‘Bridgerton’ Author Julia Quinn Is Ready For an LGBTQ+ Lead

“A gay lead on Bridgerton sounds like a good idea to me,” Quinn told Cosmopolitan Spain.

Netflix’s popular Regency Era series about a large family in England, a powerhouse Queen, and an anonymous gossip writer is returning for a third season later this year. We are eager to see how the relationship between Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), the leads of the next chapter, will develop. The end of season two left Penelope heartbroken, and we need to see Colin ON HIS KNEES begging for forgiveness.

Related | UK Bans Demi Lovato Album Poster for Being Offensive to Christians

Bridgerton Author Says Bring on the Gay

Another image we would like to see in future seasons is an LGBTQ+ storyline. Critics have applauded the series for its diverse casting. However, the show’s minor queer character (hey, Henry Granville) disappeared, leaving fans hoping for more representation in the future. Meanwhile, Bridgerton author Julia Quinn is thinking the same thing.

“A gay lead on Bridgerton sounds like a good idea to me, because the objective of the saga has always been to show that all people deserve a happy ending,” she said in a recent interview with Cosmopolitan Spain.

“There is a gay character, Henry Granville, but secondary. It would be great if there were a protagonist,” she continued. “One of the things that the series has done remarkably is to perfectly mimic the kind of emotions you feel when you read a romance novel, which is why people read those novels. They make you feel good, and the main reason is that they show a world in which anyone has the right to be happy. Being more inclusive, casting without racial bias, all of that contributes to that feeling.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Bridgerton (@bridgertonnetflix)

Quinn wrote nine novels following the Bridgerton family and their encounters with love from 2000-2013. Though there are no lead queer characters in the books, she is open to changing that in the television adaptation. Unfortunately, she does not have much say in the series’ creative process.

“I’m just a consultant. I see the scripts when they are finished. That kind of change is up to them.”

By “them,” Quinn means Jess Brownell, who will succeed Chris Van Dusen as showrunner of season three.

Related | Jeremy Pope Reveals He Lost a Film Role Because of His Sexuality

The Possibility of a Queer Character in S3

Many fans have been rooting for Benedict to have a coming-out arc – especially after his brief encounter with Granville in season one). Or perhaps Eloise, the defiant middle child with no interest in being swept away by a handsome bachelor, could find love with another woman. We would take a consistent side character at this point.

But the odds that the Bridgerton creators will add an LGBTQ+ character to season three are not good. Browell spoke with Variety about the idea and immediately shut it down for the time being. “Right now, I really am so focused on Pen and Colin and how we’re rolling them out that my head’s really in that in the day to day, but maybe at a later date that’s something we can talk about,” she said.

Season three of Bridgerton will premiere on Netflix later this year.