Bridgerton actress Kathryn Drysdale has spoken out about the backlash from some viewers regarding the casting for the Netflix hit.
Kathryn, who plays the role of Genevieve Delacroix, praised the show's boss Shonda Rhimes and her dedication to ensuring the series had a diverse cast.
Bridgerton is set in 1813 London and some misguided viewers have claimed that Black people simply "didn't exist" in that era.
The cast of the period drama, including Regé-Jean Page as Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings and Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury, was recruited with the help of a specific "inclusion lens", according to Greys Anatomy producer Shonda.
Speaking in a recent interview, Kathryn said: "I had a comment from someone saying, 'Why have they put these people in this drama?'
"He just really didn't believe that Black people would have existed in England at that time.
"There's been erasure of their presence. But their existence in these stories, and in history, has been very, very much a real thing."
Kathryn, 39, added to Digital Spy: "To be able to partake in these stories without having to just play long-suffering slaves or oppressed people, to actually participate in joy and celebration and escapism, to have been a part of that as a Black artist has really, really been just the stuff of dreams."
Shonda previously spoke to the Guardian about the specific recruitment process for Bridgerton, and explained: "We’ve got to get folks in front of the camera and behind the camera.
"When that happens you’re going to get something you’ve never seen before. Bridgerton is something we have never seen before.
"We help out all of our creative folks in content and marketing with what we call an inclusion lens, when they’re casting and when they’re green lighting: see who's there, see who isn’t."
She added: "We had a special person to think about recruitment, specifically for underrepresented groups, and we started with people of colour, and we really emphasised black."
It comes as Bridgerton author Julia Quinn has revealed she wants Daphne and The Duke to feature more heavily in the upcoming second season, even if it means going against her books.
Julia told The Sun: "I hope so. They do show up in the book. The series doesn't follow the book word for word - and I don't think [it] should.
"So I hope so, for no other reason than Daphne has the right to interfere with Anthony's life. To deny her that chance would be criminal. I think it would be lovely to see."
