Our current setting is certainly worthy of a royal—tucked away from the drizzling rain in the screening room of a penthouse suite with sweeping views of Central Park—but, fresh off of her L’OFFICIEL shoot, India Amarteifio is more cozy than courtly, snuggled into a fuzzy cardigan and lush slippers.
Still, the star of Netflix’s new Bridgerton prequel, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, doesn’t need ruffled frocks or haute couture to be regal. Amarteifio started her career on the stage, appearing on the West End in productions like The Lion King and Matilda the Musical before making the switch to TV with roles on BBC mainstay Doctor Who and Disney’s The Evermoor Chronicles. With the poise and self-assurance of someone twice her age, the actor reflects on the journey which has brought her to her first starring role—in one of entertainment’s buzziest franchises, no less.
“It was about a five-month audition process of meetings and tapes—and it was all virtual as well, so it didn’t feel very real,” she says. “I’ve gotten really close to