Why Does Lady Featherington Look So Familiar? She Was Once A Romantic Rival to Gwyneth Paltrow

Liam Daniel/Netflix; Miramax / Courtesy Everett Collection

What To Know

• Polly Walker is a veteran actress known for her sharp-witted and ambitious portrayal of the Featherington matriarch.
• Walker previously played a romantic rival to Gwyneth Paltrow.
• Walker has stated she enjoys playing the bold and mischievous Portia more than “goody-goody” role.

Season 4 of Bridgerton is now streaming on Netflix, and for a fourth time, the romantic antics of the Bridgerton family and their friends are captivating millions of viewers eager to return to the glittering world of Regency-era London, where new scandals, swoon-worthy courtships, and sharp-tongued rivalries promise to keep hearts racing all season long.

Among the kinfolk who surround the most popular family on the Ton are the Featheringtons. Noted for their flaming locks and eye-catching dresses, the Featheringtons became formally tied to the Bridgertons in Season 3 when Colin (Luke Newton) married Penelope (Nicola Coughlan), who later gave birth to the new Lord Featherington, securing her family’s future and intertwining the two households more closely than ever.

Liam Daniel/Netflix

The head of the Featherington household is Lady Portia Featherington, played by Polly Walker. Known for her razor-sharp wit, unapologetic ambition, and fierce devotion to her daughters, Portia has proven herself a master strategist in the ruthless social battlefield of the Ton, willing to bend every rule of decorum to secure her family’s survival and status.

And to fans of the Regency Era projects, she probably looks a little familiar.

Walker is an established actress who has worked in the industry for over four decades, with films such as Enchanted April, Patriot Games, and Restoration under her belt. But many might not realize that in 1996, she was cast as a major romantic rival to Gwyneth Paltrow in this beloved Jane Austin adaptation.

Miramax/courtesy Everett Collection

Douglas McGrath’s Emma starred Gwyneth Paltrow as the titular heroine Emma Woodhouse, a matchmaking extraordinaire so busy engineering perfect romances for others that she overlooks her own heart. That is, until she meets Ewan McGregor‘s Frank Churchill. Dashing and debonair, Frank seems, to Emma, the ideal suitor. During this time, she also encounters Jane Fairfax, played by Walker, the seemingly perfect young woman whose elegance and accomplishments both intrigue and unsettle Emma.

Eventually, she discovers that Frank has secretly been engaged to Jane for some time. Used as a shield by Frank to hide his secret engagement, she experiences a mix of shock, embarrassment, and relief, which acts as a catalyst for her to realize her true feelings for Mr. Knightley (Jeremy Northam).

So, how does playing Portia stack up to playing Jane?

According to the actress, she has more fun with Portia than with any “goody-goody.” “The fact she has such big, bold emotions and experiences within the show, is fun to play out as an actor,” said Walker to the Sunday Post. “I know it’s horrible slapping someone across the face and that it shouldn’t be fun but it is. Playing someone who is naughty is far more interesting than playing the goody-goody.”

Catch Polly Walker on Bridgerton, Seasons 1 through 4, only on Netflix.