Luke Newton is in Los Angeles for the SAG Awards. "The fans online have reminded me that this is the first time I've attended a big awards ceremony in this city," Newton shared via a phone call with the Gentleman's Journal ahead of the 2025 ceremony, where Bridgerton was up for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. "I love Los Angeles. Living in London, where it gets dark at 4pm at this time of the year, can be difficult, but here it's sunny and the vibes are great. But yeah, I was feeling quite chilled about everything and then I realised this is my first Hollywood red carpet, which I hadn't thought of!"

That being said, Newton is well prepared. He's ready for the LA heat of an awards ceremony, and it's in part down to his co-stars. "Johnny [Bailey] and Luke [Thompson], who play my brothers, gave me the heads up on how crazy this can all get. My life has changed pretty drastically since season one of Bridgerton."

Ma è preparato anche sul fronte del guardaroba. Nel breve arco di cinque anni, da quando è entrato per la prima volta nel cast di Bridgerton, l'attore trentaduenne è diventato una sorta di esperto di look da red carpet. Che si tratti del tour promozionale per la terza stagione di Bridgerton, durato ben sei mesi e che lo ha reso noto al grande pubblico, o di uno qualsiasi degli eventi a cui riceve l'ambitissimo invito, Newton ha sempre sfoggiato uno stile maturo e coerente.

Working with his stylist Holly White (who also dresses Joe Locke and Corey Mylchreest) he's fine-tuned his looks to reflect what he actually likes wearing. "I admire the 1950s style that you'd have seen on James Dean and Paul Newman," Newton says, ahead of an exclusive photoshoot for Gentleman's Journal in his hotel. "All that Old Hollywood way of dressing. Elvis Presley has always been a big one for me, particularly for the high- waisted trousers that he'd always wear. I was actually trying to find a reference image of Elvis wearing something similar to what I'm wearing to the SAG Awards. It feels very him."

E l'ispirazione a Elvis Presley si vede. Ai SAG Awards Newton ha indossato un abito nero Dolce & Gabbana, caratterizzato da ampi revers a lancia e da una sciarpa asimmetrica, simile a uno scialle, che ricadeva su entrambi i lati. Ha optato per un gilet nero (molto Elvis, molto sexy), infilato nei suoi immancabili pantaloni a vita alta. Spille scintillanti di Lagos e un orologio TAG Heuer Carrera completavano il look. «Quando si tratta di tour promozionali, per esempio quello enorme che abbiamo fatto per Bridgerton, scelgo di indossare capi un po' più audaci, ma per stasera volevo sentirmi parte del gruppo, visto che siamo qui tutti insieme, quindi ho scelto qualcosa di un po' più sobrio e discreto. Volevo un look che apparisse disinvolto, ma ricercato».

Getting dressed up is something Newton really enjoys, which is fortunate considering it's a massive part of his job, and not just for the awards ceremonies and press tours. For the Netflix and Shondaland hit Bridgerton, his character Colin's regency costume was the order of the day, every day. But, Newton is glad that his style has loosened up as Colin has become the leading man. "The evolution of my character's costume in season three has changed," he says on reflection of the buttoned-up velvet jackets and oversized cravats he wore in season one. "Previously I remember previously feeling quite stiff. It all felt quite uptight. And then getting to explore a more relaxed version of my character in season three and not having the ties done all the way up and playing around with open collars. I love getting to play with that."

In his downtime, Newton partial to styling himself out in outfits that you might've seen on a Nineties-era Brad Pitt. He's also found he's keen on a vintage find or two, which is what aligns him with Los Angeles, where you can find some of the best retro wear at a fraction of the price of the stuff you'd find on East London's Brick Lane. "I love finding the pieces that you can never really find anywhere else, and while I've been in Los Angeles I've grabbed some really good retro basketball T-shirts." He explains that his passion for vintage comes down, much like with his choice of tailoring, to fit and silhouette. "I am really into the way vintage T-shirts fall, and how jeans fit," he shares. "I got some really good Levi's jeans out here. Probably from the 1950s. They're almost perfect. Almost! I haven't ever found the perfect jeans yet, but I'm determined."

Ed è un bene che gli piaccia vestirsi elegante, perché dopo i SAG Awards avrà qualche giorno per andare a caccia del paio di jeans perfetto nei paradisi del vintage di Los Angeles, oltre che per partecipare ad alcuni incontri, e poi sarà di nuovo ora di tornare al lavoro. Ha già terminato le riprese del prossimo film di fantascienza di Martin Owen White Mars, ma Bridgerton lo richiama sul set. «Al momento stiamo girando la quarta stagione di Bridgerton, quindi verso la fine della settimana tornerò sul set a West London e indosserò di nuovo il mio costume d'epoca Regency».

Fotografie di Parker Burr

Styling a cura di Holly White

Grooming by Melissa Dezarate

Now read an interview with Sagar Radia about the Critics' Choice Awards

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