Bridgerton Casts New Benedict for Upcoming Season

Bridgerton has reportedly found its next leading lady to star opposite Luke Thompson’s Benedict Bridgerton in the upcoming season of the hit romantic drama.

According to Variety, sources have revealed that Korean-Australian actor Yerin Ha has been cast as Sophie Beckett, Benedict’s new love interest in the fourth season.

The Independent has reached out to Netflix for confirmation.

Ha, 29, previously played Kwan Ha in the now-canceled Paramount+ series Halo. She also appeared in the Australian miniseries Bad Behaviour, the 2022 horror comedy Sissy, the 2022 ABC drama Troppo, and several episodes of the season-long 2019 drama Reef Break.

No further casting details have been shared.

Last month, it was announced that the fourth season of the hit romance based on Julia Quinn’s best-selling book series would focus on the love story of the second-eldest Bridgerton (Thompson).

“Although both his brother and sister are happily married, Benedict is reluctant to settle down,” a press release stated at the time, “until he meets a charming Lady in Silver at his mother’s masquerade ball.”

Season three saw the third Bridgerton son, Colin (Luke Newton), marry Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), while season two saw the eldest Bridgerton son, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), marry Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). Eldest daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) married Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page) in season one.

Benedict was last seen in season three exploring his sexuality with Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) and Paul Suarez (Lucas Aurelio).

“He’s a charming man who’s trying to find his way. He’s interesting and funny. I can’t wait for people to watch him,” executive producer Shonda Rhimes told Netflix’s Tudum about Thompson’s character in July.

“He feels it’s important for him to fully discover himself before settling down. He’s someone who has big needs and we want to see him live a big life before he goes into settling down mode,” showrunner Jess Brownell added.

A release date for the eight-episode fourth season has not yet been announced. The first three seasons of Bridgerton are available to stream on Netflix.

Bridgerton first debuted in 2020. It has since become the most-watched show across all streaming platforms, with 9.3 billion minutes watched in June alone.

The success of the period romance is also credited with helping Netflix add eight million new subscribers between April and June, up 37 percent from the same period in 2022.