Filipino actors (from left) Martin Sarreal and Jimbo Bradwell in “Bridgerton” season 3. Images: Instagram/@martinsarreal_, @jimbobradwell
Filipino actors Jimbo Bradwell and Martin Sarreal were introduced as the newest members of the esteemed ‘ton as they made an appearance in the third season of the hit series “Bridgerton.”
Bradwell and Sarreal announced on their respective Instagram pages on Friday, May 17, that they were cast as noblemen in the historical fiction series, where they starred as Regency-era viscounts, Lords Basilio and Barnell, respectively.
Bradwell said he was originally cast “under a different name of East Asian heritage” which prompted him to have the name of his character changed to represent his roots better.
READ: ‘Bridgerton’ returns for new season and new romance
“When first offered the role under a different name of East Asian heritage, I wondered whether there was an opportunity to rechristen ‘my Lord’ with a name representative of my own heritage,” he said. “Feeling emboldened to reach out to production, I was met with an enthusiastic response welcoming and encouraging my input.”
Bradwell recalled that he suggested many “Filipino surnames” before Basilio was ultimately decided as his character’s name. This, for him, was an opportunity to be a “collaborator and not a beggar.”
“In this exchange, I was made to feel like a collaborator in my role, not a beggar at the door as these conversations can sometimes feel in this industry. Thank you for dignifying me in that way. As a result, catch some Fili representation in Lords Basilio AND Barnell (@martinsarreal_) this season,” he said.
In a separate post, Bradwell said taking on Lord Basilio’s character “affirms” his Filipino heritage.
“I’ve been blown away by the response from the [Filipino] community in the motherland and across the globe. It felt important to me to affirm my heritage in even this small role, so to see it resonate so strongly has been immensely, gratifyingly galvanizing,” he said.
Martin as Lord Barnell
Meanwhile, Martin enjoyed “stepping into Lord Barnell’s shoes” in his post, while describing the cast and crew as “fantastic people.”
“Had loads of fun stepping into Lord Barnell’s shoes (and sticking on those sideburns) on a wonderful job jampacked with fantastic people. Made some great, new pals on this and got to reconnect with some old ones,” he said.
Sarreal added that he’s elated to “officially [witness] two Pinoys” in the “Bridgerton” universe.
“Also there are now officially TWO Pinoys (@jimbobradwell aka Lord Basilio) in the Bridgerton universe. What more can you truly ask for?” he wrote.
The third season of “Bridgerton” centers around the love story of Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) which evolved from their longtime friendship since childhood.
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