Photos Dean Isidro | Words Tamara Rappa

Whether you're getting your Bridgerton binge on now or you devoured delicious season three when it made its majestic drop in May, it's Hannah New as Lady Tilley Arnold who leaves the series' ardent audience wanting much more. Ten years ago, London-born New starred in Maleficent opposite Angelina Jolie and in Black Sails, the Michael Bay-produced pirate drama for Starz. Since, it's been a string of roles the actor describes as 'strong, kickass characters' who have gotten her to explore her own inner strengths. And this summer, it became very clear that she's a Shondaland one-to-watch. Engaging in a polyamorous relationship as dramatic and layered as her ball gowns, New's Lady Tilley defies societal norms, and Hannah captured her character, in part, by basing her on wealthy widow from humble means, Harriet Mellon. We sat down with one of our season three favorites to talk telling an LGBTQ+ story, how it felt to wear Lady Tilley's lavish costumes, bridging (pun intended) old and new, the pressure of a period role, living out her alter ego, living on a farm in Ireland, and more.

How was your character initially described to you, and what character attributes did you turn to, to build her out? The first description I was given were the two words, 'Badass Widow'.  I was like, bring it on...because of the way in which widows are represented in a very wonderful position of power; a power that's not wielded in a vicious way, but wielded in a very maternal, caring way. Being a fan of the show, I thought, where does this widow fit in?  She isn't really in society, and she doesn't have children. I think that was where I met a challenge and I grabbed that challenge like a bull. I grabbed the bull's horns and went for it. At the end of the day, and with a character like that, you can swing hard and have fun. When I first got on set and saw the costumes, I realized that she was going to be this character who would really play with every convention of society and do it in a way that was on the margins...but then also flit in and out when she wants to. That is very exciting to play. It was exciting but also intimidating, because people are always coming at you when you play period roles.  'I don't believe that that woman would've existed.' And it's like, yes, that's because representation of women in period dramas has always been pretty limited up until recently, until there were people like Shonda Rhimes who took on a Regency England period drama and turned it on his head, which is so refreshing. I always like to base my characters on a real person. That person might not fit the image of what's exactly written on the page, but there will be some element of a real person that rings true. I'd come across this incredible woman, Harriet Mellon, who was the widow of Thomas Coutts, who was the royal banker and the richest man in England. When he died, she had this huge amount of wealth, but she came from nothing. It was a real rags to riches story, though she never forgot her roots. She was this incredibly benevolent but also incredibly witty kind of woman who gave zero fucks about society. She was able to move within it because she had the financial freedom. I think she also had sexual freedom, because many years later, she actually ended up marrying the Duke of Saint Albans who was seventeen years younger. She didn't want to get married to him at first; he really had to woo her. I thought, this really ticks all the boxes for me. The more I read about her the more I thought, I can go with this. If anyone comes at me and says, 'This couldn't have happened', I would be able to say, 'Yes, it did'.

Story + Rain sat down with Bridgerton Costume Designer Ellen Mirojnick for our podcast, and she shared the details for her vision and the series' standout style. She's created wardrobe for some of the biggest  films ever, and said that her work had never been so celebrated as it had when Bridgerton came out. What was the process like for getting dressed, and how did it help you get into character? What's lovely about the costumes is that one outfit is more opulent than the next. It's like your eye almost doesn't know where to go first, with all the layers and the colors. As an actor, you suddenly realize that your body can become this kind of gallery space for the costume designer. I had to bring tissues to every single fitting because I would burst into tears as they put the costumes on me. There is this wonderful atmosphere in every fitting; everyone is feeling so grateful to be on the job and feeling like we are in a room making an incredible vision come alive. It feels like you're part of a creative process that is just magical, and one that is going to mean a lot to the millions of people who see it. [Costume Designer] John Glaser is just an absolute genius. One of my first costumes was very Mugler-inspired, and I thought, this is f'ing fabulous. One of the fabrics used was an Armani fabric, which has micro-filament in it, and so it's like [Lady Tilley's] from the future rather than from the past. There's this wonderful time-traveling element that took me both forward and back, which is so hard to explain. It's a wonderful feeling to be in a dress where you feel like you are in the period but you are communicating something that is beyond time. I had to dance the tango in it. For me it's all amazing, I live on a farm and most of the time I'm in wellies and overalls. It's this wonderful transition from being covered in mud to being covered in a ball gown. I love that juxtaposition in my life. I had these funny moments when the car would come to pick me up to go to London to shoot and the vet would be arriving to give the cows a TB test. I think I probably had a total of about eight or nine dresses. The wonderful thing is they're quite often designed for a specific ball, and I had the most incredible one for the Queen's Ball...this dark green satin number that's just so beautifully Dior-esque. And then there are these fabulous ones at the end of the season, when my character becomes more and more extravagant. For my character, having control over her sexuality kind of meant that her costumes would also play with that idea; play with the line between extravagance and sensuality but also fantasy. What was so fun about putting on Lady Tilley Arnold's dresses, was thinking about the reality of her going to her seamstress and ordering her dresses from a dream space. She was fantasizing in bed about how she wants to look. That's a really empowering and sexy place to be in, doing that with no fear. She doesn't give a flying fuck about who says what, about what anybody thinks, you know? She in fact wants people to have a scandalous reaction. It's great to play a character who has no fear.

What do you think is required from you as an actor in order to portray a character who feels very period, but with a modern twist---the modern twist that this series and its plot lines are known for? What's so wonderful about Bridgerton is that the scripts do it for you. They meet the audience where they need to be met. When you're given them, you kind of have to let the period stuff go. You've done the work on the accent. You are in a costume that is maybe not completely of the period, but signals the period. It's a re-imagining of history with present day perspective. So in many ways the work is done by the writers. There are the things that the audience will be elated to see in a period drama. Being involved in an LGBTQ+ story was such an honor because I know it means so much to so many people. It was done with real sensitivity and a kind of realism based on the period. Think about the stakes involved in having a homosexual relationship, or any kind of queer relationship during that day and age. The stakes were so much higher and therefore the relationships and the way they play out were sometimes a lot more complex. Not to say that there isn't any complexity in it today, but I think we've come a long way. We still have a long way to go. In a period drama that deals with LGBTQ+ issues, the main thing is that people were having to 'pass', having to hide to a certain degree. Today, we are hopefully getting to a point where that is no longer the case. Yes, there are still threats of violence. When I look at politics and the way that it's going right now, it's terrifying. At least we all know that there is a space where we can speak out and be heard. It's a huge honor to be able to be part of that voice, and that's when my job as an actor bears a lot of responsibility.

Were you able to take any prior experience into Lady Tilley Arnold or was it sheer newness for you on this project?  I'm really lucky. I get given these wonderful, kickass characters who really get me to explore my own inner strengths and where I myself meet the character. I always find that in a lot of these really strong women I play there are elements of them that I need more of  my own life. They teach me, and it's part of my personal development. It's challenging but it's also growth-inducing and inspiring. It's what I love most about my job. I always come away feeling like I've given part of myself to the character, but I've also gained something from the character. A true symbiotic relationship happens with every character I get to play. I think a lot of people who know me would say I'm sweet and lovely and bubbly, yet I get to play these really strong characters. It's where I get to live out my alter ego. [Laughs].

Will we see more of Lady Tilley next season? There's so much more of her to see. I don't know anything about that at the moment, and yes, there would be so much to explore with her. I feel like we just touched the surface, and I would absolutely love to go back and be on that set, because every single day--being on that set with those people---was pure joy.