The fairy tale is officially beginning. That is, at least, how lead actor Luke Thompson feels now that Bridgerton Season 4 has started production in England.
Thompson’s charming aristocrat Benedict Bridgerton will lead Bridgerton Season 4 with his love interest, the determined and captivating Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), a victim of tragic circumstances. You can see Thompson and Ha take the first steps of their Bridgerton journey in the enchanting photos below.
“What’s striking about Season 4 is that it’s the struggle between a proper old-school fairy tale — the romance of it — and the actual reality of the world,” Thompson tells Tudum after a day of rehearsals. “And both are true. You have to hold both of them — the romance and the reality — in your hand. In its best version, ‘true love’ happens in the middle of that.”
That’s right, the character who once mooed from the corner of the ballroom is now ready for his Bridgerton love story. In Season 4, Benedict will find himself on the hunt for Sophie. Unfortunately for Benedict, he knows the object of his affection only as the mysterious Lady in Silver.
Series newcomer Ha has enjoyed the “playful, freeing, therapeutic” feeling of preparing for filming alongside Thompson. The pair first met during a dinner at showrunner Jess Brownell’s home. “I remember Luke stood there with arms wide open, just ready for an embrace,” Ha tells Tudum. “That was the moment I was like, ‘Ah, OK, I don’t need to stress about these little things now. I can just genuinely focus on the on-screen connection with him.’”
Sometimes building Benedict and Sophie’s romance means “special and very vulnerable” rehearsals, as Ha calls them. Other times, it’s dance training that “feels like a part of the characters’ journey,” Thompson says. Especially because, as he explains, “I get really excited by how many unexpected twists you’ll get in Season 4. A big one I’m sure I can mention is this one masquerade ball…”
So what surprises will we witness as Benedict and Sophie take over the Bridgerton mantle? And what else should you expect from Season 4? Keep reading to find out everything from Season 4’s plot to which new cast members — including one very magical new star — are coming to Mayfair.
Benedict Bridgerton is stepping into the center of Bridgerton with Sophie Baek. Season 4, as the logline reads, “turns its focus to bohemian second son Benedict. Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down.” That is, until an enthralling woman captures Benedict’s attention at Violet Bridgerton’s (Ruth Gemmell) masquerade ball. While Benedict knows his love interest as only the Lady in Silver, she’s actually Sophie, a resourceful maid with her own secrets and dreams.
Thompson can’t wait to bring this story to life. “The scripts that Jess and her team have come up with are dynamite. They’re really, really, really exciting,” he says. “The storyline is a bit of a twist on ‘Cinderella.’ You remember being told those stories as a child — the magic and the romance of them. It’s really exciting to have that weaved into the world that we know of Bridgerton … It’s such a great story, but it’s also, I hope, really relatable.”
One person already feels a deep connection to Bridgerton Season 4: Ha. While auditioning, she immediately enjoyed the “fun, play-like quality” she saw in the scripts. “What drew me to Sophie was that she immediately has obstacles — something that she constantly has to overcome,” Ha says. “Whether it’s this battle around social status or trying to hide her feelings from Benedict.”
As with previous seasons, we can expect to see some new characters spinning around the Bridgerton ballroom. They are:
And, although they aren’t new arrivals in Mayfair, you can expect to glimpse more of two already beloved Bridgerton characters. Emma Naomi (Alice Mondrich) and Hugh Sachs (Brimsley) will both be part of Season 4’s main cast.
L-R: Katie Leung, Michelle Mao, Isabella Wei
A few recognizable faces will appear — along with some brand-new ones from the ton and beyond. So far, the announced Bridgerton Season 4 cast is:
The upcoming season of Bridgerton will consist of eight episodes.
Brownell is the showrunner and executive producer of Bridgerton Season 4. While Thompson doesn’t want to divulge too much about his conversations with Brownell, he reveals, “She’s told me a lot about what’s to come, and I’m really excited about it.”
Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers, Tom Verica, and Chris Van Dusen are all executive producers. Thompson feels “lucky” to collaborate with this group for more than five years on Bridgerton. “I get to work with some of the nicest and best people around,” he says with a smile. “To get to head a show that has been absolutely tried and tested? And to be surrounded by the cast, creative team, and production crews that I know? I think, ‘Well, why should I be nervous?’ ”
Bridgerton has expanded its filming locations on one of the newly constructed backlots of Shepperton Studios outside of London; this is also where the charming new photos of Thompson and Ha were taken. The build spans about two acres and features replicas of Georgian and Regency architecture, including homes, buildings, Mayfair Street, and more in all their splendor. Bridgerton production designer Alison Gartshore, along with supervising art director Antony Cartlidge and art director Adam David Grant, designed the dazzling new back lot.
The upcoming episodes are inspired by the third book in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, An Offer from a Gentleman, which also has Benedict and Sophie in the lead roles. Can Thompson reveal which unforgettable scenes from the novel might appear in Season 4?
“I’ve said it before, but I do love a wild swim,” he teases. “Stick me in a lake if you can.”
Will Thompson live out his watery dreams? And, if so, how will Sophie react? Well, you’ll have to wait until Bridgerton Season 4 debuts on Netflix to find out. Until then, keep coming back to Tudum for all your Bridgerton (and Benedict) news.
