After a year and a half, a new social season has finally arrived in the world of Bridgerton. This period/fantasy romance returns with a new love story featuring Anthony Bridgerton. He has chosen Edwina Sharma, the new face of London and the diamond of the season. As he begins courting Edwina, Anthony must also win over her headstrong and protective older sister Kate (played by Simone Ashley), who turns out to have more in common with Anthony.

The Sharma sisters are a gorgeous addition to the cast of "Bridgeton," and newcomer Charitra Chandran, as Edwina, shines as brightly as her character's name. However, the Oxford University graduate who plays the character turned out to be more similar in personality to the older Sharma, so much so that she auditioned for her. Here is everything we know about the upcoming Bridgerton actress who is sure to make a name for herself.

The 24-year-old Indian-British actress actually had a completely different life plan. To be precise, her five-year plan was to pursue a career in public policy after earning a bachelor's degree in philosophy, political science, and economics from Oxford University. She told Shondaland (open in new tab) that although she had acted in college and had trained at the National Youth Theatre in England, she initially thought of acting as a hobby.

"I never thought I didn't want to be an actress," she said. 'I just thought it was impossible. Sometimes you don't allow yourself to dream about things that you know won't happen."

She also said that "I'm not sure I'll ever be able to do it.

However, during the gap year, she finally decided to pursue acting in earnest and landed her first role; even as she began appearing on Netflix's post-popular show, she is still realistic and says she "always has (a) backup plan."

In 2020, Chandran made her first on-screen appearance in season two of the prime video series Alex Rider as Sabina Pleasence, the titular teen spy's friend. In addition to Bridgerton, she has also appeared in short films and the indie film "Class S." She is currently working on a web animation called Pillow Talk.

In November 2020, Chandran opened up to Shondaland about the audition process, which began before season one of Bridgeman premiered. A fan of period dramas, she first auditioned for her sister Kate. 'I auditioned a couple of times,' she said, 'but I still didn't make it. But it was still good. By that time, I had been offered another TV show. So, after the New Year, I said, 'Okay, when one door closes, another one opens. It just wasn't destined to happen. I thought, 'Well, okay.

The following February, after the first season bombed and Chandran was already working on another show, she was contacted to audition for Edwina. She told the magazine that it took her a while to think about it before she realized that she could make a difference with this character and story she called a "coming-of-age story."

"She has transformed from this little girl into a confident young woman, about self-discovery and self-love and the courage they require. As women in particular, we are called upon to be very sacrificial. Women are often defined by our relationships with others: sisters, daughters, mothers, wives. We are valuable in our own right," she said.

In an interview with The Kit, Chandran admitted that she is very different from her sweet and shy character, saying that she is "quite independent and autonomous in real life." She initially found it difficult to connect with Edwina and discussed her with the writers, who brought her closer to the character by creating a playlist that tracks Edwina's journey throughout the show.

She explained to the outlet, "I love playing her now because she has so many good things (like kindness, generosity, and tolerance) that are often not considered valuable in our society." She chooses to trust people. It can be seen as naïveté or immaturity, but it is her choice to see the best in others. If everyone could be a little more like Edwina, the world would be a better place."

According to her agency profile (opens in new tab), Chandran is super athletic, with experience in Bollywood dance, tennis, and field hockey. Even before Bridgerton, her Instagram is full of sweet family photos, dining selfies, and adventures with friends. There's even a photo from her Pandemic days (opens in new tab) showing off her cooking skills in an effort to become the next Martha Stewart.

Edwina's family was written as the Sheffields in the books, but in the series the three women were rewritten as Indians, and to play women who bring traditional Indian customs to Regency-era London, British Indian actresses Simone Ashley, Shelley Kong, and Chandran were cast.

Chandran explained to Shondaland that her Tamil heritage was very important to her. 'I am from Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost state in India. We are Dravidians, not like Indo-Aryans. Our language, Tamil, is not derived from Sanskrit. So our culture and history is unique to this region and you can see our pride as Tamils. It is great to see so many Tamils in this and other industries, such as Aziz Ansari, Padma Lakshmi, Mindy Kaling, Maitrey Ramakrishnan, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and perhaps the most famous example, Kamala Harris. ." she said.