While the cast of Bridgerton has been known to fluctuate heavily (we’re looking at you, Regé-Jean Page), there’s one character who has always remained a steady constant — the voice of Lady Whistledown.
As we know, the real Lady Whistledown is Penelope (played by Nicola Coughlan), the narrator voice of the all-knowing oracle is brought to you by the iconic Julie Andrews. Sure, we never actually see her, but it’s the soothing voice we all grew up with while watching Mary Poppins and The Princess Diaries, so we’d gladly listen to her any day.
The identity of Lady Whistledown is still a secret to most, but as it turns out, Andrews herself is just as removed from the cast as her character is.
In a recent interview on Today, Andrews revealed a shocking behind-the-scenes fact that we never saw coming.
“You know, I’ve never met the company in person,” she said, speaking about her fellow cast mates. “Of course, I see them on the show sometimes—but I do all my own recording far, far away from them.”
Weird, right? We would’ve thought Andrews would be in amongst the action, especially given her god-like status in the industry. But, as we also know, it isn’t unusual for voice actors to work separately from their colleagues on the same project.
That being said, it sounds as though Andrew hasn’t met any of the Bridgerton cast, like, ever. And, she’s also not attended any red carpet events for the show. But, her physical distance from the cast and crew hasn’t dampened her spirits, with the actress maintaining the whole ‘I’m just happy to be here’ outlook.
“I think it’s gorgeous looking, and they’re all wonderful in it,” she said of the show. “And they’re lovely people to work with—Shonda Rhimes and the whole gang down are terrific. So there you are, it’s a joy. And I’m thrilled that they asked me.”
As for how Andrews gets herself in and out of character—particularly given she doesn’t have the entire cast to hype her up—she revealed her special method for doing so in an interview with The Daily Mail.
“I don’t record everything at one time, so to get back into character again, my first warmup is, ‘My name is Lady Whistledown.’ That will get me back into character if I do it,” she explained.
God, she’s good.
