Queen Charlotte star on Reynolds' fate: 'We're asking questions as well'
What happened to Brimsley's lover?
A number of familiar faces from Bridgerton appear in its spin-off Queen Charlotte, which charts the tumultuous relationship between the titular royal and King George III, alongside their young counterparts, who we meet for the first time.
One such character is young Brimsley, the queen's right hand man who has been a key presence in her life from the moment she first arrived in the English capital. In the original series, his backstory remains a mystery but in Queen Charlotte, we learn that he was in a relationship with George's hand Reynolds.
"When Freddie [Dennis, who plays Reynolds] and I came on board to do the show, we knew that they had a queer relationship," Sam Clemmett, who plays young Brimsley, told RadioTimes.com. "But we didn't know to what extent and how their storyline was going to fit into the narrative, so it was exciting for us going into it."
Given that the king's closest aide does not appear in Bridgerton, viewers are curious about the fate of Brimsley's partner.
"We're asking questions as well," he said. "Ever since we got the final episode through, we've been like, 'Where is he? What's happened? Is he okay?'
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"I, for one, would love to know what happens. Freddie constantly jokes that he's having a nice lie down in the Maldives with a mojito, which is very well deserved."
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Clemmett went on to say that regardless of Reynolds' fate, the pair "are absolutely still in love with each other," adding: "They're each other's soul mates. They mean the world to one another."
He referenced the ball scene in the finale when the older version of Brimsley recalls a touching scene between the couple.
"That desire to be together is played so beautifully in that unspoken moment when he was dancing on his own and he looks out longingly," said Clemmett. "It captures that wistful longing of their relationship so, so beautifully."
Clemmett also discussed why the connection between Brimsley and Reynolds is so powerful.
"First and foremost, their role within their lives is to serve," he said. "It's their duty to the king and the queen and I became fascinated when I came on board with this idea of what it means to serve someone else for your entire lifetime. I couldn't comprehend doing something like that. You have no agency of your own, they live underground. They are two isolated young men who seek solace in one another and have this almost emotional support system for each other."
He added: "The moments that they do have for themselves, which are very few and far between given their jobs, they only have each other. And to be able to dive into the more human side to these two characters, when they can step away from their duty, was one of my favourite parts of the job.
Queen Charlotte is available to stream now on Netflix. Take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage, or find out what else is on with our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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