Phoebe Dynevor Would Have Quit Acting If It Wasn’t For Bridgerton

After it was released in Dec. 2020, Bridgerton became one of the most-watched Netflix series ever. The racy period drama was a lockdown cultural phenomenon. However, Phoebe Dynevor revealed she almost quit acting before she got the call to play Daphne Bridgerton opposite Regé-Jean Page.

In an interview with The Mirror, the actor explained that she’d spent nine months unsuccessfully auditioning for parts in Hollywood before the opportunity with Netflix arose. Dynevor, who is originally from Manchester, said she’d booked her flight home and even arranged for her flatmates to sell on her furniture.

“I had two suitcases filled with all my things. I told my flatmate, ‘I’m so sorry, I have to go…’” she said, “I got a call saying, ‘Can you come in and read with Regé next week?’ So I was like, ‘That’s annoying because I’ve got to move my flight. I hope it pays off.”

It’d be an understatement to say it did. While her road to success had some twists and turns, the process of getting the part of Daphne was very straightforward, not to mention speedy. “The next day they were like, ‘Netflix will pay for your flight back to London as you’ve got to be in rehearsals on Monday’. It was a really crazy whirlwind.”

Prior to starring in Bridgerton, Dynevor had roles in Dickensian, Prisoners Wives, and Waterloo Road. And since playing Daphne Bridgerton it appears the flood gates have opened. According to Deadline, she’s set to star in an adaptation of Naoise Dolan’s LGBTQ+ novel, Exciting Times. The story follows a new teacher Ava, as she tries to negotiate a love triangle without anyone getting hurt.

Dynevor is also set to play the leading role in Sky’s upcoming biopic of ceramic artist Clarice Cliff. And if you miss the high drama of Bridgerton then fear not. Dynevor will be returning to the cast for Season 2, although her character Daphne will have more of a supporting role as Anthony Bridgerton’s (played by Jonathan Bailey) love life takes centre stage.