No show does Regency-era opulence quite like Bridgerton. The hit Netflix drama is renowned for its jaw-dropping sets and season four goes all out, opening with a sumptuous masquerade ball.
Even the stars were gobsmacked by the show’s fairytale-style grandness this season. Australian actress Yerin Ha could barely believe what she was seeing when she first set foot on set.
Yerin Ha and Luke Thompson play love interests in season four of Bridgerton. (Credit: Netflix)
“Oh my gosh, [the sets] were insane,” Yerin, 28, tells TV WEEK. “I remember walking into the drawing room and I felt like I was jumping through the TV.
“But, you know, I really do think Bridgerton works with the top people and set designers. So many details and effort and time go into creating these things. And from every corner to every detail, it is so nuanced and so well executed.
“What a joy to be a part of something like that, working with incredible people.”
A graduate of The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, Yerin’s résumé includes roles in Halo, Troppo, Bad Behaviour, Dune: Prophecy and The Survivors. In Bridgerton, her character, Sophie Baek, is at the centre of a heart-stopping forbidden romance with the second eldest Bridgerton son, Benedict (Luke Thompson).
The season is based on Julia Quinn’s third book, An Offer from a Gentleman.
(From left) Michelle Mao as Rosamund Li, Katie Leung as Lady Araminta Gao and Isabella Wei as Posy Li. (Credit: Netflix)
Renowned as a free-spirited hedonist, Benedict is up to his usual playboy antics when we catch up with him in the first part of season four (the season’s second part will be released on February 26).
His mother, Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell), believes her son has sown enough wild oats by now and should settle down and find a wife. Benedict, of course, is reluctant and indeed does everything in his power to avoid the attentions of the masked ladies at the ball.
That is, until he meets the mysterious Lady in Silver, by whom he’s mesmerised. “You are perhaps the most intriguing person I’ve ever met,” Benedict tells the stranger as the pair share an electric moment.
But why is he so attracted to her? Luke says Benedict is fascinated by her “joy” and “purity” of spirit.
“There’s a really good bit that’s lifted from the book, actually, which is that the first time he sees the Lady in Silver, she’s beaming, just being at this ball,” Luke, 37, tells TV WEEK.
“Everyone else at the ton is trying to figure out who to talk to, who not to talk to and she’s just looking up at this amazing chandelier.”
What Benedict doesn’t know – but viewers do – is that the Lady in Silver is Sophie, a humble housemaid, in disguise. As we find out, Sophie has gone to great lengths to sneak into the ball and is relishing the opportunity to be someone else for the night.
Australian actress Yerin was in awe of the Bridgerton sets. (Credit: Netflix)
For Benedict, who plays his cards close to his chest, the idea that he would open up to someone is unusual.
“It sort of says something about him that he’s comfortable connecting with people when wearing a mask,” Luke says.
“And part of the struggle of the season is watching him slowly be able to unmask a little bit, to be honest. It’s quite Shakespearean, I think, the idea of the freedom you find wearing a disguise. The difficulty is then trying to find that when you’re not wearing a disguise.”
In true Cinderella-style, the Lady in Silver leaves the ball suddenly, prompting Benedict, with the help of his sister Eloise (Claudia Jessie), to attempt to uncover the mysterious woman’s identity in society.
Of course, viewers know he won’t find her there as Sophie is a maid for the lady of the house, Araminta Gun (played by former Harry Potter star Katie Leung).
Without spoiling things for viewers, Benedict and Sophie meet again in a chance encounter. But will he realise she is the Lady in Silver he’s been searching desperately to find?
If there is a general theme for this season, it’s unmasking – and not just for Benedict and Sophie. Even Lady Violet has her own surprising unmasking in store. And for Bridgerton daughter Eloise, she must discover who she really is.
Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie, left) Nicola Coughlan has decided she won’t marry. (Credit: Netflix)
When we see Eloise this season, she’s decided, at the tender age of 20, that she’s not marriage material and has put herself on the shelf, much to her mother’s utter disappointment.
“I just think she’s looking for some sort of way of not partaking in the marriage mart,” Claudia, 36, reveals. “She doesn’t want to do it. But I think Eloise is going to discover why that may not be an amazing idea.”
Elsewhere this season, newlyweds Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and John (Victor Alli) have returned from their honeymoon in Scotland. And not everything is perfect for them.
“I think it’s quite a brave thing to sort of acknowledge gaps within a relationship,” Hannah, 30, says. “And, as introverts, I think it’s quite an intimidating space to talk about their intimate details within a society where it’s just not really done.”
Will Penelope Bridgerton be able to continue as goissp writer Lady Whistledown? (Credit: Netflix)
There are fascinating scenes as Francesca seeks advice on a specific matter of concern from those closest to her. Let’s just say it’s a pinnacle moment of the early episodes of the season.
Meanwhile, Lady Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and husband Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) are negotiating their life together now her secret identity as columnist Lady Whistledown has been revealed. Will she be able to continue commenting on all the latest gossip? Let’s go back to the ton to find out.
Bridgerton S4 – part 1 is available January 29 on Netflix.
Related
