Yerin Ha has been cast as Benedict Bridgerton’s love interest for the fourth season of the hit Netflix series. Photo: Yerin Ha/Instagram
The next leading lady of Netflix’s lavish period romance series Bridgerton (2020 to present) has been identified.
According to Hollywood entertainment news outlet Variety, Korean-Australian actress Yerin Ha has been cast as Benedict Bridgerton’s love interest for the fourth season of the series.
Netflix previously announced that the upcoming season will centre on the romance of Benedict Bridgerton, played by British actor Luke Thompson.
The drama, set in a stylised version of the Regency era, is based on American author Julia Quinn’s series of Bridgerton novels, which follows the romantic lives of the eight siblings from the noble Bridgerton family. Every season of the streaming adaptation highlights the love story of one couple.
The official logline for the upcoming season reads: “The fourth season of Bridgerton turns its focus to bohemian second son Benedict. Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down – until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver at his mother’s masquerade ball.”
The Sydney-born Ha, 29, will play the mysterious woman, Sophie. In the novel, Sophie has a Cinderella-esque backstory as the illegitimate daughter of an earl who is raised as a maid and suffered abuse at the hands of her stepmother.
Ha previously played the role of Kwan Ha in Halo (2022 to 2024), which is the Paramount+ series adaptation of the video game franchise of the same name.
She is also set to appear in the upcoming science-fiction series Dune: Prophecy, which serves as a prequel to the film Dune (2021), based on the novel of the same name by Frank Herbert. Dune: Prophecy is set to premiere in November.
According to news outlet Korea JoongAng Daily, Ha is the granddaughter of veteran South Korean actress Son Sook, who has supporting roles in series such as hit K-drama The Glory (2022 to 2023).
Ha is not the first Asian lead in the series. The adaptation usually departs from the books by casting racially diverse stars, in an anachronistic move away from typical British historical series about the aristocratic class.
Previously, black British actor Rege-Jean Page led Season 1 and British actress Simone Ashley, who is of Indian descent, starred in Season 2. The third season starred Irish actress Nicola Coughlan and British actor Luke Newton.
Bridgerton has consistently been one of Netflix’s most popular hits. All three of its seasons – the latest of which was released in two parts in May and June – are on the streamer’s top 10 most popular English-language series of all time.
Season 3 racked up more than 103 million views in the three months since it premiered, while the first season has garnered over 113 million views and the second season more than 93 million views. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
