At his first BAFTAs, Luke Newton keeps his cool

2025 has been a year of firsts for Luke Newton. Back in February the Bridgerton actor attended his first Hollywood-located awards ceremony, gracing the red carpet of the SAG Awards. Now, a few months later, he’s attending his first BAFTA awards, where Bridgerton has scooped a nomination for the "memorable moment" prize at this year's TV Awards.

“I’ve only ever really done the afterparties or whatever,” Newton told us a few hours before he was due to walk the BAFTA red carpet on London’s Royal Festival Hall. “My co-star Nicola [Coughlan] has been many times and has been giving me bits of advice. She told me to make sure I have a big breakfast, because the carpet is long, and we might not eat until 8pm.” He explains, laughing, that a chicken caesar salad and a side of fries was the order of the day in his hotel room at the London EDITION, where he is getting ready. “I wanted to feel settled and prepared," he continues, explaining that he's excited to be in a room where he might meet Danny Dyre. "I love him, he's a real entertainer".

There’s a major amount of preparation that goes into an event on this scale. Newton has been working with his stylist Holly White (her clients include Heartstopper’s Joe Locke and Matthew Broome), and this time they worked together to find something that was suitable for BAFTA. “I wanted something that just fell cool, but also classic,” Newton explain, explaining that minimalism was on his mind as he felt that spoke to the tradition and grandeur of the BAFTAs. “I wanted to bridge the gap between the two, and so we had a handful of fittings.”

Eventually they settled on a suit from contemporary Parisian label AMI, serving up a mighty dose of Gallic cool. “I’ve been a big fan of the designer Alexandre Mattiussi’s work for a long time - I wore one of his looks for one leg of the Bridgerton press tour in Australia, and have been to his shows.” The suit in question consists of a black single breasted jacket and a pair of high-waisted, wide-legged trousers, as well as a sleeveless, grandad-collared under layer. on his feet he wore Manolo Blahnik shoes.

The look also features a medallion-like necklace that falls on his shirtless chest. “I’ve never done anything like this, it’s quite bold and I usually go for more minimal jewellery. Pushing my sense of style depends on the event and whether I think it’s appropriate or not.” On his wrist Newton is wearing a IWC Portugieser Automatic 42, featuring a 42mm 18 carat 5N gold case paired with a black dial.

Newton admits that when it comes to getting ready for events, he likes to have fittings as close to the day as possible, which White makes sure is a possibility. “I think it helps me not to feel nervous, but also so that I have an outfit that really does work with how I’m feeling as close to the event as possible,” he shares.

Ahead of the BAFTA red carpet, Newton has also had to swot up on his Bridgerton knowledge. “We’re nearly at the end of filming season four, but this award is for season three,” he says. “Saying that, people aren’t asking the same questions as they asked on the press tour, so you can never really be prepared, which I do find some comfort in. People are now focused on what’s next and the future of the show.”

And Newton isn’t quite sure what the future holds for Bridgerton, but he’s sure it will continue for years to come. While he’s wrapping season four, it’s like he’ll be in season five, but he’s also working on other projects. White Mars is an upcoming science fiction film directed by Martin Owen, starring Lucy Hale and Newton as the leads, while he’s thinking about stepping on stage again. “I actually saw Jonathan Bailey’s play yesterday, on his penultimate show, and it was so emotional being in that room. Theatre is something I’m always really drawn to. When I finished season three I jumped straight into a play, and that’s a plan of mine. I want to have a career that spans TV, film and theatre.”

Photography by Lee Malone

Styling by Holly White

Shot at The London EDITION

Now read about the big menswear looks at the Met Gala 2025