He received advice from another ‘Bridgerton’ alum before taking on the role.
The first-ever Bridgerton spinoff introduces viewers to the entirely new cast of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, as they portray the younger versions of the royals and aristocrats fans know and love. To play the newly-crowned King George III, the prequel tapped Corey Mylchreest, a rising star who made his television debut in another Netflix franchise. If you’ve already binged through Queen Charlotte and been captivated by his performance, read on to learn more about the man behind the fictional monarch.
He grew up in England and studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
The 25-year-old actor was born in London, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Acting degree from the famed university RADA in 2020. As a student, he starred in productions of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and Hamlet, and he also appeared in plays including Mysterious Bruises and Tales From the Vienna Woods.
Other RADA alums include Anthony Hopkins, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Matthew Rhys, Tobias Menzes, and Benedict Bridgerton himself, Luke Thompson, among others.
‘Queen Charlotte’ is his first major role.
Mylchreest made his television debut on another Netflix series, playing Adonis in the premiere episode of Neil Gaiman’s fantasy series The Sandman. He also has credits in two short films, with Queen Charlotte serving as his first series regular role.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the actor spoke on playing such a complex role. “It was a privilege to be able to play George in general,” he told the outlet. “He is a man, affliction aside, who has a wide spectrum of behavior, which, as an actor is amazing. I think it was brilliant, not only to be able to explore his health and the pain that he individually experiences and the misery that he individually experiences, but also how that affected the main narrative, which is the love story and how their love finds ways—like running water, evade and keep flowing.”
Regé-Jean Page and Jonathan Bailey gave him advice for his role.
In a Today interview, Mylchreest revealed the advice he received from the Bridgerton season 1 and 2 stars, as they passed the Bridgerverse-heartthrob baton. He summarized Page’s advice as, “Anything that’s outside out the stuff that will help you between action and cut doesn’t exist, and everything that will help you, it does. Let that stuff in, but everything else, just let it slide off you.”
Mylchreest also said that he had “quite a few conversations” with Jonathan Bailey, admitting that all the advice “would take a long time to sum up.”
“They are both very lovely people,” he added. “They are also incredibly beautiful. And I’m very aware that they are running different races to me.”
As for his own season, Mylchreest revealed that he considers a different actor as Queen Charlotte’s most dashing male star.
“The real heartthrob in this series will be Freddie Dennis, who plays Reynolds, the king’s butler,” he said. “I cannot wait for the audience to fall in love with him.”
He’s private about his personal life, but he has mentioned his girlfriend.
In a red-carpet interview with Extra, the actor subtly revealed that he has someone special in his life. When asked if he’d seen Bridgerton before his role on the show, he
admitted that he had never seen the global hit. “It just sort of passed me by. I don’t know how. I guess maybe I’m not the demographic,” he explained. He then added, “I was told not to watch it, to try not to emulate any of the performances. And as soon as I got the job, I was like, ‘Alright, I gotta binge this thing.’ I sat down with my girlfriend and we did the whole shebang.”
As for his Instagram, Mylchreest has mostly posted behind-the-scenes and red carpet pics from Queen Charlotte, with captions showing his sense of humor.
