“I’ve never seen an actress quite like Yerin,” says Brownell. “She has an old soul, but also a real playfulness. You can feel her sense of childlike wonder radiating out of her.”

As a maid, the glamour of the ton is usually beyond Sophie’s grasp. So, for the masquerade ball, “We wanted to feel like she got a moment to feel beautiful and to feel like a princess,” says Brownell. Six people worked on the piece at once, layering Italian silver lamé chiffon and hand-layered sequins and frills for maximum onscreen sparkle.

Queen Charlotte wears 19 different wigs over the course of Season 4. When asked whether she has a favorite, Rosheuvel says, “I can’t pick one. They are all my children. The Victoria and Albert Museum should have an exhibition for QC’s wigs.” 

The early scenes at My Cottage find Benedict taking a memorable swim au naturel. His placid expression might lead you to believe otherwise, but “it was absolutely freezing,” Thompson laughs. Benedict isn’t the only Bridgerton who has braved the chilly climes: Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) took a dip in that same body of water in Season 2.

“They’re back, baby,” says Brownell of Kate (Simone Ashley) and Anthony. “They’ve been away in India having their first child.” The aforementioned baby, Edmund, meets the rest of his sprawling family in Part 2.

“This season, Violet is pairing Eloise up with Hyacinth because Hyacinth is the dreamy, romantic sibling, and Violet is really hoping that Hyacinth might rub off on Eloise a little bit,” says Bridgerton matriarch Gemmell.

“As soon as we’re back on set, it’s as bonkers as always,” says Jessie of her fictional siblings. “By 11:15, we’re shattered because we’ve been laughing so much. Where I feel my happiest is on the ‘Bridgerton’ set.”

Brownell notes that having a baby has not slowed down Season 3 newlyweds Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton). “If the Featherington carriage is a-rockin’, do not go a-knockin’,” the showrunner laughs. “I warn you.”

“We wanted to build a world where you understood everything that went on behind the scenes of the glamorous life that you’ve always seen,” says Rhimes of turning the lens on the characters who work in homes across Mayfair.

Best friends Lady Danbury and Lady Bridgerton take a break to snack on some licorice. “Adjoa and I,” says Gemmell, “we always laugh a lot, counsel each other, and reminisce about the ’70s. That’s basically what we do.”

The actors who make up the Gun family were welcomed into the franchise in classic Bridgerton style. “I remember they had a whole spread for us at this fancy hotel. We had a big cake,” laughs Katie Leung, who plays Lady Araminta