Rhimes madeBridgertona TV phenomenon but hadnt written its world.Queen Charlotteis all hers.
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)But after apublic falling-outwith her longtime creative home,Rhimesleft web link TV for Netflixin 2017.
(Bridgertonmainstays Lady Agatha Danbury and Lady Violet Bridgerton get thorough backstories here as well.)
That didnt even occur to me.
There are maybe parallels withJulie Andrews,who played the queen of Genovia.
I was fascinated by how constrained she was by her job and her stature.
Theres such a beautiful, complex story to be told about a young Black queens rise to power.
It doesnt help me in figuring out a way to be creative in my job.
Theres hearsay and rumor that the real Queen Charlotte had Black ancestry.
Did that inspire the casting in the initial seasons?I dont believe its hearsay and rumor.
The idea that that would make her their first Black royal was very interesting to me.
Were there historical consultants on set or in the writers room?We dont have a room.
It was just me toiling away with another writer,Nick Nardini, over Zoom and email.
We did that purposely.
Id imagine out of necessity, too.Yes.
It didnt feel right sticking them with the hair of people theyre not.
I wanted to see Black women in their full glory celebrating their hair is an important part.
Its not worth anybodys time.
Not even as pushback?I think my very existence is pushback.
So I was excited to fill in all the blanks of a character wed already created.
It also talked about their systematic erasure.
Those things existed, and I was amazed to find they did.
What I wanted to explore was, What happens if you unerase that erased history?
I dont necessarily think about what audiences enjoy.
It is so basic, in the sense that Im telling stories I want to watch.
I want to see stories about women in power, about women of color in power.
Im not necessarily thinking about how they are received.
The older Queen Charlotte is pretty ruthless, especially with her 15 children.
Charlotte was who she was.
Shes fully formed, in a lot of ways, by grief and pain.
Its heartbreaking to discover that young Agatha hasnt had a chance to know her four kids.
So for them, the workplace is the marriage market.
It felt vital to show how small their worlds were.
Charlotte didnt marry her love.
Shes thrown into a situation, and the question is, How do you survive that?
Its not a romantic comedy.
We all know how George turns out.
Were not telling a story where they lived happily ever after.
Arsema was just incredible when she came in.
This was her first job out of school.
I couldnt believe it.
Its always about finding an actor who has real range, not somebody whos interested in being liked.
India had that kind of sparkle that makes you want to watch her all the time.
InBridgerton, were seeing her front-facing self.
We never see her with kids.
InQueen Charlotte, were in the back of the house.
What does Charlotte know coming into this?
She lived in a province in Germany where her family was royalty.
Shes never even had to deal with this racism.
Shes very naive, and Agatha has been around the block.
She needs her bloodline to continue.
I felt like Agatha had to have a moment of joy.
Most men were like that if you didnt marry for love.
I discover a lot in the writing.
You were a candy striper as a teenager and then createdGreys Anatomy.
Ive always been fascinated by how medicine has progressed.
Theres never been a specific diagnosis for what King George had.
And for Corey Mylchreest to portray that was very difficult, I think.
We dont know quite whats wrong with him, but we know what a lot of his symptoms were.
She doesnt have a solution.
Theres arunning debatein cultural criticism about whether popular media has gotten sexless over time.
And where else should you have the most control than over your own body and how its seen?
No ones making you do anything.
None of these story lines are dependent on you being willing to take your clothes off for the camera.
I love when Lady Danbury says, Lady Whistledown never writes of our hearts.
We are untold stories, because thats very true.
Their love lives are not of interest.
Most of the stories told about women are about a mans fantasy of what a woman is.
I like telling stories about that.
Have you felt that squeeze as a showrunner?No.
But weve seen no difference.
Theyve just always been really supportive of the stories we tell.
What are the logistical differences between working in internet TV versus streaming?Theyre completely different engines.
ABC was a very powerful, very storied institution.
Theres a ton of bureaucracy.
The process was you get answered no initially and then you have to find your way.
Even gettingScandalto start what was live-tweeting, they were like, Why would anybody do that?
Netflix was a baby in this business.
They start with yes and then figure out how to make something happen.
I think thats a lot of what gatekeeping is you prefer the kind of shows youve already made.
I like to be argued with.
What would it take for you to buy a internet or platform yourself?
I knowBET is looking for buyers.A whole lot more money than Ive ever been willing to spend on anything.
Also, I am a storyteller at heart.
I was responsible for 70 episodes of TV a year.
It was a lot.
Getting to make shows that I love, thats good enough for me.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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