emotional.

by. It was a lot. It was a lot. It was a lot. It was a lot. It was a lot. It was a lot. It was a lot. They really

“crammed it. Yeah, like John Bell Jean. He's been started seeing this. I don't look like my”

a bread stall pair of shoe clips. It's a whole new story. Yeah, exactly. It was super emotional and it was like a night shoot as well and was it cold? It was cold. It looked really freezing. It was really freezing. It was and like Katie's so good. Like when they call action, she just switches it on and she just has this menacing stare. Yeah, cold stare. And she's like in brilliant. So we just felt like I was reacting to shoe. It was so good. Yeah, I like to

speak to her. Yeah, she's the best. What is install for your relationship now? Because obviously, we get the wedding, which is just beautiful. So simple outside in the court. Yeah, but all the families there. Oh, there's a little detail. I wear a little pin in my neck tie, and it has a tiny kind to paint. Yeah, I'm going to go back and watch it. I hope it. Yeah, I hope you can see it. It's really, really tiny, but that's something that's amazing, because it feels it really sort of sums them

up in a way. Oh, thank you for that little nugget. Yeah. Right at the end. This isn't it's been an absolute pleasure talking to you both. This has been such a wonderful season. And I'm so, so happy. It's gone so well. It's just been the best. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Make a guess you're bright. Oh, I love chatting to Luke and Yaryn, and I adore watching their relationship grow. What a transformation both characters have actually gone through. Benedic

stopped behaving like a rake, and Sophie never has to scrub another grubby pan for the rest of her life.

Now for a truly special guest, nobody knows Bridget and like her, because she's responsible for bringing the show to the screen. It's TV making legend, Shonda Rimes. It felt like I was meeting Rorte. The most eligible suitor of the season seduced by a maid? Is it true? No, it is not true. She did not have to seduce it and because he loves her. Hello, Shonda. What an absolute honor to have you on the podcast.

Thanks for joining remotely. How are you? I'm wonderful. Shonda every season of Bridget

“is a full-on feast, but season four felt very different in the best way possible. What”

felt new and special for you this time round? Oh my gosh, I think I love upstairs downstairs feeling of everything, and I loved being with Sophie, so we really get to know her in her journey too. It's so beautiful that upstairs downstairs. And so big when you go downstairs, we've never seen that before. It was absolutely beautiful. I thought it was a fascinating way to sort of reveal how these households are run, and I feel like our writer Jess Brownel just really made the most of it.

We always start the first season by rereading the book that the season is based on,

and then Jess and I get together when we talk about what we both see as sort of the iconic moments, what we want the audience to get out of this season, every season we approach very differently. And then we also just start to talk about how to shape it, how to bring the life, what the stories that are in the book. So it becomes this very fun act of getting to sit in a book that you really enjoy reading, and then figuring out how to bring it to life. And Jess always comes

with great ideas. Shonda, we got a big juicy dose of forbidden romance. We've been a Dick and Sophie, two people who shouldn't be together, but absolutely can't stay apart. What has

“cited you about talent and love story with such huge obstacles? I think this is one of the most”

beloved books of the Bridgerton series for Julia Quinn, and so we wanted to really respect that. What I thought was super exciting was exploring the upstairs downstairs world of at all, and getting to see sort of the back of the house that we don't normally see when we're with the Bridgerton family. So also the relationship has a real, very clear obstacle for them. And a big one, you know, they have society to deal with. And that becomes a much larger issue.

And I thought that their chemistry through that made it very exciting. I absolutely love the chemistry.

Especially the light scene that was everything. The first case, it was just delicious.

The lake scenes one of my favorites. I think it came out so great. They have such a good chemistry together. And there's fun to watch. You just want to watch that. Oh, I love that part. Now Queen Charlotte's influence still shines through beautifully. Is there a thread from Queen Charlotte?

learned about Queen Charlotte. And we had such fun with the idea that her friendship with Lady Danbury, which was really informed by the Queen Charlotte prequel, is really front and center

“in this season. You know, we built like how they became friends and how important she is.”

And now in this season, you see Lady Danbury trying to take a little bit of a step back and what that's meaning or not meaning for her. So I love that. I love seeing their friendship. The Queen is not having any of it, is she absolutely none of it. It's so good. There's a moment where Lady Dunbury says this massive speech about how she, you know, she needs to go back home. And it's quite a long speech. You just get a simple note from the Queen. It's just delicious.

You've done everything can save me. In fact, you're even known as post-production royalty. Are you still very hands-on in the idea? I am. You know, it's one of my favorite parts of the writing process. You know, we have these amazing, very talented editors who do the cuts.

We have great directors who step in and my producing director, Tom Barricka, you know, always takes

a pass. And then I really love getting in there because it's a chance to shape the story. You know, based on performances versus, you know, you write a script. And it's great. But then it sort of goes into the production machine. And it comes out. And it's always very different based on the actors, the performances, the nuances. And so that gives you a chance to sort of reshape the narrative based on these wonderful performances that you saw. So that's always an exciting

part for me. I'm so interesting because I was speaking to Jess and she said when it was at the writing stage, you was like, I want to write that I am the T moment. And you got involved in that

“moment. And for me, that's one of the most iconic lines ever. Did you just see that moment?”

I thought, this is me. This is what I need to do. I really enjoy those moments. You know, those moments

are we always come up with these things that sort of resonate with an audience. And that was a

moment that I felt really good about. There are also always moments in the script process where I'll say that will never make it on TV. Or that moment is going to be what they use for part of the season, you know, the series trailer when they're trying to show everybody what the season is going to be. Because you can feel what those moments are going to be. Yeah, you can feel the energy and some of them. Yeah. And wait, does that come from me? It's just that spirit. So you just, you just get it.

I think, you know, this part of the work has always been one of my favorite parts, even from the very beginning in my earliest show. So to me, I feel like it's something I have this instinct for the rhythm of a show. I think I have a lot of interest in how that feels, like the music of how a show feels. And I've been doing it, you know, Grace is 22 seasons old, so I've been doing it for quite a long time. In season four, we get love, we get passion, grief, secrets. Yeah, it basically

gave us everything. How do you and the team blend all those emotions so seamlessly? I mean, the writers are just so good with that sort of thing. They're very good at sort of layering in the emotions and

the personality. But we also have, you know, we have these amazing actors. Yeah. And these amazing

storylines for them to play. And the actors are what really helped give everything the nuances that you need. I mean, seeing Sophie's family and how she's being treated by them and like understanding the ways of our world, we're really lovely to see. Yeah, I was just going to say sometimes when you see it, you even surprised. I was going to say there are some moments in the season that really surprised me just by how they were played out or the power at which they were played or the humor

with which they're played. It's really lovely like that to me is part of the beautiful discovery of shooting a show versus just the writing of a show. And those finale cliffhangers had a soul gasp in which twist sparked the most debate in the writers room for you. So for me like the the be my mistress moment. Oh, yeah, such a big deal because it had to come out right. It had to sound right. That scene needed to be sufficiently sexy and juicy. But you also needed to understand

why she pulls back. So that was not an easy nuance to get. Yeah. But when it came together, it was done so beautifully. It was so exciting. And I love finding out that, you know, her family is moved in down the street. Oh, my god, literally next door is so much so early next door. Yeah, I like that mistress moment because she's like, yes, I'm a maid, but you know what, I've got standards these around. I love that about her. I did too. I love the idea that she wasn't going to settle. Yeah,

I'll let herself be treated as less than she knows her worth. Which is nice and worth, man. Now the new lady we saw down reveal is absolutely unbelievable. How would this twist shake up the

“British him world moving forward? Oh, wow. I think that twist is going to be huge for us moving”

forward. I mean, this lady whistle down has a very different tone, a very different attitude, and a very different relationship with the truth. So I think we're going to see a lot of interesting

powerful? Oh, that's interesting. Oh, well, I'm not going to give any spoilers. No, but I know, but no,

“I mean, I think you're going to enjoy wondering who it is. Like the mystery of it is part of what”

makes it so exciting. I have to say that your characters make us women feel truly seen. What do you hope women take away from this season? I think women should take away the idea that you don't have to

settle that you get to define who you are. You don't let anybody else do so. And that we all deserve

“a real working helpful partnership versus just being somebody's mistress. You are an absolute”

genius. You are. Thank you for bringing us this British in season. I've loved every many, I can't wait for season five now. We're working on season five at this point. Well, you know,

you are the boss, you're the big girl. Do you need a new character? Because I know someone

knocked too far away. Oh, Shonda, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me on our podcast today. I have a door this season so much. It's been brilliant. Thank you again, figure. And this is the end of the show and the end of the season. Thanks to my guest today, Luke Thompson, Yeering Har and the Queen Shonda Rimes. And a huge thanks to everyone who joined me on the show to guide us around the magical heartbreak in joyous and saucy world of Bridgeton. Me and everyone has

honestly made me feel like I'm one of the Bridgeton family. I'm even thinking of investing in a team back for me bedroom. One thing I am definitely going to do is rewatch seasons one through to four at Bridgeton. And you can too because they're all available now only on Netflix.

“It is the best thing to happen all season.”

Until we meet again, this is Lady Alice and Hammond, wishing you dearest gentle reader, a fond goodbye to our babes. [Music] [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]