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“I’ve been sitting on this role for over a year and a half,” said Lucas Aurelio after the episodes of Bridgerton starring him finally dropped on June 13.
Bridgerton is Netflix’s popular and sexy period drama set in Regency-era London. Aurelio played Paul Suarez, whose polyamorous encounter with characters Lady Tilley Arnold and Benedict Bridgerton was one of the racy plotlines in the final episodes of season 3.
“I auditioned for Bridgerton five times,” he continued “The fifth time, less than 24 hours after submitting that tape, I got the call that I had the job. Less than a week later, I was on set, essentially shooting all day. Then I waited. The people closest to me were like, ‘Are you actually in the show?’”
He had to be discreet about his role to avoid spoilers; now the episodes are available for streaming, and he is thrilled.
“It’s really cool that people from my life are reaching out. It’s also interesting to hear from people who I don’t know, who resonate with the story,” he said.
Aurelio grew up in Albany, New York, and was involved in theatre and soccer as a high school student. He wanted to continue both activities in college, which led him to nearby Russell Sage College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in theatre at RSC and consistent accolades from local critics in performances with the Theatre Institute at Sage.
“We did five shows a season. I was essentially a working actor,” Aurelio said. Work with The Public Theater in New York and Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble in Pennsylvania followed before his move to London in 2019 (where he wanted to live since he visited with RSC on an arts immersion trip his junior year).
His first job in London was as a bellhop at a hotel popular with the acting community. As exciting as it was to meet stars like Robert De Niro, Scarlett Johansson, and Adam Driver, it was even better getting to know agents and casting directors who were also regulars, he said.
Aurelio found an agent, then steady work in films and television, including the Netflix series The Witcher and the CBS show FBI: International.
He described Bridgerton as his biggest project so far, but there is a lot more to come. He has roles in a few films that are in post-production now, including a Noah Baumbach movie with George Clooney and Adam Sandler.
“There’s something about theatre and the idea, the expression of playing other people. Acting is what gives me the best sensations, feelings, happiness that anyone could ask for,” he said.