Bridgerton Fans Already Figured Out Season 4 Love Interest (and It's a Perfect Casting)
We haven’t even gotten to Season 3 yet, but we’re already dying for details of what will come after.
Summary
- Fans are eager to find out who will play Benedict’s love interest on Bridgerton.
- Sophie Beckett is a servant under the thumb of her wicked stepmother.
- A popular South African actress is rumored to be in the running for the part.
Pining for Benedict
Fans were disappointed to learn that the Netflix hit Bridgerton, which is based on a series of novels by Julia Quinn, would start changing the story order starting this upcoming season.
As the first two seasons followed the order of the books, it was expected that Season 3 would follow the plot of Book 3 – that is, the romance of Benedict Bridgerton and his love interest Sophie Beckett.
Instead, the show is jumping over the events of An Offer From a Gentleman (Benedict’s story) and moving right to the plot of Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Penelope and Colin’s story). The choice makes sense, given that we’ve already had two seasons of buildup between the wallflower Penelope Featherington and her longtime crush Colin – who has somehow managed to remain oblivious to her feelings all this time. Stretching it out for yet another year would be a little silly.
Still, the artistic and even-tempered Benedict has been a highlight of Bridgerton from his very first episode, and fans are impatient for details on who will eventually play his love interest. Although nothing has been confirmed, fans think they’ve got it figured out…
Who Is Sophie Beckett?
In the Bridgerton books, Sophie Beckett is a Cinderella-like figure central to the third novel. Although she is the daughter of an Earl, Sophie is forced to be a servant in her own household after the death of her father. She does unpaid labor for her wicked stepmother, but manages to escape to a masquerade ball for one night.
While at the ball, Sophie and Benedict fall in love at first sight. But when the machinations of her stepmother force Sophie to flee, it will take years and an act of fate to bring them back together.
Will We Meet Her Soon?
Bridgerton likes to establish characters in advance, so that we have the chance to get to know them before they become central to the plot. It’s possible that Sophie will make her entrance in Season 3, though we’ll have to wait to find out.
In the meantime rumors are swirling. Who will get to play Sophie? Many names have been thrown around, but this latest one looks like it might actually be true.
A Rising Star
Masali Baduza is only 28 years old, but she’s already made a name for herself in Noughts and Crosses (2020) and The Woman King (2022). The South African actress is fluent in both English and Xhosa, and she trained in the USA at the LA campus of the New York film Academy.
Most fans are squealing with glee over this perfect casting. Baduza is known for playing intelligent, radiant women – which is perfect for Sophie. We can definitely see her being able to stand up for herself while being more than a match for Benedict’s gleefully chaotic energy.
On the other hand, some are wary about seeing a Black woman play a servant who needs to be rescued by a white, upper-class gentleman. That idea gives some fans the ick, though of course the optics of this might change depending on who plays the rest of Sophie’s family.
The first half of Bridgerton Season 3 will premiere on May 16, with the remaining episodes dropping on June 13.