Yerin Ha and Luke Thompson are embracing the different ways their characters see the world in Bridgerton Season 4.
Trey Mangum, Blavity/Shadow and Act’s managing editor, spoke with Ha and Thompson in London about the upcoming season. Ha, who plays Sophie Baek, said Sophie’s Cinderella storyline has led to her negative outlook on life.
Sophie’s mindset shaped by betrayal and class
“I think she creates this really negative narrative constantly for herself, and also because we are, you know, branching out the Bridgerton universe with the lower class as well,” she said. “It just raises the stakes in a very different way. I feel… when her father passed away and she heard about the will, I think she gets a real big sense of betrayal. And almost as if she’s not deserving of anything. And I think that’s how she walks the world.”
“Even though she has this little fantasy bubble with [Benedict Bridgerton], I think she’s very quick to remind herself that she’s not deserving of him. And it’s just this repetitive, toxic, doubtful mind that she has. You’ve had the rug pulled from under you, you’re sort of skeptical, aren’t you? Constantly skeptical.”
Benedict’s emotional journey and resistance to labels
Thompson also said the romance between his character Benedict and Sophie is “such a complicated story” because Benedict’s first experience with her is as the mysterious Lady in Silver. His struggle this season isn’t the fact that Sophie is a maid; it’s with being open about his emotions.
“Deep down somewhere, [his] two brain cells haven’t put it together, but… they meet twice in a strange kind of way,” he said. “…What’s interesting about Benedict’s journey is that he is someone who doesn’t necessarily [fit] categories and categorization and labels. You know, I do think from Season 1 he’s always seeing people for who they are really, and not really worried so much about class. …There’s this lovely openness about him. It turns out that the tendency of him to sort of categorize or try and keep things each in their box is way deeper down. It’s an inner thing. I think the outer thing’s fine for him. I don’t think he really sees that. It’s more that he’s trying to control his feelings so he doesn’t get too hurt.”
Watch the full interviews with the main cast above.
Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix.