With the Season 3 premiere of the highly-anticipated Bridgerton series quickly approaching, actress Claudia Jessie reveals that she was certain that she would be fired from playing Eloise Bridgerton on the Regency-era Netflix show.
“Playing Eloise means I get to support my family and friends, which I never thought I’d be able to do,” Jessie told The Guardian. “But I was surprised I was cast. And I was absolutely petrified to step on set – I still get nervous. Even going back for season three, I thought I was going to be s**t, that they were going to fire me. It’s something that never goes away.”
(Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix)
Jessie’s character Eloise is one of the eight Bridgerton siblings in the book-turned-television series. With each season of the show revolving around the love life of one of the siblings, and it is possible that Season 4 or a yet-to-be-ordered fifth season could focus on Eloise’s love story.
Much like her character, Jessie, 34, also takes pleasure in rejecting the norms of high society. She revealed that she considers herself to be an “outlier” on the show because she is a working-class actor playing an upper-class character.
“Sometimes, upper-class people play below as well,” she said. “They have their cake and eat it. I think Bridgerton is brilliant, because there are loads of people who wouldn’t usually be seen in those roles as a lady or a duke. When I get interviewed, I am often asked if I’d like to live in the Bridgerton world and I have to remind them that if I did I’d be staff.”
Bridgerton has taken the world by storm, emerging as a cultural phenomenon with its romantic love stories. Jessie recognizes how much the show has done for her, and couldn’t be more grateful.
“I’m just the happiest I’ve ever been, I couldn’t be happier. My life has, unequivocally, been a lot better than I thought it would be,” she said.
Bridgerton, Season 3, Part 1 Premiere, Thursday, May 16, 2024, Netflix
Bridgerton, Season 3, Part 2 Premiere, Thursday, June 13, 2024, Netflix