Fans have Bridgerton‘s hair and makeup team to thank for Colin and Penelope’s season 3 glow ups.
In the third season, which premieres in May, Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) lead the series after evolving as characters on screen. Hair and makeup designer Erika Ökvist discussed how Colin and Penelope’s transformation came to life.
“In seasons 1 and 2, we emphasized all the rounds, so [Luke’s] hair was quite round. His costume also had a lot of frills, so we didn’t see his square jawline,” Ökvist told TVLine in an interview published on Thursday, April 25.
Season 3, however, created an opportunity to highlight Newton’s jawline with a haircut — in addition to a wardrobe full of unbuttoned shirts. Meanwhile, Coughlan’s character got to swap out her frilly dresses for something more elevated.
According to Ökvist, color theory also played a major role since Penelope is dressed in much more sophisticated outfits compared to prior seasons. Penelope’s hair took on a darker hue as well, despite Coughlan, 37, wearing the same wig as before.
“The reason why it doesn’t look as bright, why it looks more sensual and elegant, is because the yellow in the dresses that she used to wear in season 1 enhanced the red and the orange,” Ökvist explained. “[The wardrobe for season 3 shows] what color does and how you have to think when you do hair and makeup.”
Based on Julia Quinn‘s book series, season 3 took inspiration from Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, which followed Colin and Penelope’s friends to lovers story. Newton, 31, and Coughlan have previously teased that fans are in for quite a treat with a mix of romance and steamy sex scenes.
“Luke and I read the books at the beginning of season 1, and it was funny to us. We were like, ‘Imagine if we have to kiss and do this,'” Coughlan told Entertainment Tonight in June 2023. “And then season 3 came on and we were like, ‘Oh god.’ And then it’s like, it’s my friend. I have to kiss my friend. And you can’t pretend to kiss someone, you have to really kiss them. It’s a spicy one. It’s a lot of the stuff from the books that the fans expect has made it into the show.”
Earlier this year, Coughlan praised Newton for making her feel “really taken care of” on set.
“We really had each other’s backs and also then we could just have a laugh about it like, the way that we just, like, lying under a blanket being like, ‘I should chill now,’” Coughlan told AP Entertainment in February, to which Newton added, “Yeah, halfway through the day you just relax and you’re like, ‘I don’t really care if I’m naked.’”
Coughlan noted at the time: “They were like, ‘Do you want to get up?’ We were like, ‘No, no, I’m fine. I’m comfy.’”
The actress has since elaborated on the story, telling Teen Vogue on Wednesday, April 24, “So it’s really funny. That is true. It is a testament to the fact that we just got to a point where we were so comfortable together. We’d just finished the big sex scene, the most intense and involved one and we just felt relieved.”
The first half of Bridgerton season 3 premieres on Netflix on Thursday, May 16. The remaining episodes drop on Thursday, June 13.
