Playing the role of a queen requires natural poise, effortless grace, and, ideally, a proficient understanding of depictions of royalty through Shakespeare’s timeless classics. Luckily for India Amarteifio, she checks off all the boxes. Yet, when connecting with depictions of girlhood portrayed by her character, the titular role in Netflix’s Bridgerton spin-off, Queen Charlotte, the actress struggled.

“I was raised by a progressive single mother, so I never depended on a man; I never depended on anyone apart from myself,” she says. When discussing Charlotte dropping to her knees, kissing George’s feet, and expressing the idea of undying love, the actress notes that she “couldn’t relate to that feeling.”

With period pieces, the allure lies in the opulent wardrobes, the beauty of that gilded time, and the glimmering sheen associated with royalty, making it easy to overlook the entrenched classism, racism, and misogyny. “I found it fascinating that the focus was immediately on procreating, its implications for the state, and a woman’s place. It’s so far removed from the majority of society now,” Amarteifio. However, she attributes show writer Shonda Rhimes for infusing hints of modernity while distinctly deviating from stereotypes when portraying her female characters. “It’s what draws me to her writing.”

But there was one thing that Amarteifio and Queen Charlotte could both relate to—remaining emotionally vulnerable and hopelessly romantic in a world full of cold realities. “I’m able to be that way, to be emotional by trusting my gut,” she says. In British society, Amarteifio notes, the ‘keep calm, and carry on’ mentality equates being openly emotional with being soft, “It makes you feel weak.” This sentiment was something that followed her throughout her journey with girlhood up until recently.

“I felt a lot of guilt [being] an emotional person because I [saw] emotion as weak for a long time. I feel like, especially as a Black woman, you’ve got that added pressure to be strong.” In her personal and professional life, she claims that this connection with her emotions expands her perspective. “You experience high highs and low lows, but the lows make the highs so much more worth it.”

As we enter a digital era dissecting aspects of girlhood—ones that depict hot girl walks, girl dinner, girl math, and more, Amarteifio observes that while some trends amuse her, she cannot fully embrace them: “I don’t eat girl dinner; I eat real dinner.” Nevertheless, she grapples with the complexity of defining the current state of girlhood. Questioning the oversimplification of the trend, she wonders if it stems from the male gaze. It’s a nuanced issue because “we’ve been through so much; we should also be allowed to oversimplify things.”

Growing up, this idea of striving to be a “successful, independent woman, one of class,” shaped the narrative of how she was supposed to behave. But as she grows up in the industry, she’s “constantly surprised” by different women and different gender non-conforming femmes that reform that traditional narrative. Some of her favorite works of art are by women of color, specifically Black women, who aid in diversifying stories. “It isn’t just about telling stories of suffrage. You are Black, but that’s not your only definition.” She mentions, “The idea of being a woman, to me, is not being stuck in a binary.” For her, stepping into the role of Queen Charlotte was the first time she was able to explore the multifaceted of girlhood.

This story appears in the pages of V147: now available for purchase!

Photography Tom Sloan

Fashion Brian Conway

Makeup Nicola Brittin (Saint Luke) using NARS

Hair Hiroki Kojima (Caren) using VIRTUE

Manicure Robbie Tomkins (LMC)

Production Lauren Sloan (Lalaland Production)

Digital technician Alex Gale

Photo assistants Seb McCluskey, Milan Rodriguez

Stylist assistants Keisha Adams, Nkechi Managwu

Makeup assistant Yolanda Dohr

Production assistant Jamie Alderman

Location Lock Studios