Meet Austin: The good boy who plays Newton and stole the show in Bridgerton

He’s been acting for two and a half years and the cast say he was sassy and fond of falling asleep on set


I would die for Newton the dog on Bridgerton. There we go. I said it. But honestly, I mean it. He’s arrived in season two as the cute but mischievous corgi belonging to Kate Sharma and he has stolen our hearts.

He’s definitely a character on the show, being the main reason Anthony ended up in the lake in *that* scene, and having a bit of a fiery relationship with Lady Danbury. But he’s here to stay. “Newton is beloved, and I always wanted to include him in this season,” creator Chris Van Dusen said in an interview. “There’s a little arc for him that audiences can look forward to.”

So, you might want to know everything there is to know about good boy Newton who is the star of Bridgerton season two. If so, you’re in the right place. Here’s everything we know about him in real life, and what he was like on set in his big role.

Austin the dog who plays Newton Sharma in Bridgerton season two

via Netflix

Newton the Bridgerton dog is called Austin in real life and he was born in 2014

Newton Sharma is played by Austin the dog, who was born in 2014 and is one of nine brothers. Austin is not just an actor, he’s been recognised for his many talents at Crufts too. He has won three classes and numerous placings over his years of competition. His other acting roles include playing Queen Elizabeth’s corgi Susan in reenactments in CNN’s The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty, in 2019. He’s also modelled for Amazon. He has a best friend called Luna, who is a golden retriever and his favourite toy is his green dinosaur.

via Netflix

The cast have said he was often up to mischief on set

The cast have shared that he wasn’t always the best behaved on set, and like most dogs, loved a nap and sausages. Charithra Chandran, who plays Edwina Sharma, said: “Austin was not necessarily the best behaved dog. But there were so many hilarious moments. There was a scene where he’s outside and you had to get him to sit by feeding him treats. At one point, he was so full on all the treats, he just fell asleep on the set in the middle of his shot.”

Austin the dog who plays Newton Sharma in Bridgerton season two

via Netflix

Jonathan Bailey, who plays Anthony Bridgerton added that he and Austin were definitely not friends. “Austin played Newton and it’s a sterling, stunning performance, but do you know what? We didn’t get on,” he said. “He just loved the sausage and there’s nothing wrong with loving the sausage, but it was more the way we had to hold little crumbs of sausage in my hand to try and get him to jump in my lap. It’s amazing that I got to work with him because he’s obviously going places. But we didn’t really click.”

Simone Ashley, who is Kate Sharma in the show, added: “One of the buildings we filmed at, there were pebbles on the driveway. I’d have him on the leash and he’d just be eating the stones and pooping out stones in between takes.”

“I’m really good with dogs, so he responded to me well,” she added. “He was a little bit sass and goes off and does his own thing, but I like to think when we were together, he listened to me. Whenever we would do a line run and Newton was there, he would just get in the middle of the circle and roll on his back and be like, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ That was quite cute.”

Austin the dog who plays Newton Sharma in Bridgerton season two

via Netflix

In a further interview, Simone said Austin was “awful” on the Bridgerton set as Newton, and was much bigger than she expected. “He was huge. I thought corgis were small; he was huge. He was a very big dog,” she said. “He wasn’t a set dog, an actor dog. I think he just fitted the aesthetic that they wanted of Newton. So he got the job and he was just terrible on set. He always was awful on his cues, and bless him. If something happened that kind of spooked him, then yeah, he just wasn’t going do it which is totally fair enough. When the animal says no, the animal says no. We would just leave him alone.”

She also added that he “ate treats all day long”, with co-star Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Danbury, confirming Austin wouldn’t do anything unless a treat was on offer. Same Austin, same.

Season two of Bridgerton is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

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