New Bridgerton actress Hannah Dodd discusses the pressure of replacing Ruby Stokes as Francesca. Based on Julia Quinn’s series of Regency-era romance novels, the show documents the romantic and social struggles faced by the titular Bridgerton family as they make their debut in high society. Portrayed by Stokes for the last two seasons, Francesca features as the sixth and somewhat more mysterious Bridgerton sibling.
Making its Netflix premiere in 2020 to critical acclaim, the first season of the show placed the spotlight on the eldest Bridgerton daughter, Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), and her romance with the aloof Duke of Hastings, Simon Basset (Rege-Jean Page). Honoring the order of the original books, season 2 went on to follow the family’s eldest son, Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), and his eventual relationship with the witty Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). However, commencing production in July, the third season of Bridgerton marks a stark deviation from the chronology of the novels, instead focusing on Quinn’s fourth book, Romancing Mister Birdgerton, which centers on the will-they-won’t-they romance between Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton). Notably absent throughout much of the previous two seasons, conflicting schedules ultimately led to the removal of Stokes as Francesca, with Dodd taking over the mantle in May 2022.
Now, during an interview with TVLine, Dodd opened up about the pressure of playing a recast character in Bridgerton. Revealing that she had read six of Quinn’s eight books in preparation for the role, Dodd admitted, “I didn’t know what I’d got myself in for”. Though she expressed her excitement over the chance to play Francesca and depict her “beautiful” story, Dodd added that she was aware of the fan base’s love of the character. “So I’m going to do my best,” she promised.
Though Francesca’s prolonged absences in the first two seasons of Bridgerton may have served as a point of frustration to fans, her re-casting sparks hope that the character will enjoy a much more significant presence in the show. Arguably the least well-known out of all the central Bridgerton siblings, the character can perhaps expect several seasons to develop and become equally ingratiated to the audience. However, with Netflix showing a willingness to alter the established timeline of the books, it could be that Francesca’s story will be brought to the forefront sooner than fans expected.
With the romance between Penelope and Colin taking center stage in season 3, Dodd can at least rest assured that she will have one whole season to re-introduce the character of Francesca and establish herself within the cast. Still, with the events of six more of Quinn’s novels yet to depict, and the romance of second son Benedict Bridgerton temporarily placed on the back-burner, it seems likely that Francesca’s story has ample time to develop. With a genuine appreciation for the series and a determination to deliver on fan expectations, there seems to be little reason why Dodd’s addition to Bridgerton should be anything less than seamless.
Source: TVLine