Bridgerton Season 3 landed on Netflix on May 16, which likely means you've already binged the first four episodes we got. Somewhere between all the balls and promenades, your ears likely perked up at the mention of a certain Lord Basilio. Wondering how that name popped up in the Shondaland series? Was it just a coincidence or were they really aiming for Filipino representation? Well, we did just say it's a Shondaland series, implying a ton of fun representation we don't normally see in popular media, so yes, we can totally confirm the existence of Filipino nobility in the Bridgerton universe-two of them, in fact!
Who are the Filipino lords in Bridgerton season 3?
In the first episode, we see three lords approach debutante Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) during Lady Danbury's ball, resulting in a rather awkward conversation-slash-inspection about what she is like. The first lord to speak to her is Lord Basilio, played by Filipino-British James Bradwell. We see him once more at another ball in the second episode, as Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) attempts to try and charm him-leading to another hilarious conversation as she inadvertently reminds him of his recently dead horse. Props to his ability to cry on command!
The London-based actor introduced his Viscount character on his Instagram, saying that he had "such a gorgeous time playing my small part of The Ton this season, not least in bringing the first Filipino name to the roster of Lords and Debutantes."
Bradwell, whose nickname on Instagram is a fitting Jimbo, explained that the role was first offered with a different name of East Asian heritage. Turns out the Filipino heritage of his character came about with, thanks to him, simply trying for "an opportunity to rechristen my Lord with a name representative of my own heritage." He approached the production team and was thankfully met with enthusiasm.
On his IG stories, Bradwell explained that they chose the name "Basilio" as its origins meant royal or kingly. Getting to use the name "felt like a small victory in the face of it within this fictional-Regency period piece."
"Most importantly to me in this exchange was that I was made to feel like a collaborator on my role, not a beggar at the door as these conversations can sometimes feel in this industry," noted the actor, with a huge thanks to Shondaland and the Bridgerton team.
Bradwell also gave a shoutout to the other Filipino Lord you might have missed: Lord Barnell, who is played by Martin Sarreal.
Lord Barnell was one of the gentlemen who spoke to Penelope during Lady Danbury's ball after she showed up with a gorgeous new look, still minus the conversational skills. A fellow London-based actor, Sarreal also took to Instagram to celebrate that "that there are now officially two Pinoys in the Bridgerton universe." He posted several behind the scenes shots and some from his scene in the series, and even one pic with Bradwell.
Both Bradwell and Sarreal are based in London. The former trained at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and now has several theater roles under his belt, including one in Betrayal, a production by Repertory Philippines. Sarreal is of Portuguese, Chinese, and Filipino descent. He graduated from Drama Centre London and has credits across theater, TV, and Film. As a singer, Sarreal was a part of Elton John and Jake Shears' new musical Tammy Faye. Here's hoping we see more of them in the upcoming episodes and seasons.
Hey, Preview readers! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok, and Twitter to stay up to speed on all things trendy and creative. We’ll curate the most stylish feed for you!
