'Bridgerton' star Luke Thompson says he worked out with a personal trainer until he was 'pale in the face and wanting to throw up' to prepare for season 2

• Luke Thompson worked with a personal trainer before playing Benedict on "Bridgerton" season two.
• Thompson told The Times of London he exercised until he was "pale in the face and wanting to throw up."

In addition to mastering Regency-era pastimes to prepare for Netflix's romance series "Bridgerton," Luke Thompson worked with a personal trainer to build his physique ahead of the show's second season, which premieres on March 25.

In conversation with The Times of London on Friday, the 33-year-old, who reprises his role as aspiring artist Benedict Bridgerton, said he exercised "for the bum scenes, I guess."

He added: "Well, just all those sort of scenes. You're in a romance show, so it's part of the deal."

On Shondaland's adaptation of Julia Quinn's bestselling book series, Benedict's jovial, open-minded attitude makes him a direct foil to his older brother, Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), the very serious, buttoned-up lead of season two.

Benedict, second-in-line to the viscountcy, thrives in social situations, has dalliances with little consequence, and bears limited responsibilities. Rather than focusing on marriage prospects or social standing, Benedict directs his attention toward his burgeoning art career (and has a ball doing so).

So, when it came time to train for the role, being a "beefcake" wasn't the end goal, Thompson told The Times.

"He's someone who probably tries a bit but doesn't want to seem like he tries too hard, so I don't want to be a beefcake. But it's worth it in terms of me feeling like it's right in front of the camera," he explained.

Squats, lunges, and other muscle-toning exercises were all part of Thompson's workout regimen, he confirmed, adding that he coursed through the routines until he was "pale in the face and wanting to throw up."

Even though the "Bridgerton" actor said he "did win a smoothie at the gym for doing a dead hang for about four or five minutes," he told The Times he still prefers more artistic pursuits to working out.

Bailey and series newcomer Simone Ashley lead the upcoming season, a collection of eight new episodes loosely based on Julia Quinn's 2000 novel "The Viscount Who Loved Me." Their characters, Anthony and Kate Sharma, respectively, take the reigns from season-one protagonists Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page).

Before Page garnered widespread attention for his role as the duke, he, like Thompson, teamed up with a personal trainer. The British actor was "on the full Rocky regime" in preparation for the role, he told The Sun, explaining that he met with a personal trainer daily at 5 a.m.

"He was horrible to me for an hour and a half every morning before the day started. I got my strength up just from surviving him," Page said.

He continued, "Luckily, the pretentious actor in me could justify that, because I always start building a character from what their physical language is. But you are also serving the audience in a genre that is about fantasy and glamour."

Page exited the series after the first season, declining to extend his one-year contract. However, viewers can expect more screentime from Dynevor, who will return as Daphne, Duchess of Hastings.