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Adjoa Andoh of Bridgerton is candid about her androgynous style because it makes her feel ‘comfortable’.
The actress, 59, who plays Lady Agatha Danbury in the hit Netflix show, appeared on the Amanda Wakeley: Style DNA Podcast to discuss both her fashion sense and her characters.
The star said: ‘I like a kind of androgyny, I like that. For me, I feel quite comfortable in gender neutral clothing.’
‘I feel comfortable in generally neutral clothes’: Adjoa Andoh of Bridgerton is candid about her androgynous style
Androgynous fashion describes mixed-gender clothing and accessories to avoid making a visual distinction between male and female physical features and therefore expressing non-binary gender identity.
Adjoa continued, “I’m interested in people who are who they are as a person, and don’t conform to certain stereotypes we have about what a person with a gender should be.”
Speaking about her character style, she explained, “She wears hats like the regency men would. She has the cane, and you can say yes, it’s because she’s an older woman, but for me it’s also about stature.
‘I’ve asked for all the cuts for her – she’s very tailored. The jackets fit just like that. The collar is up. The sleeves are long and they are buttoned up and always fall just above the knuckles. So there are all those downright obsessive details that have become part of her armor for me.
Opening: The actress, 59, who plays Lady Agatha Danbury on the hit Netflix show, appeared on the Amanda Wakeley: Style DNA podcast to discuss both her fashion sense and her characters
Adjoa’s character, Lady Danbury, is a woman of immense wealth and influence who was responsible for picking up the pieces of a shattered young Simon (Regé-Jean Page) in season one and raising him to become the Duke.
Season two was no different as she took on the Sharma family from India: sisters Kate (Simon Ashley), Edwina (Charithra Chandran) and their mother Lady Mary (Shelley Conn).
The actress admitted that once she gets on set and reads her lyrics, she instantly becomes Lady Danbury.
Adjoa said: ‘That’s a very good question, because I really don’t remember. When I’m working I’m probably more of a Danbury side to Adjoa than when I’m walking the dog. She comes to work with me. And once I’m on set and I’m in my own space and I’m with my lines, I’m instantly into her.
The star said: ‘I like a kind of androgyny, I like that. For me, I feel quite comfortable in gender neutral clothing.’
‘I think that was one of the things when I got the original sides sent to her to read, I just read it and though – oh I can do something with her! I recognize [the character] – that’s my mother, that’s my aunt, my grandmothers.’
Based on a series of books of the same name by Julia Quinn, Bridgerton follows the eight siblings of the Bridgerton family as they try to find love in Regency-era England.
It was announced last year that the spin-off series Queen Charlotte, which would chart the younger years of the flamboyant and gossip-hungry monarch, would be in the works, with the show written and produced by Bridgerton creator Shonda Rhimes.
A description of the series read: ‘Centered on Queen Charlotte’s rise to fame and power, this prequel to Bridgerton verse tells the story of how the young Queen’s marriage to King George sparked both a great love story and a societal shift, thus the world of Ton inherited by the characters in Bridgerton.’
Speaking of the highly anticipated prequel, Adjoa said, “For me, I was very clear when I went to the show. She [Lady Danbury] is an anomaly in that society. […]
“There is a prequel that Shona has written and we are currently filming. And you get to see the backstories of her, Queen Charlotte and Violet Bridgerton. And I was really interested in who she was, how she got there.’
She admitted that since finding fame, she hasn’t always liked walking the red carpet: “I just don’t like it. There’s a bit of West Country in me that thinks, “Oh look at you, I think you’re better than you should be”.
“I think I’m much happier as a character. I’m kind of a cliche. It’s the acting cliché. But the other thing for me is that I’m dyspraxic. […] When I’m on the red carpet in high heels, it’s like a dice with death. Shall I talk about it tonight?’
Speaking about her character style, she explained, “She wears hats like the regency men would. She’s got the stick, and you can say yes, it’s because she’s an older woman, but for me it’s also about stature.’