It was the year 2020 and a new romantic series released on Netflix had conquered our hearts. At a time when pajamas had become our uniform and we would have to maintain a strict number of people in our Christmas celebrations, we were able to invite our salons big fancy balls and tinsel, dreamy dresses and an amalgamation of charismatic characters with intriguing lives : and no one more charismatic and intriguing than Lady Danbury , with her sharp tongue, her snappy wit and her strong personality.
See photos: 'The Bridgertons': the locations where the series was filmed
Today, Adjoa Andoh, actress The Bridgertons who gave life to this very particular character and who will star in the long-awaited second season of the series, invites us to travel with her once again, although this time not to England in the 19th century, but to Paris: to her current and her past. Do you want to know what she told us?
Who are the Bridgertons looking at with such concentrated faces? Is it possible that Lady Danbury is approaching them across the dance floor?
"My husband, Howard, and I began our relationship in 1995. In the spring of 1997, in love with a baby on the way, We planned a trip to Paris. We stayed in the Marais, which is the old jewish quarter . It is a fantastic area, with those narrow winding streets and beautiful architecture that has been there forever. We had no money and it was almost a miracle that we were able to get to the country. We stayed in what my husband thought was going to be a very romantic Parisian hotel, but the mattress was hard and thin, and the bathroom had an old-fashioned squat toilet and a bathtub in the bathroom. that you sat with your knees drawn up to your chin. I was pretty far along in my pregnancy, so it was very uncomfortable.
Even so, we had a great time, but it was quite a tiring experience for me . When we decided that we were going to leave England last December and take the Eurostar to Paris, I said: "Hey, let's go back to the Marais." The air was cold and sharp, and we found a charming hotel called Jeanne d'Arc le Marais. Our room was very cozy and we had Fabulous views of the classic rooftops of Paris.
That first night we dedicated ourselves to walking around the area and found a small square. It was an idyllic place : It had a bench in the center that we could sit on, some lampposts and trees dressed in beautiful fall colors, plus small restaurants around.
We went to one called Le Marche , where you could sit in a covered outdoor area with heaters, and the patrons were all French through and through. At one of the tables there were two people having dinner: a man who had a small gallery next to the restaurant and a woman who clearly liked him, and they were getting to know each other, sharing their impressions of art and a bottle of wine . At another table we saw a group of students: between cigarettes, red wine and coffee They talked about literature, with their favorite novels in hand.
At that moment I thought: 'Life goes on, Paris is still Paris' . There we were, huddled in our coats in the open, chilled to the bone in the middle of a pandemic in a neighborhood restaurant and enjoying a magnificent French meal (I had never tasted one before). Tarte Tatin so delicious) and me I could only feel gratitude for being there, for living that perfect night. It was as if at that moment we all felt the same joy of living ". Drafted by Betsy Blumenthal.
The second season of The Bridgertons is already available in Netflix.
This article was published in the March 2022 international edition of Condé Nast Traveler.