Hands down, the biggest and most celebrated book-to-screen change in Shondaland's adaptation of Julia Quinn's Bridgerton romance series is the idea that people of different races belong in Regency-era London high society. In Shonda Rhime's Bridgerverse, this is a direct result of the loving marriage between the white King George and the black Queen Charlotte. This change gave many of Quinn's major characters (Lady Danbury, Simon Basset, Marina Thompson, Kate and Edwina Sharma, etc.) a new cultural background and appearance. However, this didn't affect the titular family. The Bridgerton siblings look very much like their book descriptions. Well, almost. There are still a few tweaks made during the casting process. Here's how the physical descriptions of the Bridgertons in the novel series compare to the actors portraying them.Anthony Bridgerton (30) vs. Jonathan Bailey (35) All of Quinn's siblings have chestnut brown hair, which they take after their father, Edmund. The eldest son also has expressive dark brown eyes, which makes Jonathan Bailey's Anthony probably the closest to his novel counterpart. This is truly a casting made in heaven.Benedict Bridgerton (28) vs. Luke Thompson (35) The second Bridgerton shares his older brother's eye color. They are brown, unlike Luke Thompson's green eyes in the series. Quinn's Benedict is also the tallest of all the brothers, which we know is not the case in the live action. But there is one thing the show's casting team has done that is true to the source material, intentionally or not. Quinn's Benedict is said to be the spitting image of his late father, and we can certainly see the resemblance between Luke Thompson and Rupert Evans, who played Edmund.Colin Bridgerton (22) vs. Luke Newton (31) Here we have the tallest brother on the show. In the Bridgerton cast, Luke Newton stands tall at 6 feet, unlike book Colin, who is supposed to be shorter than Benedict. Also, Quinn really emphasizes Colin's striking emerald green eyes (which, to be honest, are hard to imagine in a real person), but Luke Newton's eyes are a charming sky blue. Or should we say 'a most remarkable shade of blue'?Daphne Bridgerton (21) vs. Phoebe Dynevor (28) Daphne's book depiction differs greatly from her on-screen portrayal. In the pages, she's burdened with chestnut brown hair and brown eyes, deemed 'a fate worse than death' by the heroine herself. Phoebe Dynevor's Daphne in the show flaunts blue eyes and strawberry red hair, escaping this supposed curse.Eloise Bridgerton (20) vs. Claudia Jessie (34) Claudia Jessie rocks blue eyes as Eloise, but in the book series, her eye color is a bit of a mystery, switching between blue, green, and gray in different novels. Despite that, the casting is on point. Have you noticed how much Claudia Jessie looks like Rupert Evans?Francesca Bridgerton (18) vs. Hannah Dodd (28) With dark blue eyes and chestnut hair that matches her siblings, Quinn's Francesca shines as the most beautiful sister. She is dubbed the season's Incomparable, which, according to the promo materials, will happen in the show's upcoming Season 3. Ruby Strokes (23) came closer to the description than Hannah Dodd, who has hazel eyes and is ready to join the family as another redhead.Gregory Bridgerton (14) vs. Will Tilston (17) Gregory's hazel eyes in the book differ from Will Tilston's darker shade. On the plus side, the young actor 's resemblance to Jonathan Bailey is uncanny, he could easily pass for his real-life brother.Hyacinth Bridgerton (11) vs. Florence Hunt (17) In the novels, Hyacinth shares blue eyes with Francesca. Florence Hunt's eyes look greenish on closer inspection, but her hair seems to be the right color. As you can see, the Bridgerton casting team took some liberties with the roles of the Bridgerton siblings. But in the long run, it doesn't really matter what color eyes or hair each sibling has, as long as the actors capture the general vibe of their character and fuel the dynamic in the titular family, which Shondaland's show does with flying colors.Would you like to see other actors play the Bridgertons?Some of them50%Never!50%
