-My next guest is a very talented actress
starring on the hit television series "Bridgerton."
Season 1 is streaming now on Netflix.
Here's Phoebe Dynevor, everybody!
♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ]
-Oh, my goodness! Hello!
Phoebe Dynevor! -Hi!
-Hello and welcome. Welcome to "The Tonight Show."
Thank you for coming on.
It's your first time on our show.
-Yes. I'm so happy to be here. Thank you so much for having me.
-I want to -- -I'm your biggest fan.
-Alright, well, right back at you.
Alright, here we go.
I do -- I want to talk to you about "Bridgerton,"
but I also want to say we just had Lin-Manuel Miranda
out here on the show,
and I know that you're a big fan of Lin and...
-[ Breathes deeply ]
Can we just talk about "Hamilton" this whole interview?
Because I'm the biggest fan of Lin-Manuel ever.
-Wait, wait. Hold on a second.
But, you know, there's Lin, who was here,
but then there's me, who is here, you know?
-Yeah, both of you in the same room is crazy.
I don't know what to do with myself right now.
But Lin-Manuel -- "Hamilton" literally got me
and my family through lockdown.
We would play it every single day.
We watched the theater version a million times
and we can sing every song.
So, yeah, "Hamilton" is the best, the best.
I cannot wait to see "In the Heights."
-Oh, get ready.
Get ready. -Oh, my gosh.
-No, you won't even believe --
This Thursday, you won't even believe it.
Get ready. It pays off.
But people will say the same thing for you, by the way,
because you got us through quarantine.
We all got to experience you with "Bridgerton"
and we all -- That was a moment.
[ Cheers and applause ] That's a TV moment.
And that's amazing. And it came out of nowhere.
I had no idea.
We were just looking for something to watch,
and everyone was like, "I'm in.
It's 'Downton Abbey' but spicier."
I don't know what it was, but we didn't know what it was.
And it was so great.
And I always love a good story, as anyone does,
but the story of you getting cast is interesting to me,
because I heard that you were almost ready to just kind of
give up on acting in L.A. for a little bit,
and you go, "Eh, it's not working out.
I'm going to go back to England."
Is that true?
-Yeah. I had been -- It was kind of crazy.
I've been living in L.A. for about nine months
and I was kind of at that point where I was ready to go home,
sort of throw in the towel, and see the fam for a bit.
And then I got a call saying,
"Can you come in and read with Regé next week?"
And I was like "Oh, God.
Well, that's annoying, 'cause I've got to move my flight."
So I was like, "I hope it pays off."
-Yeah. "I don't want to do this and get rejected."
Yeah, exactly. -Yeah, exactly.
And then -- Yeah, and then, the next day,
they were like, "Netflix will pay
for your flight back to London,
because you've got to be in rehearsals on Monday."
-That's what I'm talking about! -So it did pay off.
-Yes! That's the story that you want.
I love that! -Yeah. Yeah.
-When did you recognize that you and Regé-Jean had chemistry?
Because Regé-Jean has been on our show,
and I had chemistry with Regé-Jean.
-Yeah, it's hard not to.
-Yeah, but you two together, it's like, "What is going on?"
When did you guys realize it?
Was it rehearsal or was it --
Did you do a scene and you go, "That's pretty good, guys."
[ Laughter ]
-I think you never know,
but we both had dance rehearsals together
and we were both kind of nervous about the dancing part.
It was the part that we were both a bit like,
"Oh, can we do this?"
And I remember we had a few rehearsals,
and one of them got recorded so we got to watch it back.
And we were like, "Oh, eye contact
really does a lot of the work."
-Yeah, yeah. Yeah, you felt -- -And dancing.
-Yeah, exactly.
Well, I think it was brilliantly done.
And we know that he's not returning for Season 2, but --
A lot of people were disappointed,
but if you read the books, which --
or read the books, which I have not --
So I was going, "Aww!"
And then they go, "No, that's the way the story goes."
It was never planned for him to return in Season 2.
Is that correct?
-No, I mean, I think every --
The special thing about "Bridgerton"
that I think not a lot of shows really do
is that every season centers around a different love story.
So, Season 2 is centered around Anthony, my older brother,
and his sort of coming out into the season
and finding a match, hopefully.
So, every story centers around a different relationship.
So, I'm just really excited to watch the show as an audience
and see what it has in store for him.
-But you're back and you're filming Season 2 right now?
-Yeah, yeah. I've had three days on set.
It's so nice to be back.
-What does it feel like? -It's such a nice feeling.
Oh, it's the best.
I cried like seven times when I came back,
'cause so much had happened, you know, since the first season.
Obviously, COVID and the show coming out
and just seeing everyone again.
I mean, half of their faces, for the most part.
But, yeah, it's just so nice. -Still, I'll take it, yeah.
Well, on behalf of everyone who actually did
get through quarantine thanks to you,
I just want to say thank you very much
for doing what you did.
It was definitely a big moment for us.
[ Cheers and applause ]
And I want to show everyone a clip from Season 1.
Here's Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page in "Bridgerton."
Take a look.
-It would be better if you refrained
from thinking about me at all.
-It is simply surprising.
-Yes, how ever is it possible for a lady
to offer anything but a smile whilst seated beside a duke?
-You regarding subjects much too...
-Even one of your reputation. -You are aware of my reputation.
-I'm aware of your friendship with my eldest brother.
If that were not enough, I'm also aware of the things
a certain writer has recently written of you.
Presumptuous?
Clearly.
Arrogant? Most definitely.
You are a rake through and through.
Tell me I'm wrong.
-Who is to refrain from thinking about whom again?
-I assure you, I'm anything but interested in you.
-Good. -Quite.
-And I anything but interested in you.
-There you go. [ Cheers and applause ]
Phoebe Dynevor, everybody!
Season 1 of "Bridgerton" is streaming now on Netflix.