Netflix has confirmed that Benedict is the season 4 lead of Bridgerton — but who should play his love interest Sophie?
Based on Julia Quinn‘s book series, Benedict’s (Luke Thompson) love story with Sophie is following the events from the third novel titled An Offer From a Gentleman. As some fans know, Benedict’s world gets turned upside down when he crosses paths with a mysterious woman in a Cinderella-inspired meet cute. A romance like that requires a scene-stealing actress and there’s plenty of talented stars to choose from.
Showrunner Jess Brownell has previously hinted at plans to introduce Benedict’s love interest, telling TheWrap in June 2024, “The introduction of Sophie is definitely still in the cards, but we are going to continue to explore [Benedict’s] fluidity. This is not the end of that story line.”
During the season 3 finale, which aired that same month, Benedict had a personal awakening when he explored his potential sexual interest in men by engaging in a threesome. Brownell hinted how the realization would help Benedict’s growth as he prepared to meet The One.
“I think we’re going to continue on the storyline of Benedict learning exactly how he wants to exist in the world,” she continued during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that same month. “I think Benedict is someone who experiences a lot of breadths in his life in terms of a million different experiences, but he’s never really committed to anything. I think what he’s starting to realize is that he also craves depth, and so Benedict reconciling breadth with depth is something we’re going to dive into pretty deeply in future seasons.”
Fans eagerly awaiting for it finally being Benedict’s time to shine have already compiled a list of actresses who should be cast as Sophie. Keep scrolling to help Us fan cast the woman at the center of Bridgerton’s fourth season:
Jessie Mei Li
The most popular online choice by far for the role of Sophie has been Netflix’s very own Jessie Mei Li. She is best known for playing Alina Starkov in the fantasy series Shadow and Bone, which ran from 2021 to 2023. Li is now looking for her next big role — and fan have already kicked off a campaign to get her cast opposite Thompson for season 4 of Bridgerton.
In addition to Shadow and Bone, Li appeared on the small screen in Strangers and Locked Up Abroad. Her movie roles include Last Night in Soho and Havoc.
Joy Sunday
Another Netflix newcomer who deserves to be utilized more is Joy Sunday a.k.a Bianca from Wednesday. While Sunday is set to appear in Wednesday’s sophomore season, she should be able to also pull off potentially leading one season of Bridgerton. Similar to Simone Ashley who took on the role of Kate Sharma and left Netflix’s Sex Education behind, Sunday could transition fully to future seasons of Bridgerton or Benedict and Sophie’s story could mirror Quinn’s novels as the couple move away after their nuptials.
Sunday might also look familiar to TV fans due to her appearances on MacGyver and Dear White People. On the big screen, Sunday scored roles in Bad Hair, The Beta Test, Dog and Rise.
