Everything Nicola and Luke have said about filming *that* mirror scene in Bridgerton
Luke had to wear a ‘cup, bag-shaped thing’ and they used a smoke machine to create the steaminess
In part one of Bridgerton season three it was the carriage scene. All anyone could talk about was the behind the scenes from filming the iconic scene. But now part two has been released everyone is obsessing over the Bridgerton mirror scene.
But did you know that the mirror scene didn’t actually exist in the books? I am shook and thanking my lucky stars for Netflix right now. Because of how central the scene is to part two, Nicola and Luke have spoken an awful lot about it in interviews, revealing all the juicy behind the scenes of how it was filmed.
So this is everything Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton have said about filming the mirror scene in Bridgerton season three:
Nicola had to have two wigs for the scene
In an interview on Capital Radio, Nicola revealed that she had to have two separate wigs for the scene because of how intense it was. She said: “I had to have two wigs. That’s how sexy that scene is. I couldn’t have the same wig because it would get messed up.”
They broke the chaise longue in the scene
When part one of season three was released, we kept being teased that Nicola and Luke broke a piece of furniture whilst filming a scene, but they would not reveal what it was. But in an interview with Vanity Fair they finally revealed it. “I can confirm. So, we’re on the chaise longue, is how you say it?,” Luke said.
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“It’s the mirror scene, and our director at the time took a step back and said, “Right. Let’s just mix it up, this take, and let’s really sort of go for this one. Let’s up the energy basically, and up the stakes.” Then I think we were maybe 20 seconds in and one of the legs just completely snapped off.
He added: “We both burst into laughter. Then Nicola shrieked and said something in her natural accent. I was really hoping that the laugh kind of makes it in, which it does. We do laugh together at the end, which is really beautiful, and just feels really appropriate and sweet to their relationship. I think Nic’s got a picture, which I’m sure will end up on social media at some point, of this leg that snapped off. It was then propped up by apple boxes and stuff to try and keep the chaise longue secure. Little moments like that make the days just so much more enjoyable.”
Nicola had to ‘have a margarita’ before trying on her intimacy wear for the scene
Prior to filming the mirror scene, the Bridgerton costume department sent Nicola a piece of intimacy wear, which was basically a “strapless thong that would cover the bare essentials,” to try on. She told the LA Times she had a margarita and “summoned the liquid courage” to try it on for the first time.
She “went to the bathroom and looked in the full-length mirror. I was like, ‘Absolutely not.’ I hid it down the bottom of the laundry basket. I was like, ‘How am I going to do this?'”
But she eventually got over it and actually found the scene to be satisfying and liberating. “By the end of the day, we were both lying under a blanket, not clothed, just chillin’. We were like, ‘This is why nudists do it,’” she said.
Luke had to wear a ‘cup, bag-shaped thing’ for the scene
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Luke revealed he had to wear a “cup, bag-shaped thing” for the scene and he and Nicola had a giggle about it. He said: “I remember when I first put on my intimacy wear, and it’s unusual to look at—it’s just a sort of cup, bag-shaped thing that you wear. I was wearing a dressing gown, and we were just about to do the first take when Colin undresses. And I just said to Nic, “I need to show you this before we roll because you are going to lose it on camera if you don’t.”
“So, we had a little giggle. It was nice to be able to be light-hearted about it. And that scene, we shot over three days, so by day three, we were literally throwing the robes off and strutting around the studio.”
They used a smoke machine to create the steaminess
Also on Capital Breakfast, Nicola and Luke were asked how they made all the steam in the scene and it was actually by a smoke machine. Nicola revealed that it’s not real steam, “’cause it would ruin the wigs”. Luke adds: “It’s just like a smoke machine I think. And sometimes it’s too much and someone’s in there fanning it.”
‘Luke and I decided entirely what we wanted to show on camera’
@melnewtington Nicola talks about the mirror scene and just … 🥵 no wonder Luke has an awkward laugh in the video 😂 credit: Pay or Wait, Youtube #bridgerton #shondalandbridgerton #bridgertonshondaland #bridgertonnetflix #bridgertonseason3 #nicolacoughlan #penelopfeatherington #polin #lukenewton #lukenewtonuk #colinbridgerton #polinera #payorwait
Nicola said that she and Luke had a lot of say in how they wanted the Bridgerton mirror scene to go. “Luke and I decided entirely what we wanted to show on camera,” she said.
“The mirror scene in particular, how that was shot we wanted to be front facing into the mirror and undress in front of it. And it was like an amazing moment. When I’m 80 I’m gonna look back and be like my boobs look great, you know what I mean? I was like they are all my own and they’re sitting up there, you know no regrets. And it’s such a beautiful thing.”
It was filmed over three days
Speaking to Vanity Fair on filming the Bridgerton mirror scene, Luke revealed it was filmed over three days, the first of which mainly centred on Penelope. “So I remember my focus was supporting Nic and making sure that she felt comfortable on set and in that environment,” says Luke. “It’s closed sets, so there’s not loads of crew there, but there is a crowd of people around us while we’re going to expose ourselves. I just wanted her to feel supported and safe.”
He added, “We swapped the next day, and then it was my turn, and I completely got that from her. The whole show feels like that and even now, doing a press tour together is another shared experience. It’s like these different stages that we’ll go through together, and we can only understand how each other feels.” Plus, they’re satisfied with how their sexier scenes turned out. “We’re both really happy with it,”he said. “Nic’s said how proud she is of those scenes, and you watch them and expect to not enjoy them and think, ‘Oh, I don’t want to see myself in that way.’ But I think we just stayed so true to the story.”
Luke had to have a full body spray tan
Luke said he had an awkward moment before the scene when he had to have a full body spray tan. “I have to say in preparation for those days, the most awkward moment is when my makeup artist comes into my trailer to tan my full body and I’m just wearing a cup,” he said.
“That’s the moment where your relationship sort of changes with our makeup artist, and you become best friends.”
Bridgerton season three is available on Netflix now – For more like this Bridgerton mirror scene filming and all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.
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Featured image before edits via Netflix.