It’s that time of year again. Hair is being pinned, corsets are being tightened and chests are a-heaving. Everyone’s favourite historical romance is back on Netflix, and dearest gentle reader, I am screaming. I was so close to having realistic expectations of romance in my own life, but there’s no one like the Bridgerton men to make me reassess. Yearning, stolen glances and well-timed declarations of love can, in fact, ruin a woman forever.
Since its debut in 2020, Bridgerton has rewritten the rules of a period drama with orchestral pop music, inclusive casting and exquisitely styled Regency-era gowns. Each season centres on the Bridgerton siblings’ love stories, and on January 29th, Benedict Bridgerton, second-eldest, tortured artist, bisexual rake and the ton’s most eligible bachelor, is going to fall in love. And all of society will let out a collective sigh.
From fake dating, enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers and now a star-crossed romance, Bridgerton understands the power of a trope and how to do it well. This Cinderella story promises grand ballrooms, midnight kisses, class divides and, if history is to be trusted, a happy ending.
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There is one Bridgerton mystery that deserves scholarly attention: Showrunner Shonda Rhimes’s almost supernatural ability to take an already attractive man and transform him into the most devastatingly desirable version of himself the moment he becomes the lead. Season four, it seems, is no exception. Ahead of the season’s premiere on January 29 on Netflix, Vogue India spoke to Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton) and Yerin Ha, who plays leading lady Sophie Baek, about what it means to be at the centre of the Bridgerton universe.
Vogue India: How did you prepare for a period drama, and to play Sophie?
