Arsema Thomas is young Lady Danbury in Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte
MANILA, Philippines — Arsema Thomas plays the younger version of the fan-favorite character Lady Danbury in the upcoming Bridgerton spin-off, Queen Charlotte.
In the two seasons of Netflix’s megahit period series Bridgerton, Lady Danbury (portrayed by Adjoa Andoh) is one of the most powerful women in London High Society, a friend to the Bridgertons and the Royal Family. In Queen Charlotte, a prequel that follows Charlotte’s rise to power and marriage to King George, Agatha Danbury (Arsema) is introduced as the wife of a much-older husband who becomes the “guiding light” for the new queen while also finding her own path in society.
Interestingly, it’s the American-born actress’ “first proper job” out of acting school. The STAR learned that Arsema has a B.A. Biological Sciences degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a Masters of Public Health in Health Policy from Yale University. But she went on to study acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in the UK in 2020 for her Masters of Fine Arts in Professional Acting.
“Yeah, this is like my first proper job. There was definitely pressure. I think, walking onto something like this, as like an ingenue, is a double-edged sword. It’s what everybody hopes and dreams for. And then, at the end of the day, it is still the starting point for your career,” Arsema said in response to a question from The STAR during a virtual roundtable. “So that means that there is this kind of pressure to continue that and to galvanize the energy of that. You know, how do I want to up this? How do I make sure that I keep being relevant?”
She said it took her the entirety of the filming process to calm down and free herself of the pressure that she also placed on herself.
“Because at the end of the day, the reason why I love this project is not for how big it is, it’s because I love this character. I would fight for this character any day. And I think that’s the thing that I now recognize, walking into the next role, is that if I love the character, it doesn’t matter if it’s a big production or small production. Loving the character will mean that I can, at least, finish the job on a high note and be consistent and be happy.”
When Arsema auditioned for the role, it was actually her first time to watch Bridgerton. “I think it was such a beautiful opportunity to be able to engage in this world that I think, maybe, was too scared to engage in as just an audience member. So, it was amazing to be introduced to the show, but then also to recognize the character that I was playing or auditioning for it.”
She easily connected with Lady Danbury because “there was something familiar about her.”
“She kind of reminded me of like an aunt or a mother or someone in my family. I was watching (Bridgerton) with my family, my mother, my aunt and my sister. So to be with this kind of group of women in my family, to watch this story and show about strong women and how they came to be, it’s a memory I hold dear to my heart,” she said.
Parallel to Lady Danbury’s friendship with the young Queen Charlotte, played by India Amarteifio, Arsema’s real-life friendship with the latter was also effortless and organic.
“There was no effort that I needed to put into it in reality, because the relationship that India and I fostered was already organic, already so natural. Because she’s somebody’s younger sister, and I am somebody’s older sister, we understood each other’s dynamics. So, we were able to fit in really well together. And the moments that you see care on my face are true care that I have for both the actor and the character that she plays,” Arsema shared.
The STAR further asked the actress what it means to her to be cast in a show that features women of color portraying royalty.
“You know, it means a lot. How often do you get to see a woman of color in a period piece that is not in a space or position of servitude? You never do. And when you are exposed to that same narrative, even now in our contemporary day and age, it changes how you look at yourself,” Arsema noted.
“So, to have this beautiful show, that reimagines a history that we were all told from childhood, it means that we can engage in our imagination and in our creativity to change what the world looks like in the future.”
She continued: “I remember growing up and I never saw a woman who had very similar hair to me or had the same skin tone as me. I thought that meant that what I had to say and the story and experiences that I had were not of value, that they didn’t need to be told, that they had no connection with the human experience.”
She readily recognized that the Bridgerton universe is “this utopia that we hope we will be able to live in and in this utopia, they don’t talk about race.”
“Sadly, we are not at that place now as a society because we haven’t engaged in the tough conversations that I think Queen Charlotte exposes and reveals,” she said.
But Arsema expressed hope that the world has been ready for more stories like this. She also believes that shows like Queen Charlotte will afford many young women that “stunning moment” of being able to “see themselves reflected in India, in myself.”
She said, “You know, even the fact that the show delves deeper into the lives of more mature women from Bridgerton is something so different. It’s about tapping into the empathy of it and understanding the lived experiences of all of us and valuing all of them on the same level.”
Created by Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder), the six-episode Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story premieres on Netflix on May 4.
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