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‘Bridgerton’ Season 3: Nicola Coughlan & Luke Newton Dish on “Unleashing” Chemistry for Sex Scenes
Turning into a leading man was the object of Luke Newton's desires ahead of his season.
As for how he got so sturdy for Bridgerton's third installment?
His character Colin Bridgerton "had changed and become a man," Luke explained in People's 2024 Sexiest Man Alive issue published Nov. 14. "I wanted to embody that physically."
After all, the third eldest Bridgerton was finally ready to find lasting love in longtime friend Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). Although gaining a muscular build was essential to helm the Netflix series, he was also influenced by his older onscreen brother Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) for his sideburns.
"We were very, very proud of those," he gushed. "It took us hours to really work those out, work out the exact shape, the line that we wanted. For me, I guess I took inspiration from Jonathan Bailey from the previous season, how he had these strong sideburns that felt very sort of well shaped and groomed, and I really wanted that. It was just fun to explore."
Still, there were downsides to that particular look.
"The only thing is in normal life, it didn't really go with anything," Luke quipped. "If I'm in the coffee shop on a Sunday morning, you can kind of spot a Bridgerton from a mile away if you see those sideys!"
Despite being ready for the physical transformation that came with his role in season three, there was a lot he wasn't aware of. For instance, it was an emotional day on set playing out the moment Colin learned that Penelope was the town's gossip columnist Lady Whistledown.
Liam Daniel/Netflix
"I didn't know it was going to come this season at all," he told E! News in a joint interview with Nicola earlier this year. "When I read that it was, I knew that it was the thing that would crush him the most. Out of anyone in the whole world of Bridgerton, he is the one that will be most hurt by this."
"I remember that day we shot it in so many different ways," the 31-year-old continued. "Initially, it was meant to be quite harsh and angry. And then with the history of these roles that we kind of sat in for all these years, it just felt really emotional. And I remember just bawling my eyes out."
But he was grateful to have Nicola by his side to help unfold their friends to lovers storyline.
"It was natural," he reflected. "We didn't have to do anything to ignite that. It was kind of like these characters had got there over a long period of time—they talk of Colin and Pen as the slow burn romance—but really when we got there..."
Liam Daniel/Netflix
To which Nicola finished, "We just went for it."
"We had to kind of hold back on the chemistry for the first two seasons," the Derry Girls star continued. "And then it was like when we were ready to unleash it, we were like, 'Here you go!'"
In fact, Luke believes his friendship with Nicola was crucial for Colin and Penelope's dynamic.
"It felt like a real safe space to explore these scenes and find new and interesting ways," he explained. "The show is known for the steamy scenes, so we wanted to really encapsulate the Colin and Pen love story. Their humor, and all these different genres their relationship showcases."
But Luke isn't the only actor to undergo a transformation for his role. Read on to see other celebs who did the same for their projects.
David Fisher/Shutterstock, Universal Pictures
Cillian Murphy
To play scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, the Irish actor "had to lose quite a bit of weight," he shared. "He was very slim, almost emaciated, existed on martinis and cigarettes." His diet? According to costar Emily Blunt, "He had such a monumental undertaking.And he could only eat, like, an almond every day."
Christopher Polk/NBC; DC Comics/Warner Bros./Shutterstock
Joaquin Phoenix
For his Joker role, the Oscar winner opened up about his 52-pound weight loss, telling the Associated Press, "Once you reach the target weight, everything changes. Like so much of what's difficult is waking up every day and being obsessed over like 0.3 pounds. Right? And you really develop like a disorder."
Getty Images; Instagram
J.K. Simmons
The Spider-Man alum shocked fans when he debuted his bulging biceps, which were displayed in Justice League.
Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images; Bold Films/Kobal/Shutterstock
Jake Gyllenhaal
"I'd say my mother was worried," he previously told E! News after losing 30 pounds for Nightcrawler. "I would say she just wanted me to be careful. But she also knew and knows how seriously I take what I do and she respects that."
Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images; Barry Wetcher/Warner Bros/Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock
Michael B. Jordan
The Black Panther star gained nearly 30 pounds of muscle to transform into a rookie-turned-professional boxer in Creed.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images; Anne Marie Fox/Voltage/Kobal/Shutterstock
Jared Leto
The actor and musician nabbed an Oscar for his riveting role in The Dallas Buyers Club. He lost 40 pounds for the role.
Gary Gershoff/WireImage; Claire Folger/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock
Chris Messina
The Mindy Project alum had to gain 40 pounds for his role in Live by Night.
Jim Smeal/WireImage, Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Renée Zellweger
The Bridget Jones's Diary actress gained weight to portray the lovable character in the franchise's first and second films.
Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock; Voltage Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock
Matthew McConaughey
The Magic Mike hunk dropped 30 pounds to star in The Dallas Buyer's Club—which centered on the real-life story about a man dying from AIDS in the 1980s who treated himself with alternative remedies he smuggled into the United States from Mexico.
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic; Ibl/Shutterstock
Rooney Mara
The actress looked lean and strong for her starring role in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images; Working Title Films/Kobal/Shutterstock
Anne Hathaway
The Les Misérables star took home an Oscar for her role in the musical.
Isa Foltin/WireImage; Moviestore/Shutterstock
Christian Bale
He's no stranger to morphing for movie roles. In 2004, he lost more than 60 pounds for his role in The Machinist, and he did it again for the film The Fighter, opposite Mark Wahlberg. He also gained 40 pounds for American Hustle—and lost 70 pounds for Ford v Ferrari.
Bei/Shutterstock; Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock
Jake Gyllenhaal (Again)
The actor looked more like a god than a prince for his role in 2010's Prince of Persia. Gyllenhaal said he studied Parkour, the French art of street running, in order to bulk up for the film.
Francois Duhamel/20th Century Fox/Dreamworks/Kobal/Shutterstock
Tom Hanks
"All it is is time and discipline," the Oscar winner told Time magazine of his role in 2000's Cast Away, for which he lost over 50 pounds to play a man stranded on an uninhabited island.
Lawrence Lucier/FilmMagic; Twitter
50 Cent
The ripped rapper shocked fans with a photo of himself looking slender. He reportedly went from 214 to 160 pounds in just nine weeks to play a football player diagnosed with cancer in Things Fall Apart.
Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images; Moviestore/Shutterstock
Robert De Niro
Shaping up for movie roles is nothing new. The legendary actor earned an Oscar nom for his role as terrifying tattooed rapist Max Cady in the 1991 thriller Cape Fear.
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images; Matt Kennedy/Annapurna/Kobal/Shutterstock
Christian Bale (Again)
In order to portray former Vice President Dick Cheney in the 2018 biopic Vice, the star sported a fuller figure.
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