Charithra Chandran is all set to join the cast of Bridgerton in the second season as Edwina Sharma, the kind-hearted debutante. Chandran opened up about landing the major role, the importance of diverse casting highlighted by Bridgerton, and how colourism has affected her life.
Ever since its release, Bridgerton made waves for its diverse casting with many people of colour being cast in key roles, a rarity for period dramas. Chandran said to The Telegraph, “I think that Bridgerton has done for TV what Hamilton did for theatre. It encouraged a totally different audience to watch period drama and romances. And it made us feel seen on screen. It would be very hard to have a period drama now that isn’t diverse.”
Expanding upon her point, Chandran said, “I’ve always wondered how we can accept aliens and superheroes, but, you know, it’s a struggle to accept a brown or black princess? Is that where you draw the line? Maybe a mermaid is OK… So I think as a society, we’ve just become more creative.”
The first season of Bridgerton focused on Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Duke of Hastings’ (Regé-Jean Page) love story. The second season, based on Julia Quinn’s novel ‘The Viscount Who Loved Me’, introduces Edwina and her sister Kate Sharma, played by Simone Ashley (who stars in Sex Education).
‘Edwina Sharma and Kate are Soulmates’: Charithra Chandran
Chandran revealed that the writers of the show were really open to her inputs. She said, “I really made myself clear about what I wanted for this young woman. That was kind of scary because I was so new to the business, but I knew what I wanted. As a dark-skinned Indian girl, I may never get this platform again. So I needed to utilise it in a positive way.”
Edwina’s elder sister Kate is much more outspoken and forthright and is one of the people the Viscount must impress if he plans to court Edwina. Talking about their equation, Chandran said the two characters are ‘soulmates’.
“I’m probably naturally more like Kate than I am Edwina. But I think there is something really profound about presenting different types of strength. I think it’s a real injustice in our society to undervalue certain qualities like kindness, empathy and optimism. And, actually, I think it takes bloody courage to be optimistic,” Chandran said.
She added, “You know, we focus on romantic love so much, but actually these two women, there’s no one more important to them. And I think Simone and I worked really hard to bring that to the screen.”
Though Chandran wasn’t familiar with Julia Quinn’s work, she said that she finds similarities between Quinn and Jane Austen’s work, “(Austen) is the embodiment of the female gaze, which is what this show is all about. You rarely see that in the media, giving power to women and what they want.”
Charithra Chandran on Colourism & Indian Culture
Chandran further opened up about how colourism has affected her life. “I remember strangers saying, ‘You would be pretty if you were light-skinned like your grandmother,’ and like, trying to blame my granddad for giving me my skin colour,” Chandran recalled.
She further said that people assume she is successful because of a “diversity quota”, “I’ve even had friends say to me, ‘Oh you got that because you’re brown,’ and that really hurts. What’s really scary is that you can start believing it and thinking, ‘The only reason I got cast as Edwina is because they were looking for an Indian family.’”
Chandran remains attached to her Indian heritage and revealed that she really loves the idea of 'obligation and duty' in Indian culture.
Chandran said, "What I really love about Indian culture is this idea of obligation and duty. I don’t think it’s as common in the West – I feel a responsibility for my family as much as every other individual (in her family) feels a responsibility to me," adding, "Yes, it’s more work but it also provides me with security. I know that I will never be destitute, I know that I’ll never be alone because my family will always be there to support me as much as I’m there for them."
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