Yerin Ha is stepping into the spotlight and claiming her power. The Bridgerton Season 4 breakout star recently pulled back the curtain on the season’s steamiest scene, explaining why her character Sophie Baek takes control at a pivotal moment that redefines both romance and agency in the Netflix fan-favorite series.
Mirroring a classic Cinderella tale, Sophie, born into nobility but forced into servitude after her father’s death at the hands of a cruel stepmother, lives between two worlds. At a glittering masquerade ball, she captures the attention of the restless artist Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), who becomes obsessed with finding the mysterious “lady in silver.” What he doesn’t realize is that the woman haunting his dreams is the same one standing before him every day. And despite the rigid class boundaries of Bridgerton, he finds himself falling hopelessly in love with Sophie all the same.
Because of her station, Sophie is usually forced into a more submissive position in her everyday life. Still, as she also falls deeply in love with Benedict, she begins to reclaim her power, as shown in that steamy bathtub scene that played out in the second part of season 4.
Benedict and Sophie’s bathtub scene in the finale proves even more intimate than their first time together, as Sophie takes the lead, pushing Benedict back into the water, creating a cascading splash, and embracing newfound confidence that reshapes the dynamic in their connection.
“I think pushing him to the back of the bathtub was choreographed with [intimacy coordinator] Lizzy [Talbot], but reaching to the back, I’m pretty sure, was script,” Ha recalled to Harper’s Bazaar. “And if I’m not [mistaken], I think that’s actually the first time we see a female pleasure a male in the Bridgerton intimacy world, which is quite interesting—because I think pleasure goes both ways. I think there’s a weird idea that receiving is the only way [to feel] pleasure. Just because you are pleasing somebody else doesn’t mean that that’s not pleasurable for you.”
Ha laughed, reminiscing about the tub size. “The bathtub was really long, so I was like, ‘How are my legs going to turn around and push him? Because I have nothing to anchor myself onto!'” she exclaimed. “It’s a lot of problem-solving and piecing together and seeing what’s achievable in the confinement of the space [in rehearsals]. So, obviously, we’ve got the script, and the intimacy scenes are written quite thoroughly.”
She continued, “There were certain beats that we wanted to hit and make sure that we brought to life, and then there were certain other things that Lizzy would come up with and be like, ‘Oh, I think this would be really steamy’—everything Lizzy does always has intention or motivation. So the pushing back into the bathtub is very much Sophie coming into her power and into her sexuality as well, and steering the ship. I think that’s really powerful as well for her, for someone who’s never done that.”
The entirety of Bridgerton Season 4 is currently streaming on Netflix.
This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.