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From a young age, Charithra Chandran has captivated film audiences in Britain’s West End. Now she has a global audience with Bridgerton Season 2, where she captures the sisterly magic of her character Edwina Sharma’s bond with Simone Ashley‘s Kate—even as they each vie for the affections of Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey).
Before her role in Bridgerton, Chandran was best known for starring in Season 2 of Alex Rider on Amazon Prime Video. A graduate of Oxford University, Chandran is fluent in three languages and a member of the U.K.’s National Youth Theatre.
Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma and Charithra Chandran as Edwina Sharma in Netflix’s “Bridgerton” Season 2
Netflix
The focus of Season 2 is Kate Sharma’s quest to find a proper suitor and husband for her younger sister, Edwina. Returning to their mother’s native land of London after a trip to India, the tight-knit sisters have come for debutante season to attend a series of balls and promenades.
Kate is not looking for her own beau but is closely guiding her sister’s quest for what will; hopefully cultivate a “true love match” for Edwina.
While Chandran is relishing every moment of Bridgerton, she says there was a bit of a learning curve adapting to the “movement” norms of Regency society.
Related: Bridgerton Star Jonathan Bailey Dishes On What to Expect In Season 3
“I’m a massive fidgeter; I’m constantly shaking my leg or whatever. During that period, the movement was really sort of encompassed by this idea of conservatism, so like a stillness,” Chandran exclusively tells Parade.com.
“So figuring out how to move, what’s proper, what would be the appropriate decorum, all of that stuff [was a learning experience],” she continues. “We also had help on set with all of those aspects of our character.”
Read on about what Charithra Chandran, who returns for Bridgerton Season 3, loved about stepping into the shoes—and bodices—of Edwina Sharma .
How do you see Edwina Sharma, your pivotal character in Bridgerton?
Charithra Chandran: For me, Edwina is very much a person coming of age. In the show, you really see her transforming from a young girl to a young woman. And she starts off quite naïve, willing to be quite submissive, thinking that others know better for her than herself. Then by the end, you see her sort of taking control of her life and her destiny and coming into her own.
When you first got cast as Edwina, what was it like joining a show that was already such a massive international success?
It was both nerve-wracking and exciting. Obviously, nerve-wracking because it’s so well received and well-loved, and you want to do it justice. But it’s also extremely exciting because you know, for the exact same reasons. I would say that it was very much a combination of nervousness and excitement.
Related: Bridgerton Star Nicola Coughlan Has ‘High Hopes’ for Penelope and Colin Beyond Season 2—Find Out Why!
I always think of Bridgerton as a fantasy—a magical setting within which you can discuss real, serious things. The setting is extraordinary, but these people are very relatable. I think especially with such a female-centric show where the majority of the characters are women, everyone can relate to someone, everyone has a mouthpiece. In many ways, the kind of real serious discussions that we’re having almost becomes more palatable when it’s in this magical setting.
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Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury, Charithra Chandran as Edwina Sharma, Shelley Conn as Mary Sharma and Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma in Netflix’s “Bridgerton” Season 2
Netflix
I think for a lot of us in life we’ve often found people that we’ve had this connection with that aren’t our romantic partners. For a lot of us, our soulmates are our best friends, our siblings, or maybe our parents, who knows? I think the whole theme of Bridgerton is predominantly about all the different types of love. The sisters’ relationship is just as important as the [romantic] love story, as is the one about the friendship between Eloise and Penelope, or between Danbury and the Queen and Lady Bridgerton. The show is about all different types of love.
Related: Here’s Why Bridgerton Star Luke Newton Calls Colin and Penelope the Series’ ‘Ross and Rachel’
Filming the ball scenes is really interesting. It takes many days because they involve such complicated set pieces. For the first day, it’s incredible because you’re seeing everyone in their glorious costumes and this amazing setting, and you get to catch up with all the cast. But then after a while, it can become just really quite exhausting. I’m glad it looks so magical on screen, but it’s on the back of a lot of hard work by a lot of different people.
Was the exquisite dancing something you enjoyed? Was it difficult for you?
Oh, I love to dance. I absolutely love it! So that was one of the most exciting and fun parts because when else would you get the opportunity to learn how to waltz, right? I loved it and I didn’t find it too difficult. It was trickier was delivering dialogue while dancing, but the dancing itself was just fun for me.
Shelley Conn as Mary Sharma and Charithra Chandran as Edwina Sharma in her wedding scene from Netflix’s “Bridgerton” Season 2
Netflix
Related: How Songs From Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish Ended Up in Shonda Rhimes’ 1800s Period Series Bridgerton
Please talk about the whole aspect of Queen Charlotte choosing the most coveted debutante of the season, also known as the “diamond.”
I think how the diamond is equated to in this season is very much a title [like] being a viscount, a duke or a queen. It’s something that comes with expectations, pressure, and honor like so many different things. That’s why I think you see how Anthony and Edwina connect in a very different way than obviously Kate and Anthony. But they connect because both of their lives are now dictated by a title that’s been bestowed upon them that they didn’t necessarily choose.
How did you and Simone Ashley find your chemistry for your sibling bond? As someone who adores my two older sisters, I know that there are pretty strong bonds there.
Absolutely. I think we got a lot of time to chat and really fleshed out a history for these two characters. And honestly, especially with Shelley Conn, who plays Mary, our mum, it came fairly naturally; we were really lucky.
Related: Where Was Bridgerton Filmed? Here Are All the Stunning Shooting Locations
Charithra Chandran as Edwina Sharma in Netflix’s “Bridgerton” Season 2
Netflix
What are some of your favorite aspects of Season 2?
The story is completely different from Season 1, which did an amazing job of setting up this unique world, which is such a big responsibility. But because Season 2 doesn’t have to do that, right from the get-go it can just be bigger, bolder, and jump right in. And that’s what you get!
Bridgerton Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Netflix.
Next, Bridgerton star Simone Ashley dishes about her onscreen ‘fireworks romance’ with Jonathan Bailey!
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