The fourth season of Bridgerton will officially be led by Luke Thompson’s Benedict and Yerin Ha’s Sophie Baek. The latter’s casting as the love interest of the second Bridgerdon son came with new twists to the original character from Julia Quinn’s novel An Offer from a Gentleman. The book follows Benedict’s love story with a low-born maid, Sophie Beckett.
The creative decision to replace the surname honored Australian actress Yerin Ha’s Korean descent. The actress — known for her role in Dune: Prophecy — spoke to Netflix’s Tudum about this slight yet significant deviation from the source material.
“A name is the first bit of identity you share with the world, and changing a name can be so powerful,” she said. Ha further credited showrunner Jess Brownell for the emboldening decision to mold Sophie into a character that was more true to her. “It’s a way for me to feel the role is truly mine rather than me fitting into a predefined mold,” she added.
She described her character as a resourceful woman who spent her life working as a maid. When she enters Violet Bridgerton’s masquerade party in disguise and encounters Benedict, her life changes dramatically, paving the way for an epic love story.
“What drew me to Sophie was that she immediately faces obstacles — constantly overcoming challenges whether it’s her social status or hiding her feelings from Benedict,” she told the outlet. The actress explained how she was intrigued by Sophie’s emotional journey and how the mask had a metaphoric meaning in her life.
Playing with questions like “When does Sophie put on this mask to cover her emotions? Or when does she take it off and soften up?” has been “really fun” for her. Benedict’s character in the previous seasons has been on a self-exploration journey, whether artistic or other pleasurable pursuits.
However, one thing he often established was his disinterest in marriage. In the fourth season, he’s the only eligible Bridgerton man left for ladies to pry on, something Benedict’s been avoiding so far. However, his beliefs will take a 360-degree turn after falling in love with Sophie, a mysterious woman he met at his mother’s ball.
Bridgerton is available to stream on Netflix.
