“Bridgerton” Season 5 will be led by Hannah Dodd’s Francesca and Masali Baduza’s Michaela Stirling, Netflix announced on Tuesday, dear reader.
“I cannot say enough good things about Hannah and Masali. The two of them have such a beautiful friendship and support each other in such a beautiful way,” showrunner Jess Brownell told Tudum. “But, beyond that, I really do think that they are two incredibly talented and special performers. They’re actors who are able to say so much with just an expression, with just their faces.”
“As John’s cousin, Michaela is the only other person who fully understands what Francesca might feel like. That just connects them on another level,” Dodd added, while Baduza teased, “Like magnets, they’re just drawn to each other.”
Production is now underway outside of London following the Season 4 finale, which dropped on Feb. 26.
Francesca is now the fifth Bridgerton sibling to lead a season of the Shondaland show — following Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page), Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley), Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), and Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha).
“[Those love stories] have traditionally been excluded from things like period dramas — and queer people did exist, have always existed, and will always exist,” Dodd further shared. “So they deserve a love story just like everybody else.”
“I think it’s been really special to have Jess guide us on this journey because she’s very excited about this story,” Baduza agreed. “What we really want to achieve is giving a realistic view of queer love onscreen and a happily ever after. I think [this] is really important for a lot of the queer community to see onscreen, to know that it can work out, and that they deserve to also feel love.”
“Bridgerton” Seasons 1-4 are available to stream on Netflix.
