When Arsema Thomas found out she would be joining the Bridgerton world, it’s safe to say she was ecstatic. The original series, which premiered in 2020, instantly became a hit as viewers got to know the eight close-knit siblings of the powerful Bridgerton family as they tried to find love.
This time around, Thomas is getting her shot, as she plays Young Agatha Danbury in the Netflix series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, which premiered on Netflix on May 4. “It dives into these great characters that haven’t gotten their time to shine yet. It allows people to fall in love with Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury and see all the things they had to do and fight for. It’s a beautiful love story, with some great female friendships and amazing looks. I cannot stress that enough!” the actress exclusively tells GRAZIA USA.
Funny enough, the brunette beauty never tuned into Bridgerton because she didn’t want it to ruin anything if she ever got an audition for the hit show. Thomas notified her agent that if any role opened up — even if it was just playing an extra — she would gladly jump on board. Lo and behold, something came up, and she auditioned for the latest series. “I have been a massive fan of Shonda Rhimes, who created Bridgerton. I’ve watched Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, and those shows were crucial for me because I had never really seen people like me on TV before. Everything was very secretive though, and I didn’t think anything was going to come of it.”
Clearly, she caught the attention of the executive producers and director. “I had another audition where I sat down with everybody, which is where they found out I am American! They asked me to come in for a chemistry read, where I met with India Ria Amarteifio, who plays Young Queen Charlotte, and Corey Mylchreest, who plays Young King George. And now I am here!” she quips.
Even though viewers have met Thomas’ character at an older age, the star still says jumping into the role was “one of the most creatively freeing things I think you can do.”
“I was extremely nervous because the show has such a massive fan base and people love this character. I put pressure on myself that I had to executive and perform it to perfection,” she notes. “But they sat me down and said, ‘This is yours. They are meant to be different women.’ It made me realize about the level of growth anyone can have in 40 years. We change as human beings, and there was a beautiful thing of honoring that change and knowing I had this arc in the entire season which allowed me to play and do different things because this is a backstory no one knows.”
Thomas was so invested she even sent emails to Rhimes asking her to incorporate certain things she thought of along the way. “It makes it feel like a collaborative process,” she says. “A lot of actors are just told what to do, but with this, you can have a full discussion, which was a magnificent gift because this is my first role. For this to be my first impression of this industry, I couldn’t be more grateful for the experience.”
To get into the mindset of Young Agatha, Thomas notes she is a very “quiet, reserved and observing individual,” which could be challenging at times since it’s such a “different world we’re inhabiting in the show.”
“It was refreshing to play somebody who is different than myself — that’s one of the reasons I got into acting. The moments where she appeases her husband was hard for me because I grew up in a family where the women are rulers. I had to unlearn that in myself. But what was amazing was to see her grow and start to become the woman we see in Bridgerton. It was almost therapeutic because Lady Danbury in Bridgerton is the woman I want to be,” she says. “To have this rule book on how to be a strong, independent woman is so generous to get because I was able to gain the confidence she has in herself and apply that to my own personal life. That was something really beautiful to be able to learn about myself.”
Thomas is looking forward to people getting to know these characters on a deeper level. “There’s something so beautiful and engaging in the older women of this show,” she notes.
According to Thomas, Rhimes does a great job of including certain dialogue and conversation into her shows. “Grey’s Anatomy is still going, so there are many reasons I trust her with storytelling.”
Additionally, Thomas will get to show little girls growing up that representation is important. “It means everything,” she states. “It’s the reason I wanted to go into acting — to almost undo the hurt that was done to me and make sure it’s never done to anyone else. There is something amazing when you are able to engage your imagination with just asking yourself, ‘Why are things the way they have always been?’ It’s an absolute honor to be on this show and that I was chosen to tell this story. It means the world to me.”
Growing up, Thomas knew she wanted to dive into showbiz after watching That’s So Raven on Disney Channel. “There was something about it where it wasn’t totally realistic since Raven is psychic. I didn’t know how to make it my career, though. I went to Carnegie Mellon University, where I studied biophysics and I had seen all these amazing actors who went to my program alongside of me. I thought, ‘They are brave enough to go to this route, and I couldn’t.’ I then ended up at Yale getting a Masters in Public Health Policy. Toward the end, I said to my teacher, ‘How do I make this my life?’ She was like, ‘Just try and see if you can audition for whatever you can,'” she recalls.
Thomas then would go from Connecticut to New York every weekend to audition for student films, church theater and community theater programs. From there, she realized that it filled her cup more than anything else. “I graduated, packed my bags and moved to Paris. I applied for a drama program in acting, and I have yet to look back,” she says.
Thomas never thought she’d land where she is today. “It’s almost unbelievable. Every time I go to sleep, I am so afraid I will wake up and it is 2020 and all of this was a dream. How miraculous is it that it’s my first thing ever I am headlining — and to have an amazing story and character that I’ve truly fallen in love with,” she gushes. “I am constantly in shock. My number one goal is to open as many doors as I can for other people. It’s all a dream come true.”
Despite nabbing a great part, Thomas is eager to continue to make her mark in the industry, whether it’s TV or film. “I love sci-fi and fantasy. There’s something amazing about being able to leave earth for a bit. I love comedy and sitcoms. If I love the character, sign me up!” she says.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is now streaming on Netflix.
