Read our interview with Jessica Madsen and Sam Phillips below!
Image: Jessica Madsen, Instagram.
This weekend, Metro Comic Con will take over Melbourne for two days jam packed with all your favourite pop culture icons. We caught up with Bridgerton stars Jessica Madsen and Sam Phillips' to chat about the convention, their roles on the hit TV show, crafting spin-off's and so much more!
Taking place at Melbourne Showgrounds this Saturday and Sunday, international will descend upon the city for an experience like no other. Bringing together film, TV, animation, gaming, cosplay, collectables, publishing and, of course, comics, there's something for every pop culture lover.
Amongst the celebrity guests joining Madsen (Bridgerton, Rambo: Last Blood) and Philips (Bridgerton, The Crown) are Pom Klementieff (Guardians of the Galaxy, Mission Impossible), Tony Amendola (Stargate SG-1, Once Upon A Time), Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, Legends of Tomorrow), Aaron Moten (Fallout, Emancipation), Mitch Pileggi (The X Files, Supernatural), voice actor Matthew Waterson (X-Men 97, Doom Eternal), Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica, Law & Order: UK), Patrick Warburton (Family Guy, Seinfeld), voice actor Bill Farmer (Goofy, Pluto), Freddy Carter (Shadow and Bone, Pennyworth) Ethan Peck (Star Trek: SNW and Discovery) and Christina Chong (Star Trek: SNW, Halo: Nightfall).
Tickets are on sale now!
Welcome to Australia! Super exciting that you are here for Metro Comic Con in Melbourne. Obviously you'll get to meet fans, host panels and more. But so much happens at these pop culture conventions, so what are you most forward looking forward to seeing this weekend?
JESSICA MADSEN: I want to see people dressed up [laughs]. That's what I really can't wait to see.
SAM PHILLIPS: Yeah, snap. Neither of us have ever done a Comic Con, so seeing the cosplay.
I'm sure there's going be a tonne of Bridgerton cosplaying. I reckon people should try and take on Cressida's hairstyles.
JM: Ooh, I'd like to see that.
I think that'd be pretty fun. Now, conventions are all about fandom and you're both established actors who've worked on projects before with great fandoms. But how does that compare to your experiences in the world of Bridgerton and the global phenomenon that it's become?
JM: Yeah, it's quite hard to sort of compute, I think [laughs] it's so unexpected and it's been cool. I've been to some fan events - I went to one in New York and that was really cool to be there and all the stores, they had like bracelets and all kinds of things and that was really fun. But it's lovely to see that the show means so much to people. It makes me feel like we're really lucky to be a part of something that people really enjoy.
SP: It's hard to compare anything to this for me, because yeah. The Bridger-verse is a very real thing. It's so huge [laughs].
It's become so huge. Jessica, we watched your character Cressida Cowper really come into her own this season and show more of her vulnerability but also her strength. Going into filming season three, what were your goals in your portrayal of Cressida?
JM: I really wanted the first part of the season to come across as honest. I really wanted people to see that she had genuine intentions of having a good friendship with Eloise, and for that not to be sort of misinterpreted. That was kind of the main goal was like, let's give this character a real chance to sort of see the vulnerable side to her and a kindness to her that we haven't seen yet.
I think that really shone through on the show and was so beautiful to watch. For you Sam, the show was, as I said this global phenomenon of a TV show by the time your character, Lord Debling, made it into the storyline. Obviously he does play quite a pivotal part in the progression of the main love story between Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton throughout season three. What responsibilities did you feel entering this world and portraying this character?
SP: I think I was just aware that I didn't want to be, you know, how do I wanna say this? Like, getting in the way of the main love story. I was very aware that I'm playing a character who could be completely hated by the fans because he gets in the way of Polin. I kind of enjoyed that. I enjoyed that that was a direction that they went in for this series, that she got to experience a potentially different kind of future to the one that I think the fans are expecting and to throw that into the mix. So I was sort of relishing that opportunity to play the other guy [laughs]. And also, I guess for Cressida as well, you know, there was a small chance of that could happen. That sadly didn't progress there. ,
JM: Why didn't you come back? [Laughs].
SP: I know!
JM: We could have sat and hated on our families together.
SP: Absolutely. We had we both hated our families.
JM: Trauma bonding.
SP: Trauma bonding together [laugh].
Well, it could be a spinoff! That's the basis of this next question. We have branched away from the novels with Queen Charlotte, and there's lots of kind of characters' stories in the Bridgerton world that could be explored. Now both your characters are off on their own individual travels. If you could set a spin-off for each of them, what would that series look like? What would your characters go through, and what would you call it?
JM: 'Keeping Up With The Cowpers' [laughs].
SP: 'Keeping Up With The Cowpers,' very good [laughs].
JM: Well she hasn't got any money anymore, so I think it'll be her really learning how to cook and clean.
SP: [Laughs] I feel like they'd be reality shows.
JM: Oh yeah, a reality show for Cressida.
I would watch.
SP: Mine probably would be Debling...
JM: Vegetables [laughs].
SP: Yeah, 'Debling Discovers Vegetables' or something like that. Or 'Debling does Discovery,' you know, where he goes off and it's like a travel program.
JM: Hey, he could be David Attenborough. He's could be the new David Attenborough.
SP: He's the new, old David Attenborough, you know [laughs].
JM: 'Before David' [laughs].
SP: Yeah, before David [laughs].
Both those shows would be an incredible watch. Obviously the show is based off a book series and there's many more love stories of the Bridgerton family to come. I'm not sure if you've both read the whole series or not, but which storylines are you looking forward to seeing come to life over the coming years?
JM: I mean, I just wanna see Claudia Jessie be in every scene. So I'm gonna go for Eloise's story.
SP: Yeah, I think the same. Claudia's just phenomenal and just so watchable and lights up the show. So I think I'm here for Eloise's story next, and Benedict's as well.
Now, MILKY launched as a music publication initially, four years ago this month. Since then it's branched into film, television, pop culture and all these wonderful different avenues. Bridgerton has built this beautiful musical realms within the show, recontextualising all these incredible contemporary, popular songs into these beautiful orchestral arrangements. What are some songs or some artists that you would love to see receive the Bridgerton treatment in the future?
JM: I mean, I always say Whitney Houston, but that is the truth. She's a legend. But also nineties music would be.
SP: Oh, good shout. What are we thinking 90's, like..
JM: TLC.
SP: Oh, have they had waterfalls? Have they done that?
JM: No, but that would be good.
SP: That would be a good one. Some nineties RNB vibes would be good.
JM: Some rap would be good.
SP: Yeah, a bit of Dre. That would be quite good. I always said, my one that I said was Rick Astley Never Gonna Give You Up.
JM: You can't get more cheesy than that.
SP: Can't get more cheesy than that. So yeah, that would be mine, to add to Dre and TLC.
That would be so incredible. Pivoting back to pop culture conventions, obviously the reason you are here. How important do you think they are in terms of creating this in-person connection with your audiences and the people who really love and resonate with what you're working on?
JM: It's a place where it's sort of like a hub of energy and I think that must be so exciting for people to come and sort of, you know, meet everybody and also make friends. I'm sure it's like the coolest place to connect with people who are into the same thing as you. So I can imagine it's a really cool atmosphere to be a part of because a lot of the time we're sitting and watching these things like from home. So yeah, it adds to the energy of everything I think.
SP: Yeah, I can't add anything to that. That's,
That was so well put. Like I mentioned, there's many facets to MILKY and this year we launched a book club. We featured Bridgerton last month when the show came out. What book would you recommend to someone to read?
JM: Mine will probably end up being some self help book.
SP: [Laughs] Exactly. Yeah.
JM: Read the whole of School of Life Collection [laughs]. I'm really into autobiographies, like big time. I'm reading Jane Fonda's book at the moment. But I love Wonderland Avenue [Danny Sugerman]. That's a cool book.
SP: I'm like you, autobiographies. I love autobiographies, or biographies as well. I'm reading Heavier Than Heaven [Charles R. Cross], which is a biography on Kurt Cobain. Just read that, it was incredible. And The Catcher in the Rye [J. D. Salinger]. It's always one that I absolutely love.
Jessica, If my research is correct, and by research I mean seeing your latest Instagram post. You spent time in Australia before?
JM: I have lived in Australia.
You mentioned in that post that you used to have an Australian accent. I won't ask you to do it on the spot.
SP: Please do! No, I'm joking.
You could if you want! Obviously you've been here before. Sam, I'm presuming this is your first time in Australia?
SP: No, I was here when I was like eighteen or nineteen on a gap year.
JM: 'Gap year.'
SP: 'Gap year' you know, just discovering the world [laughs]. I did like a seven month trip around the world and we spent like seven weeks, like two months in Australia and Melbourne was the first place we came to in Australia. It was amazing. We went to an Aussie rules game and we did a lot of like, you know, did a lot of the good stuff.
Well I was gonna ask you guys what you're almost looking forward to doing whilst you're here, but you've both spent time and lived here, so I'm sure there's probably not much you haven't done.
SP: I don't think we'll get much time to do much outside of this.
JM: We're gonna see some animals.
SP: We're seeing some animals on Monday.
JM: I'm really excited [laughs]. I'm seeing family. A lot of my mum's side of my mum's family live here.
That's lovely. To finish off, what can we expect from you both for the next twelve months? What can you tease for what's coming up?
JM: That's a really good question. I have absolutely no idea [laughs]. So if anyone knows, please let me know [laughs].
SP: I mean, yeah, there are a couple of bits and bobs. But watch this space.ah,
JM: Watch this space. I love that.
SP: Meaning auditioning and doing a couple of projects.
Tickets are on sale now!
Comments