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Phoebe Dynevor was ready to 'throw in the towel' on acting before 'Bridgerton' role

Phoebe Dynevor was ready to leave Los Angeles just before she was cast in hit Netflix period drama 'Bridgerton'. (Liam Daniel/Netflix)
Phoebe Dynevor was ready to leave Los Angeles just before she was cast in hit Netflix period drama 'Bridgerton'. (Liam Daniel/Netflix)

Phoebe Dynevor has confessed she was on the verge of quitting acting and heading back to the UK before she landed the lead role in Bridgerton.

The 26-year-old actor had been living in Los Angeles for nine months with little success before she got the call for a screen test with co-star Regé-Jean Page.

Read more: Bridgerton novels soar in book charts after TV show

“I was ready to go home, sort of throw in the towel, and see the fam for a bit," Dynevor told the Mirror.

“I had two suitcases filled with all my things. I told my flatmate ‘I’m so sorry, I have to go’ and to sell my furniture and sort it out. Bless her, thankfully she’s still my friend.”

Watch: Bridgerton fans upset over Phoebe Dynevor's Emmy snub

Dynevor said it was then a case of a "crazy whirlwind" as she was flown back to London by Netflix for rehearsals on the show.

Thankfully for Dynevor, Bridgerton turned out to be a record-breaking success on Netflix, with more than 63 million accounts watching the show in its first month of release over Christmas.

Read more: Why the UK is obsessed with period dramas

Unsurprisingly, the streamer quickly greenlit a second season and has now confirmed that there will be a third and a fourth, at the very least.

Dynevor is currently filming the second season and said that Regé-Jean Page's Duke of Hastings will "definitely be referred to", even though he won't be appearing.

Phoebe Dynevor received rave reviews, as well as record viewing figures, for her work in 'Bridgerton'. (Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images)
Phoebe Dynevor received rave reviews, as well as record viewing figures, for her work in 'Bridgerton'. (Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images)

The star, whose mother is Coronation Street stalwart Sally Dynevor, said her family tried to talk her out of pursuing a career in the up and down world of acting.

“I’ve been through so many periods of my life, six months to a year of absolutely nothing. It’s really hard," said Dynevor.

“You have to push through that. Hats off to actors. We have to give ourselves the momentum to keep going because no one else will give it to you.”

Read more: Secret Cinema announces Bridgerton event

Dynevor, whose career started with a recurring role on Waterloo Road, will now make her feature film debut with Sky Cinema movie The Colour Room.

In the film, she will play famous ceramicist Clarice Cliff as the lead of a cast which includes Matthew Goode and David Morrissey.

Watch: Regé-Jean Page left Bridgerton group chat after show departure