Charithra Chandran Addresses 'Bridgerton' Fan Backlash: ‘It’s Disappointing’

“Bridgerton” actress Charithra Chandran has received a fair amount of fan backlash for her character in season 2.

Although the story focuses on the marriage between Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley), Anthony first intends to wed Kate’s younger sister Edwina (Chandran). The Netflix series takes substantial liberties from the book, even going so far as to have Edwina and Anthony walk down the aisle together.

Fans were frustrated to see six of the series’ eight episodes devoted to Anthony’s growing relationship with Edwina, causing the main romance of the season to feel like an afterthought. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Chandran opened up about what it’s been like to be the subject of fan ire.

Chandran told EW that all of the hate has “been difficult,” especially because some of the negative reactions from fans started before the second season had even debuted.

“Of course, it's a bit disappointing, but I'm also like, 'How can one comment and have such extreme emotions about something they don't know?' I don't know what to say, like, I can't lie. Edwina is in love with Anthony in the show. It's true,” she said. “They do have a connection. But also, that doesn't mean there's a catfight between the sisters, and it's more complicated than that.”

“The reality is, the TV show is so nuanced,” she added. “It's so complicated and you don't see a catfight between the sisters. You see Edwina being hostile with Kate because she loves Kate more. By the end of episode 6, she's like Anthony, 'You're trash and I can do better, just go away.' Right? That's my reaction. It's like, 'I don't care about you anymore. Just go away.' Whereas with Kate, it's a more painful situation because they are closer. It's a product of love, not a product of hate.”

However, there is definitely a falling out between the sisters, especially when Edwina tells Kate, the sister that raised her after their father died, that she was only her half-sister.

In the books, Edwina feels very much like a plot device to help Kate and Anthony get together. Chandran revealed that “The one thing that I said to Chris Van Dusen before filming started was, ‘I don't want Edwina to simply be a plot device for someone else's story or a vehicle for the story to progress. I want her to be her own person and to have her own plot and narrative.’ And I'm so grateful to Chris and the writers for giving me as rich a story as they ended up giving me.”

Many fans also expressed confusion as to how Edwina was totally blind to Kate and Anthony’s growing attraction.

“The only way I can describe it is, I would never think my dad would do anything to break my heart. Like, it wouldn't even occur to me that my dad would behave in a way that would hurt me. It's the same situation,” she explained. “It wouldn't even occur to Edwina that Kate would be in love with the same person she's in love with. It wouldn't register. You don't look for something that you think is impossible. I don't look for elephants to be able to fly, right? It's impossible, so why would she observe it?”

Chandran said that she “wasn’t nervous at all” when filming the doomed wedding scene.

Firstly, I was just so excited because I was like, ‘Oh my God, there are some incredible scenes.’ I wasn't nervous at all. Mainly excited,” she recalled. “But I think really being prepared and having a clear narrative structure for what's happening at each moment, what are Edwina's thought processes? Tom Verica, who directed that episode, is so great to work with. He really held my hand through it.”

She also revealed that there was a point where she is going to tell the Queen that she is going to go through with the wedding after all, even though she knows Kate and Anthony have strong feelings for one another. However, when King George (James Fleet) enters the room, everything changes.

“That was one of my favorite scenes to film. Because you really see Edwina's power, her goodness, her strength,” Chandran said. “I always really think of that as the turning point, because in my head when Edwina comes into the room to talk to the queen with Mary (Shelley Conn), she's about to tell the queen that the wedding will go on — that the wedding will continue and she'll marry Anthony.”

She continued, “It's only when she sees the love between the queen and the king, where she goes, ‘Oh my god, this is true love, and I will never have this if I go through with this wedding.’ It's such a pivotal moment in the love story because it's that moment where she decides, ‘Actually no, I can't accept this. This is beneath me.’”

Season 2 of “Bridgerton” is available to stream on Netflix.