Luke Newton, the 31-year-old actor who plays Colin Bridgerton in Netflix's hit period drama Bridgerton, is poised for stardom as the third series approaches. The first four episodes drop on May 16th, with the final four following on June 13th. Newton's character takes centre stage this season, with a romantic storyline involving Penelope Featherington, played by Nicola Coughlan.
Newton originally auditioned for the role of the Duke of Hastings, which went to Rege-Jean Page. However, season three, based on the fourth book Romancing Mister Bridgerton, focuses on Colin and Penelope's budding romance. The series promises to be the raciest yet, with reports of ménage à trois and dalliances with ladies of the night. Coughlan teased that a piece of furniture was broken during a sex scene.
Newton's path to Bridgerton has been unconventional. He was part of boyband South 4, which signed a £1million record deal in 2012 but split in 2016 without major hits. He then starred in Disney's The Lodge, the UK's answer to High School Musical, and appeared in the West End production of The Book of Mormon. He also had roles in BBC's The Cut and Doctors before landing Bridgerton in 2020.
Newton has been open about his childhood diagnoses of ADHD and dyslexia, describing learning scripts as 'his worst nightmare'. Despite these challenges, his career is now on an upward trajectory, with a growing Instagram following of 1.2 million and a dapper appearance at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in November.
