Downton Abbey star Jim Carter has ruled out a role in Netflix hit Bridgerton, saying the show is “far too raunchy” for him. The actor, best known for playing butler Mr Carson in the ITV period drama, said he would not be “disloyal” to the programme, which originally ran for five years until 2015.
Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Carter discussed his actress daughter, Bessie Carter, and her role in Regency-era drama Bridgerton as unlucky in love Prudence Featherington. He shares the 28-year-old with wife and fellow actor Imelda Staunton.
Carter said: “Do you think I would be disloyal to Downton Abbey? My goodness, no. It is far too raunchy for Carson, is Bridgerton. Can you imagine Carson in Bridgerton? Or Jim Carter even?”
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Talking about his daughter’s work during lockdown, he added: “She had just finished filming the first series of Bridgerton when lockdown came. They filmed the second series during lockdown, so with all the spatial restrictions there.”
He said he and Staunton, best known for roles in Harry Potter, Nanny McPhee and Finding Your Feet, were “very proud of her”. Bridgerton returns to Netflix on Friday for a second series, shifting its focus to the tumultuous courtship between Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey, and Simone Ashley’s character Kate Sharma.
The hit show, based on a series of books of the same name by Julia Quinn, follows the eight siblings of the Bridgerton family as they attempt to find love. Carter, who is an ambassador for end-of-life charity Marie Curie, said he would be taking part in its day of reflection on Wednesday to mark the second anniversary of the first national lockdown.
He said: “I hope that is true, that compassion is one of the legacies, that we do look out for each other a bit more and inject a bit more empathy back into the world.” He encouraged people to “think about what the pandemic has meant to them and people that they have lost”.
