Note: This story contains spoilers from “Bridgerton” Season 4 Part 1.
“Bridgerton” fans were left surprised and delighted after the Season 3 finale revealed that Francesca’s love interest from the books had been gender-swapped from Michael to Michaela, opening the door for a queer love story for the third eldest Bridgerton sister.
With fans anticipating a potential queer love story for Luke Thompson’s Benedict or Claudia Jessie’s Eloise, but not so much for Hannah Dodd’s Francesca, the reveal prompted an outpouring of love and support from fans as they shared how her storyline resonated with them.
“It’s been beautiful getting to meet fans and for them to share their direct stories has been incredible. It’s been such an honor,” Dodd told TheWrap. “We’re really, really excited whenever that time comes to get to tell that story. It’s only fair that everybody gets to see themselves and their love story as part of this show, so I’m super proud.”
Francesca’s love story will have to wait a beat, however, as her book’s storyline is set up (you can check out spoilers here), but in the meantime, Season 4 sees her embracing her newlywed life with John Stirling (Victor Alli) while also exploring her own needs and desires.
“They’re so happy together, and they’re so in love, but also they’ve only just met, and there’s still a lot of like growth to do as individuals, but also together,” Dodd said. “It’s really nice to get to see two people who are putting a lot of effort into their relationship and pushing themselves out of their comfort zones, just even in regards to their communication skills.”
As Francesca seeks both the courage and the vocabulary to discuss her satisfaction in the bedroom, Dodd noted the subject is quite intimidating for Francesca, who, she notes, doesn’t have a “basic knowledge” of sex and sexuality, like many women in the Recency era. “It was really nice to explore that idea that how unfair it is in that time — like all times, really — that men are allowed to have all of this experience, and yet it’s not something that seems to be shared with the women of the Regency era,” she said.
That said, Dodd relished in seeing Francesca have the bravery to seek out the information she needs, even if it does led to some awkward conversations, including one with her mother, Violet (Ruth Gemmell), as Francesca asks her what exactly a “pinnacle” — the Regency era term for orgasm — is. “I literally was shaking, trying not to laugh and every take she did threw something new in,” Dodd recalled.
“I really love seeing the courage of conviction … she’s gonna find that information. She’s gonna push herself out of that comfort zone,” Dodd said. “As hilarious as some of those scenes are … it’s a really important story to highlight and and I think it’s probably something that a lot of women went through back then. Her experience is just as important and valid, and I’m really glad that she’s chasing after that.”
Beyond her sexuality, Dodd noted that taking Francesca out of the “Bridgerton” family unit as she settles into married life with John also enabled her to deepen her understanding of herself as an individual and as a wife.
“She still loves her family, and they’re very close, and they still spend a lot of time together, [but] when you take Francesca away from the family unit, it was just really nice to see the space that kind of gives her,” Dodd said. “She naturally hides behind her siblings and their huge, gorgeous, wonderful personalities, but in giving her that space — be it in her own home or in Scotland — she has to start learning what she wants and learning to listen to herself and have opinions of her own.”
A wrench is thrown into Francesca’s life when John’s cousin, Michaela (Masali Baduza), comes whirling back into their lives in at the end of Part 1, promising to disrupt Francesca and John’s laid back lives with her raucous personality that Dodd describes as “the life and soul of the party.”
“Michaela is just this tornado that just messes things up in the best way possible,” Dodd said. “It’s just a confronting personality for Francesca, and I don’t think she really understands why … she’s used to living with a lot of different personalities, a lot of siblings, so I think it’s quite strange that there’s somebody that just seems to bother so much.”
While Dodd refrained from sharing too much about the dynamics established in Scotland during Francesca, John, Michaela and Eloise’s time there between seasons, teasing that more would be revealed soon, she noted that Michaela is a “character that stirs up a lot in Francesca, and as you go through the season, you can see that explained and what that might be.”
“It’s a really interesting and fun dynamic to play,” Dodd said. “Naturally, Francesca behaves slightly different with different characters, and Michaela is someone that challenges her and pulls out a slightly different energy to her.”
Dodd identified Season 4, Part 2 as her favorite installment thus far, citing the “strong individual storylines.” “It was fun for us as viewers to watch what everybody else has been up to as well,” Dodd said. “There’s also a lot of time that we all spend together.”
While the “Bridgerton” team has remained hush on which sibling’s love story will come next in the rotation, it’s either Francesca or Eloise, given that showrunner Jess Brownell confirmed that Gregory and Hyacinth’s stories will be “last.”
There’s also the possibility that “Bridgerton” could combine the Francesca and Eloise’s stories, given that their books take place within the same week, which Dodd noted would be a responsibility she’d love to share.
“I don’t know — the writers are quite secretive about what’s going to happen for both of our characters,” Dodd said. “I’d be honored and terrified to get to step up at some point, but I love Francesca’s story, especially what the writers are doing with it, so it’d be a massive honor to tell that story at some point.”
“Bridgerton” Season 4 Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix. Part 2 premieres Feb. 26.
The post ‘Bridgerton’ Star Hannah Dodd on Exploring Francesca’s Sexuality and The ‘Tornado’ Stirred up by Michaela appeared first on TheWrap.
