Neurodivergent Bridgerton fans are wondering if introverted Francesca Bridgerton is autistic after connecting with some of her traits.
After two seasons in the background while her siblings’ love stories played out on-screen, Francesca Bridgerton finally takes on a larger role in Bridgerton season 3 and viewers see the start of her relationship with future husband John Stirling.
Francesca (played by Hannah Dodd, who replaced Ruby Stokes ahead of season 3) is perhaps the most reserved member of the Bridgerton family. She’s very different to her siblings, and doesn’t take to society in the same way her brothers and sisters did. She is a music lover, a very skilled pianist, and a very pragmatic and introverted person.
Viewers have already fallen in love with Francesca, with some neurodivergent fans delighted to discover that they appear to share various traits of the character. Is Francesca written as an autistic character though?
Here’s what Hannah Dodd and showrunner Jess Brownell have explained about her character.
Is Francesca Bridgerton autistic?
Due to Francesca’s quiet and reserved nature, as well as the fact that she doesn’t appear to enjoy social interactions, finds it difficult to interact with suitors and would much rather be alone playing music, some viewers have wondered whether she is neurodivergent and on the spectrum.
After watching the first four episodes of Bridgerton season 3, users on X/Twitter and Reddit have shared that they see Francesca as “autistic coded”, and are finding various traits of themselves in Francesca.
In the books, there’s no specific or outright information that confirms whether Francesca is autistic. She is written as an introvert, and an incredibly introspective character.
Explaining the character and why she’s not particularly going full steam ahead on marriage mart, Hannah Dodd told TUDUM: “There’s definitely an air of innocence about her. Debutantes are so young. Although they prepared for these moments for their entire lives, you can’t replicate a ball or suitors that you’ve never met before coming up to you. You don’t know how those conversations are going to go.”
“She’s not fighting it. She’s going to these balls. She is trying to find a husband,” Hannah added. “I think the difference is that she’s not excited about it. She’s not spent her entire life dreaming about what her wedding day will look like and what her husband’s going to be. She just knows it’s her time and this is part of life, and here we go.”
Hannah shares that Francesca shares many of Eloise’s traits, but the difference between the two is that Francesca “doesn’t always feel like she needs to be in the center of the fun and definitely never the center of attention.”
Touching on the introspectiveness of Francesca, showrunner Jess Brownell also added: “Francesca doesn’t always say what she’s feeling like the rest of the Bridgertons. So we were always looking for little ways to clue people in on the fact that there’s a lot more going on than meets the eye. She has a very rich internal world.”
