Luke Thompson may be known for his role as Benedict Bridgerton, but “Bridgerton” isn’t his first major acting credit, nor is it his first time working with Netflix. Previously, Thompson starred in “Dunkirk,” “Misbehaviour,” and a thriller miniseries on Netflix titled “Kiss Me First.” Of course, now he’s widely recognized as the second-eldest sibling on “Bridgerton.”
Of the eight Bridgerton siblings, Thompson is most similar to his fictional counterpart. Like Benedict, he also appreciates the theater and fine arts and prefers to keep his private life out of the spotlight.”There’s a bit of a question mark when it comes to Benedict, and as an actor, that’s such a great thing to play with,” Thompson told Shondaland. “You get to reveal the character bit by bit instead of showing the audience who he is right away.” It appears the actor is playing a similar game of his own. Fans will presumably have to wait until season three to learn more about Benedict’s love story and, consequently, the British actor as well.
Until then, you can catch him and season two’s leading man Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) stirring up trouble and family drama in the latest installment of the Regency drama series. To prepare for the upcoming season two of “Bridgerton,” get to know more about Thompson and what else he and his character have in common ahead.
He Felt “Blank” When He First Began Performing in England
Thompson’s family moved from England to France shortly after he was born when his father was hired as an engineer at Disneyland Paris. As a result, French became Thompson’s primary language, not English. In an interview with The Evening Standard, he explained how this hindered him once he enrolled at the University of Bristol in England. “I used to feel much more comfortable in French than English,” he told the UK outlet. “When I spoke English I used to feel blank.” This didn’t bode well as a theater student, so he put in extra hours with the university staff to practice his English.
He Was Inspired to Apply to Drama School After Playing Romeo in a Town Play
During college, Thompson joined a Bristol theater group. He was cast in the part of Romeo Montague in “Romeo and Juliet,” which ultimately inspired him to apply to drama school and pursue a full-time career in theater and screen acting. “I thought: this is worth doing,” he told The Evening Standard.
Upon his acceptance to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Thompson finished out his studies at one of the most distinguished drama academies in the UK. He graduated with a bachelor of arts in acting in 2013, according to his RADA profile.
His Favorite “Bridgerton” Moment Was Learning Regency English
Prior to filming season one, the “Bridgerton” cast participated in a Regency boot camp, where they received a master class in horse riding, fencing, drawing, and Regency English, Thompson said in an interview with It’s Gone Viral. Watching his castmates “wrap their mouths” around the script’s jargon and Regency dialect has been one of his most memorable moments from set. “Watching anyone, myself included, trying to wrap their mouths around [Regency English] and failing repeatedly is one of my favorite things,” Thompson told Red magazine via Mirror.
He Mistakenly Trained as the Wrong Bridgerton Brother
As production for “Bridgerton” season two got underway, Thompson was under the impression that his character would be showing more skin than normal after he was unexpectedly assigned a personal trainer. “They offered him a personal trainer for his intimate scenes, and we don’t get all the scripts at once, so he was like, ‘I wonder what that’s going to be?'” costar Nicola Coughlan (Penelope Featherington) told The Daily Mail. It turned out that Thompson was mistakenly given a sexy-scene workout regimen that was originally meant for his onscreen bother Luke Newton, who plays Colin Bridgerton!
Drawing Is a Passion of His
It appears drawing isn’t just a passion of Benedict Bridgerton but of Thompson as well. In December 2020, Regé-Jean Page shared that Thompson drew each cast member a portrait as a season one wrap present. “Luke is one of those people who is just so instinctively generous with the gifts he has at his disposal to delight and enrich those around him,” Page captioned his portrait on Instagram.