Luke Newton: “I can’t shoot a scene without brushing my teeth first”

“This feels appropriate,” says Luke Newton as he gazes upon the grandeur of Cliveden House. The 19th-century country estate in Buckinghamshire once housed two dukes, an earl and a Prince of Wales. Today, it’s hosting the amiable British actor who shot to worldwide fame as Colin Bridgerton, one of the fictional noblemen melting hearts in Netflix’s hit period romance series Bridgerton.

But Newton is looking more Jack the lad than lord of the manor when he arrives for our cover shoot, wearing an LA Rangers cap, Adidas sweater and a sweet smile shining out from beneath his rough stubble. “I never want to spend more than two minutes doing something with my hair nowadays,” the 31-year-old says of his off-duty look in an accent that is a far cry from the RP wielded by

Bridgerton’s polite society. Newton does admit, however, that the role combined with his training at the London School of Musical Theatre in 2012, has had an affect on his native Brighton lilt. When I went to drama school, there were a lot of posh lads there and we all used to hang out so I lost a little bit of my accent,” he says, describing the Brighton sound as a “little bit Cockney, almost taking its time to get from London”, and crediting his friends of 20 years for keeping him grounded. “I went back to Brighton for the weekend and it was the first time in a while that I felt like I did when we were teenagers,” he says. “I met a couple of my best friends doing theatre shows when we were eight years old, but most of the group now are not doing anything like that. I’m the only one still going with it.”

Raised in a family of singers – his dad once won the ITV singing competition Stars in Their Eyes with his rendition of ‘Mack the Knife’ as Bobby Darin and his aunts were West End performers – Newton originally had his sights set on a musical theatre career. But after impressing as Tony in a local production of Billy Elliot, he got an agent and that helped him land his first screen role in the BBC Two teen series The Cut. “I was 17 years old and staying in the house that was the set,” he recalls. “I slept in the character’s room, which was bizarre.”

Around the same time, he made a brief attempt at a pop career with three fellow BRIT school students, forming the boy band South 4, but after releasing the ill-fated single ‘Cougar Town’, Newton decided to renew his stage and screen efforts. In 2013, he confirmed his first West End gig as an Elder Price understudy in The Book of Mormon and was later cast as the lead in the Disney Channel musical mystery series The Lodge, which ran for two seasons between 2016 and 2017. Still, the actor was struggling to find consistent work and he thinks his musical theatre training was part of the problem. “A lot of the time, theatre actors don’t get the same opportunities in auditions,” he explains, putting his own failed auditions down to a tendency towards the overdramatic. “I have always struggled with that because, at college, they were like, ‘We need more, we need bigger!’ That’s why TV became my biggest love. I love the subtleties and the nuances that you can deliver.”

When he landed the Bridgerton gig, he was working at a bar and living in his best friend’s living room after moving out from the home he shared with an ex. He reckons the combination of both his TV and theatre training is how he booked the job. “What I see on set, particularly with Bridgerton having so many theatre performers, is people making bold choices,” he says. “And it really pays off.”

Since 2019, Newton has played third Bridgerton child Colin in the Regency era romp and its success has very much hinged on the unending appetite for period dramas and the showrunners’ ability to bridge the gap between tradition and modernity. Adapted by Shonda Rhimes’s production company Shondaland from Julia Quinn’s novel series of the same name, the show is bursting with a diverse cast of pretty young things getting all frisky and flustered – and frequently ballroom dancing to classical interpretations of contemporary pop songs. “It’s glossy, colourful and beautiful,” says Newton. “It’s sexy in a naughty way, but the themes of self-discovery, love and friendship are relevant today. That’s where people connect with the show.”

That and the ridiculously attractive romantic leads. British stars Regé-Jean Page and Jonathan Bailey received stratospheric popularity and major career moves following their respective stints in seasons one and two as the Darcy-esque suitors Simon, Duke of Hastings, and Anthony, 9th Viscount Bridgerton. Now Newton’s affable, globetrotting Colin has been promoted to leading man for season three, and the prospect of becoming the Internet’s Most Desirable is a daunting one. “It’s overwhelming,” he admits. “Each year, each season, we take on a new relationship, but this is the first year that I’m navigating my way through how to deal with that. I’m learning how to cope with the whole fame thing.”

It’s not an easy transition for a self-described introvert especially when online chatter continues to prove lawless. A recent TikTok trend has seen Newton come under scrutiny for what some fans perceive as him receiving a ‘glow-up’ makeover. In season three, Colin returns from a European trip with sun-kissed skin, longer, lustrous hair and a gallivanting reputation. Off-screen, meanwhile, Newton has acquired 1.1 million followers on Instagram, with posts featuring his sharp styling at fashion events and film parties garnering significant attention. “A lot of the TikTok videos are like, ‘What does Shondaland do? Do they put them through a boot camp?’” he explains. “It is that funny thing of, ‘How do I take this?’” He takes it on the chin with the knowledge it’s better to come out on the “nicer side” of that aesthetic assessment.

As for moving firmly into the spotlight, he credits co-romantic lead Nicola Coughlan – who plays Penelope Featherington – for making the ten-month shoot as joyful as ever. “We’re very understanding of each other and how each other works, which is the benefit of having worked together for so long,” says Newton. “We’d always get ready in the makeup trailer together so we’d be sharing playlists.” Beyoncé, The 1975 and Shania Twain’s ‘Man I Feel Like A Woman’ proved popular on their musical rotation, and these morning singalongs helped further cement their camaraderie and comfortability, especially when embarking on the steamier requirements of the series. “Looking back, it was a breeze,” he recalls of the intimate scenes. “She’s my friend, so we just giggle about it. There are those moments when you come out of your body and go, ‘Oh, millions of people will see this.’ But then I’ve been an actor for many years now. People have seen my performance on stage and other shows, so you feel confident.”

He still has his quirks. Newton cannot shoot a scene without brushing his teeth first. “It’s so random when they call me to travel to set and must be so frustrating for the assistant directors,” he laughs. “But it’s a reset moment.”

He celebrated a significant life moment during the latest shoot by turning 30, and the timing revealed “weird parallels” between himself and Colin, a young man who once lacked purpose now finding his feet in the world. “It feels really ‘actory’ but I always relate to the role that I am in and I felt like I was growing up at the same time as Colin,” he says. “I started off the season still feeling like the previous version – you know, fake it till you make it. But once we get into episode three, we’re starting to change. Colin comes back from his travels and is navigating his way through the ‘ton’, which is nothing compared to travelling to 16 cities in Europe, meeting new people and having that experience.”

Bridgerton thus far has been a crazy ride, and Newton’s loyalty to the show is unwavering. “It’s changed my life so I know that I’ll be sticking around,” he says of future seasons. He’s keen to maintain his stage career, too, having last year appeared as nice guy Adam in the acclaimed revival of Neil LaBute’s romantic dramedy The Shape of Things. But after a chivalrous five years on stage and screen, he’s now ready for something a little less charming. “I was in New York and there was a security guy talking to me about the show and he was like, ‘You’re too nice!’” Newton recalls. “Colin is the loveliest guy, but going into characters helps me discover a bit more about myself and I want to dive into something that’s a little darker.” Watch this space.