Bridgerton’s Luke Newton Changed His ‘Lifestyle’ to Shine in Season 3: ‘I Wanted to Show It Physically’
Playing Colin in Bridgerton “was a gift,” says Luke Newton, 31, who has played one of the handsome brothers of the central family on the Netflix show for four seasons. This year, the gripping period drama saw Newton transform into a romantic lead, and he took the change seriously. Colin “changed and became a man, and I wanted to show that physically,” he says. So who on the show is most like their character? “Most people say me. And I take that as a compliment,” says Newton, who is a little more docile and strong-willed.
The actor spoke to PEOPLE magazine during a photo shoot for the Royally Sexy category in this year’s Sexiest Man Alive issue to talk more about the role and how his life has changed since joining the hit series.
What’s the best thing about playing Colin?
It’s that we get to go back year after year, and there’s space in the story. There’s always a summer for our characters to grow and evolve and go through these wild experiences. And I think maybe for Colin, he’s had this crazy experience of traveling and finding himself, so being able to portray different versions of this character is something that I really love. He was a teenager when we first met him, and seeing him now year after year, it’s like coming into adulthood, which is really fun to explore.
Do you feel like you’ve changed in the costume?
Absolutely. I think I had a moment coming into the season where I was like, “It’s been a while. How am I going to get back into this?” But I just trusted the process knowing that as soon as I put on the first costume, everything would change. And that always happens, no matter how many rehearsals or readings we have. Things really only change when you put on those costumes.
Colin’s signature beard seems to be almost as important as his clothes.
Yeah, season three, we’re really, really proud of those. We spent hours and hours really working on that, finding the exact shape, the lines that we wanted. For me, I guess I was inspired by Jonathan Bailey from last season, the way he had these big sideburns that looked really nice and were really trimmed, and I really wanted that. I don’t know, it was just fun to explore. The only thing is that in normal life it doesn’t really fit in with anything, like if I’m in a coffee shop on a Sunday morning, you can spot a Bridgerton from a mile away if you see those sideburns!
Fans have talked a lot about Colin’s transformation last season. Do you feel like you’ve gone through a similar transformation?
I think so. It was part of the preparation for season three that I really wanted to feel like there was a difference, not just emotionally and in the experience that he had, but also physically. It completely changed my lifestyle. And there’s also a similarity in that I turned 30 on set while we were filming, so it felt like we were going through a similar journey.
Video Placeholder What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t an actor?
It sounds a little bit forced, but it’s something to do with music. I love singing. Or maybe writing music and doing something that I can perform. So maybe still within the arts, but yeah, maybe singing to some extent.
Describe your perfect date.
I really like an activity. Something that you can be a little competitive about is always really fun to start with, like bowling. And then just something where you can spend quality time with that person and you can put everything away, where there’s no phones and you can just chat and have some good food.
Sexiest Man Alive Royal Portfolio Luke Newton was photographed at Rococo House in London on September 27, 2024. If you were actually a member of the royal family, what do you think the perks would be?
I guess, first of all, it would be travel, being able to go to these amazing places. It would be an official duty to do that. And the way you travel, I’m sure, is very, very cool.
But also, I actually read somewhere that [a member of the royal family] had someone walk in their shoes. I don’t know if that’s true, but for a brand new pair of loafers, that can be quite handy. It’s a wonderful privilege to have someone walk around in your loafers for a couple of weeks, wear them in so they’re nice and comfy and ready for you.
