Bridgerton’s Luke Thompson once performed to the Queen, and the story is actually wild

He’s full of surprises

1 hour ago

Hebe Hancock | Entertainment

When you think of actors performing for royalty, you probably picture a packed theatre and a big, glittering event. It turns out Bridgerton’s Luke Thompson once had a much stranger experience.

Netflix

He once performed a monologue to an audience of just two people, one of whom was the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Speaking to Parade in an interview, the Netflix actor revealed that early in his career he was unexpectedly “offered to perform in front” of the Queen.

Before becoming the artsy, slightly chaotic Benedict in the hit series Bridgerton, Luke trained as an actor, studying drama at the University of Bristol and later graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2013.

During his training, he ended up delivering a monologue by Tom Stoppard in a London art gallery, directly to the monarch herself.

“I was there with a group of students, so we all had monologues, but they offered the performance to me. So that was pretty cool,” Thompson recalled.

But the setup was even more surreal than it sounds. The room wasn’t full of dignitaries or theatre critics, just two people watching.

“It was just her and the director of the drama school that I was in. So it was just an audience of two,” Thompson revealed.

And apparently, nerves weren’t really the main feeling he remembers from the moment.

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“The strangeness of it took over any sort of, like, oh my God, nerves. I think I was just like, ‘How bizarre. Here I am, and she’s there,’” Thompson said. “I’m doing this monologue that maybe she doesn’t really care much for, I don’t know.”

Netflix

Honestly, it sounds like the kind of random life experience Benedict Bridgerton himself would somehow stumble into.

Luke has had a pretty international upbringing too. He was born in Southampton but largely grew up in Fontainebleau in France, meaning he’s bilingual in French and English.

He’s also built a serious stage career alongside TV. In 2024 he earned an Olivier nomination for his role in the stage adaptation of A Little Life, and he’s known for taking on some pretty intense theatre roles.

Oh, and another interesting fact: He’s also a quarter Indian.

So between starring in one of Netflix’s biggest shows, performing heavyweight theatre, and once delivering a monologue to possibly the most intimidating audience member imaginable, it’s safe to say Luke Thompson has had one of the more random acting careers out there.

https://parade.com/tv/bridgerton-luke-thompson-reveals-offer-perform-queen-elizabeth