Working as a butcher and attending Yale: Inside the life of Queen Charlotte’s Arsema Thomas
Icon is an understatement
Arsema Thomas plays the role of Lady Danbury in Queen Charlotte as a close confidante to a newly crowned Queen Charlotte part of the Bridgeton universe. Lady Danbury, arguably one of the most iconic characters of the show, follows a trope of a dedicated wife to Lord Danbury, a slightly gross old man, to her becoming a fierce badass. I recall her affair with violet’s father Lord Ledger, what a moment. Despite her sham marriage, Lady Danbury is every bit relatable and a baddie through and through.
But as if Lady Danbury wasn’t iconic enough, the actress who plays her, Arsema Thomas, is a certifiable genuis. Not only is she an actress, she is bona fide genuis who has a literal bachelors in Biological Sciences. If that isn’t iconic enough allow me to detail the gossip on actress Arsema Thomas.
Before acting, Arsema was a butcher’s assistant
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Before Arsema learnt about her break out role in Queen Charlotte, she was working as a butcher’s assistant in London’s Notting Hill. In an interview with Teen Vogue, Arsema said: “I wasn’t allowed to have my phone in front of customers, but I knew that one day during the week, I was gonna get the news.
“I remember it was buzzing and I was dealing with a very, very frustrated customer. I’m having like three kilograms of Wagyu beef in my hands trying to get my phone”. Although Arsema’s job is vastly different from her role in Queen Charlotte, it sounds like she is no stranger to dealing with heavy beast. Cough Lord Danbury.
She used to put on an English accent whilst at university
@todayshow ArsémaThomas, who plays a young #LadyDanbury in the new #Bridgerton prequel, said that playing a British character came easy after using a British accent for four years in college. 🤣 #TODAYshow #QueenCharlotte
When Arsema attended university for her undergraduate in biological sciences, she was “going through a weird time”. Unlike the average dramatic teenage girl going through a mid life crisis and cuts her hair, Arsema decided to fake a British accent for all four years of her degree! Looks like her fake British accent really paid off for English period drama.
She might be the smartest celebrity yet
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Arsema is the daughter of diplomats who often moved around a lot, giving her the opportunity to learn multiple different languages: English, French, Spanish, Yoruba and Amharic. She attended Yale obtaining a Mater’s degree in bio-psychics and received a BA in biological sciences. She used to work in maternal and child health clinics in Northen Kenya later making her transition into acting. I think it’s safe to say, her resume is pretty impressive.
Arsema is currently single and identifies as queer
Whilst Arsema has never publicly discussed her dating history, it appears she is single. Arsema identifies as queer and has spoken of the special bond she shares with her Queen Charlotte co-star Golda Rosheuvel.
In an interview with DigitalSpy, she said: “We discussed so much about specifically being queer women in spaces, and in not African spaces, but in culturally Black spaces that can sometimes not always accept that and what it means to understand and be fully accepting of our identities. And it was beautiful.”
Queen Charlotte and Bridgerton are both available to watch on Netflix now. For more like this and all the latest Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.
Related stories recommended by this writer:
• How old the Queen Charlotte characters are, compared to the actors who play them
• A look inside the off-screen love lives of the mega vibey Queen Charlotte cast
• Inside India Amarteifio’s mega vibey life when she’s not taking Netflix by storm
Featured images via @arsemathomas on Instagram.
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