Jonathan Bailey Promises Season 2 Of Bridgerton Will Be Even Sexier

Millions of viewers became hooked on Bridgerton thanks to its lavish sets, steamy sex scenes, and dramatic twists and turns, but according to one of the show's stars, that's nothing compared to what's ahead. Shortly after Netflix announced plans to renew the series, star Jonathan Bailey promised that Season 2 of Bridgerton will be even "sexier" — and more complex — than its first episodes.

"It's just going to get more exciting and convoluted and sexier, I think," the actor told Entertainment Tonight in a new interview, adding that the show will "be pushing boundaries every single way. ... the story is going to be really exciting." But while Season 2 is set to bring Bailey's character, Anthony Bridgerton, front and center, fans shouldn't expect it to be a direct adaptation of The Viscount Who Loved Me. "I think [creator] Chris Van Dusen has got this amazing ability to take Julia Quinn's extraordinary books and her amazing worlds that she delicately filled with excitement and sexiness. And he takes it to a whole other level," Bailey said.

"So the fact that we're following Anthony's pursuit for love shows that you know there's definitely going to be some similarities [to the book]," he continued. One thing that Bailey — and Bridgerton fans — hopes to see in Season 2, however, is the introduction of Kate Sheffield, who marries Anthony in Quinn's novels. "Having read the second book, if Anthony gets to meet anyone half as brilliant as Kate Sheffield is, then he's going to be a very lucky man," Bailey said.

While Bailey won't confirm that Anthony will get a new love interest in Season 2 (or if that love interest is, indeed, Kate), he did tease that he wants to see the eldest Bridgerton grow into himself and his role as viscount. "I sort of feel really sorry for him," Bailey told ET in December. "I think he means really well. No doubt that he'll still be there to try to protect people in the way that he does and probably fail miserably. But yeah, we need to see him smiling. I think bigger hair, longer mutton chops, and hopefully get him on the dance floor [in Season 2]."

However, Bailey doesn't think that Season 2 will only bring big changes for Anthony. "There's so many cliffhangers," he told ET about all of the possible new storylines. "Eloise will be having her first season, I'm sure. There's head over heart with Benedict and his love of art. And there's a lot to really explore with Violet and Colin and Penelope. There's so much ... This is only the beginning."

According to Deadline, production is set to begin on Season 2 in the spring of 2021, although Bailey has already begun preparing for all of the new, sexy scenes headed his way. "Part of the excitement for all of us [is] to really get fit and be able to enjoy the scenes," he said. However, Bailey's costar Phoebe Dynevor — who plays Anthony's younger sister, Daphne — is concerned that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic may make it harder for the cast to recapture the magic (and the steaminess) of the first season.

"I can't imagine how it would be possible to film under these circumstances. There are so many extras and so many crew members, and it's a very intimate show," Dynevor told Deadline recently. "It just baffles me how we would film it under Covid rules unless there was a vaccine beforehand." Luckily, the U.K. has already begun rolling out the vaccine, which means that Bridgerton will be back and better than ever in no time.