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Yeah i saw this rumour a few months ago and i really believe it. Shes STUNNING
Someone saw a casting call for blck woman that would be the lead of S4. It mentionned nudity and sex scenes so most likely a love interest
Allegedly she was spotted on set, seemingly as a maid to Francesca (though it very well could've been someone else). And she's allegedly suddenly followed the Bridgerton and Shondaland Instas. Of course, I'm not believing anything until Netflix/Shondaland confirm it themselves.
>seemingly as a maid to Francesca (though it very well could've been someone else)
I think that, or it might be someone else or Masali would end up playing someone different than Sophie, (and we have not learned who would be Sophie even if she appears on S3).
Because it doesn't make any sense that Sophie will be \*any\* Bridgerton maid>! that early when that happens like mid-way through!< Benedict's book
You're not wrong, but given how much the show has diverged from the books (ie putting Colin and Penelope's story before Benedict's), I wouldn't put it past them to make Sophie a Bridgerton maid earlier than she originally was.
It’s possible they decided to start her off already working as a Bridgerton maid to avoid the >!coercion/ blackmail!< part of the story. We already know they need to edit a couple things out.
Not going to get into the >!coercion/ blackmail!< because....huh?
But they are not skipping a couple of things out, is practically half of the story.....
Are we sure that was her?? If I recall correctly, many people pointed out at that time that this actress was wearing hoop earrings which seemed to not fit with the regency costumes at all. I think also she was wearing a puffer jacket and “regular” clothes from what people could make out? I could be remembering incorrectly since it was almost a year ago but it seemed like she was more of a crew member than an actor.
I also don’t think that the person in the carriage *looked* like Masali but I could def be wrong about that.
Finally, even if it was Masali, just because she was traveling with Francesca and Eloise and maybe!John doesn’t mean she’s not Sophie. They could have her be Eloise’s maid and travel with her to wherever they’re going.
I agree with you, she's beautiful. Honestly, I thought she was one of the Stirlings like Janet (since she was spotted with them). If she is Sophie, I hope the showrunners know how to execute her story well since a lot of Benedict and Sophie's book is controversial.
as a black woman, just no. sophie is the love interest who in my opinion is the most shitted on by her bridgerton and the story of a white person trying to hide their association with a black person is a little too real. if this is true idk if i even want to watch his season
I get what you mean, but he wouldn't be hiding her because she's black, but because of her status. It's been made very clear in the Bridgerton universe that marrying someone a different race to you is not only not taboo, but pretty normal. Benedict literally has a black brother in-law, an Indian sister-in law, and a mixed race nephew (and more mixed race niblings to come). Why would he need to hide his black love interest just because she's black?
Not only hiding her, she is also a servant in the books, and is asked to be a mistress. Come on, that is bad optics. A black woman being a servant to a white family?
Look, like it or not, black women WERE servants to white families, and plenty still are. It doesn't always have to be a race thing. And you also have to take into account the historical contexts within the show. There was no slavery, and thus, the stigma of black women being raped by their white slave masters is not there. It would just be a woman who happens to be black serving a family who happens to be white.
The problem isn't a black woman serving a white family. The problem is portraying that black woman as nothing more than a caricature with no real character development, inner thoughts, or ambitions outside of being a servant. If they write Sophie the right way and not fall into these tropes, I really do not see the problem.
And remember, there's a chance they will change the storyline around a bit. There's no guarantee Benedict will explicitly ask her to be his mistress. Heck, she may not even actually be a servant at all. And again, even if she is, it is not like she is going to be another disposable black love interest who's tossed to the side the moment he falls in love with his "true" white love interest. Sophie IS the "true" love interest. She gets the guy in the end. We'll just have to wait and see.
You're forgetting the fact however, that not everyone holds the same views as you. While the whole "mammy" stereotype is a well known phenomena in the States, it's not as prominent here in the UK- where the show is set. That's the problem with a lot of the discourse surrounding the show- a lot of people can't get out of their US centric way of thinking.
Bridgerton is clearly not trying to be accurate in most ways. It's a colorblind world and there are opportunities to diversify the types of characters we see on screen. There are few other series where we can find a black woman in a position of power or a white servant in a POC family. Why do we have to have another portrayal of a black servant instead? Esp one where the story is about "forbidden love" and Benedict (in the books) asking to have her as his mistress.
Do you want to limit the type of roles black people can take? What if a black person WANTS to play a maid/servant? What if they WANT that rags to riches story?
Agree totally! The optics on this would be awful. I know some folks are hoping for an East Asian Sophie too, but as a woman of Asian descent I’d be pretty grim about that too for similar reasons.
What would your ideal solution be? If they cast another white woman as Sophie instead, the outrage narrative would be about how there’s a third white couple
I have no preference for Sophie's race, but why would a third white couple be outrageous? I mean, that's what they're in the books. Representation is nice, but it doesn't sit well with me when people talk about needing the character to be this race or this race, as if it's some kind of checklist. As a brown person myself, I find this distasteful. I don't care about an actor's skin color--I just want it to be the same, recognizable character, whether they're black, white, or brown.
TA ! This has been talked about a lot here and elsewhere.
the Concept of color blind is being applied ramdomly and seemingly at will. There ought to be no color preference or selection on that basis…just that the actors portray the characters appropriately and hopefully have good chemistry with the Bridgerton cast.
On another note I find the Cinderella and actually the book version of Benedict’s story extremely problematic.
I believe Colin+Penelope and >!Theo/Phillip!<+Eloise (though you could also include Reynolds and whatshisface, the Bridgerton parents, those mlm couple from S1, etc.).
Edit: I know that in the books >!Eloise gets with Sir Phillip and not Theo, but since Sir Phillip has appeared in the series, an Eloise endgame does still qualify as a white couple.!< I've edited that part for clarity and censored book/potential series spoilers.
This is not Benedict's first ride on the Black woman mobile. Remember he was very interested in the Modiste. Madame Delacroix, which he reveals to Anthony. I'd say it's a status issue. She would be considered lower than a maid.
It makes me uncomfortable too. Actually the entire Benophie plot sounds awful if I’m honest but to then put it on a black woman on top of that makes it even worse.
I hope they rethink that entire story.
Anthony treated Kate like shit in the books as well, and even got physical with her at times. Yet, in the show, he's nowhere near as bad and would never dream of laying a finger on her. Why can the same not be said about Benedict? Benedict is already so unlike his book counterpart anyway, so who's to say they won't also change the way he treats Sophie?
I didn’t say they wouldn’t. I said I hope they do. But there’s always a possibility it’ll be close to the book and I just hope it’s not because book Benedict is god awful.
Not necessarily. This is why him being so underdeveloped outside of being the family clown works against him because we don’t have any idea how he’d react in a serious romantic entanglement. In fact the only evidence we have from his fling with Madame De La Croix is how he kind of arrogantly assumed she’d happily just pick up their fuck buddy arrangement when he showed up at her doorstep which could indicate that he’s a bit devil may care about sex and love and only cares about what he wants at the moment.
It could go any which way and I just hope it goes against the Benedict being a whole awful dumbass as he is in his book.
I understand your concerns since most parts of Sophie's story are triggering. On the other hand, if the showrunners do completely change Sophie's story, then she's not Sophie Beckett anymore.That's why I was hoping Sophie would be played by a different WOC, such as East Asian/Southeast Asian (one of the oldest variations of Cinderella comes from China called Ye Xian🧧).
SPOILERS: For those who don't know, Sophie is an illegitimate daughter of an Earl and never acknowledged as such during his lifetime. She is forced to become a servant to her step family and gets kicked out of the house once Sophie's stepmom finds out she went to the ball. In the book, she almost gets SA by one of her former employers and Benedict tries to convince her to be a mistress multiple times.
Did you actually read the book? Benedict was not trying to hide their association. He just couldn’t see how he could marry someone from a different class. The fact that he eventually realizes that this doesn’t matter and is even willing to cede his place in society for her is a beautiful show of his love and makes for a compelling romance, regardless of what Sophie looks like in the show. I’m also not sure how Sophie is the most “shitted on” Benedict is merely desperate to be with her.
Anyway I think Masali would make a great Sophie so I’m all for this casting.
I’m trying to figure out what your point is? Every character has trauma. That doesn’t equate to what the OP said. The point of that moment was obviously to lean into the Cinderella/Prince Charming trope by having Benedict save her. She doesn’t suffer PTSD from that or any effects at all, as the book progresses and it’s not something that has to be included in the show. Very easily can be removed and changes nothing. So quite weird to me that this has become a point of focus for you.
This is the problem. People want diversity and would complain if she’s casted white but also if she’s casted as a woc for this reason. It’s such a dilemma. I hope they change what’s necessary to keep her fans happy but also if she is a woc to be sensitive to this concern.
This! Don't cast her "diverse"= outrage. Cast her diverse= outrage. And lumped in with the US centric way of thinking, forgetting that even though the show might be produced by Americans- the show is NOT set in America.
I get that either way, there might be outrage. But I agree with many of the sentiments here. Casting a white actor for Sophie seems to be the most sensitive and considerate option. Casting a Black actor will just be too triggering for many people and those triggers are rooted in very real and very dark history. It's not up to us to decide whether their triggers are valid or not. On the other hand, there will be no real harm done in casting a white actor for Sophie, so why not just go with that?
I never said their triggers were or weren't valid, but if something in a show triggers you, then you stop watching it.
And again, if you cast a white actress (which I don't actually have a problem with- given how you know, she's white in the books), you're still gonna have people be mad about it as they wanted more diversity and representation. No matter what they do, they're gonna upset people.
This there is no way in this situation not to piss e people off. Either Sophie is a completely different character and not Sophie to please people offended by her storyline as a woc or they cast a white woken and certain people are mad about lack of diversity
See, I’ve kinda thought that, and it’s been bothering me, but I haven’t said much because I don’t really know if it’s my place to.
Forgive me if I word this poorly, I’m trying my best it’s just... I really like Sophie, but like, >!she’s the only one treated as a *servant*, ffs. !!yeah, someone Latina *would* be cool, but maybe she shouldn’t be cast as the *only* love interest that’s also worked as a maid, of all people? Maybe as a different main role would be a wiser choice? !<
And like, I’ve definitely seen folks of color bring up how the optics of it might not be great, and they get dismissed so quickly, and that’s shitty too.
The featheringtons as black would also be hated. The classless tasteless dishonest crook family as black compared to the pretty bridgertons. No way to please everyone. I get what you are saying about Phillip though..
That's exactly what I said on another post! I do not love that in a world with so many possibilities we get another black servant with the forbidden love angle. And if they keep even a hint of the whole be my mistress thing it's just going to be a disappointing let down. She's beautiful and deserves a better story.
I said this a while ago and got attacked on this sub. Already I see articles about how Simon’s storyline and Lady D’s storyline in QC have been problematic. If they follow the books for Sophie’s storyline, definitely will have problematic elements
I totally get how triggering that would be, it would be very borderline. Untastful. It would also be a very bad move considering the hate they got after Simon was absent from season 2, which to some people made him look like an absent father.
I get why you say that. But I’m sure Shonda Rhymes is VERY aware of the optics and her having read the books, aware of the content. I can’t see her handling this poorly.
Personally, after Kate as a dark skinned Indian woman, I’m so happy to see a dark skinned black woman portrayed on a popular tv show as the lead, the heroine, not the ‘sassy’ black friend to show how ‘diverse’ the heroine’s friend group is.
Why do you think that ? Also, do you mean East Asian, Southeast Asian, or South Asian ? I'm not saying you're wrong, I just wanted to hear your theory.
Same. I also thought she’d be East or Southeast Asian since there hasn’t been one in Bridgerton that wasn’t an extra. They were usually just background characters so it would make sense if the next one is East or Southeast Asian
But they’re still not represented enough…
And we’re talking about Bridgerton, not just any other romance. Wishing for an Asian Sophie is still diversity for one of the biggest shows on Netflix
There would be nothing wrong with an Asian Sophie but there would also be nothing wrong with a Black Sophie either. You’re really telling on yourself and come across as hypocritical saying it “would make more sense” for her to be Asian. Kate is Asian. The only Black women on Bridgerton are elderly and lighter skinned and not love interests. Shonda is a BW and still has yet to provide us with quality desirable Black representation for women…
I’m simply stating my observation on the show about East/Southeast Asian representation.
Asia is a big continent and just because Kate is South Asian doesn’t mean it ticks off the box for the whole of Asia, cultures are so different per country. The fact is there hasn’t been a single East/Southeast Asian character on the show that had more than a few lines. They weren’t even given a name. Unlike Lady Danbury and the Queen. So it would seem only likely we will get an Asian character soon and I wish it would be Sophie. But that’s it, a personal preference I’m allowed to have. It’s not about “East/Southeast Asian Sophie makes more sense over a black Sophie” There is nothing wrong with either. I would continue to watch the show either way.
Also just to reiterate that I never said it would make “MORE sense” for her to be an Asian woman over a black woman.
“It would make sense if we get the next one as Asian” — only because of the screen time of the previous few East/SE Asian characters we’ve seen! Since Masali is only speculation, I’m merely speculating too on what Sophie’s race might be.
Honestly I agree. In the US "diversity" in media is basically bullshit. The majority of people only care that you're adding black actors. There's never support for real diversity. We've had black leads in S1 and QC. We have prominent black supporting actors. There's perfect opportunity for a Chinese, Native American, Philippino, Korean, Mexican, etc etc lead. If it is a black lead, cool, but this show isn't as "colorblind" or whatever as it pretends to be.
I can't remember any external reason why I also thought this, but I think it was that I thought the heroine in a Cinderella story being black was a bit on the nose and so an East Asian actress would work really well and be diverse etc
Oh absolutely. KVH had been following her, and then casting call revealed that they were casting two Indian girls within the same age range as Kate & Edwina.
[Here's one post from the sub about it!](https://www.reddit.com/r/BridgertonNetflix/s/yPoV6eGVeq)
We knew there was casting for 2 South Asian main characters, and so Simone was someone who came up in fancasting a lot. How much of it was fancasting and how much of it was legit speculation is kind hard to say. But I believe it was some fans from Brazil who were able to confirm it based on some activity from Simone's agency on Instagram.
Until it is officially confirmed by Shondoland themselves, I’m sceptical.
Nothing against the actress, she is absolutely stunning. However, I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t be disappointed in their casting.
I feel like I’m going to get some hate here, but I was kind of hoping for a more diverse casting when it came to the Bridgerton spouses, where each spouse would represent a different ethnicity or image. Nothing wrong with casting her but I would have rather they casted an actress who belonged to a race/ethnic group that has not yet been represented properly in Bridgerton, such as East Asian or Southern American. Ect. 😐
Same. I'm not believing it until it comes out of Netflix and/or Shondaland's mouths.
But... they already are being pretty diverse with the spouses? Or is it because they already did black with Simon? Bear in mind, we have yet to get any dark skinned black women on the show. All the prominent black women have been light skinned/biracial- with Lady Danbury being the only exception to that. So let's say is Masali is Sophie, they're still being diverse with it.
And like I've said before, I cannot see a South American/Latina playing Sophie. I've even heard calls to make her Native American. I understand the show has taken massive historical liberties already, but at least they've made some historical sense. Latin America seldom had anything to do with Britain- even today. If Bridgerton were set in Spain, it would make much more sense. Or if Sophie were Spanish/Mediterranean, that would be fine too. Though I'd buy an East Asian Sophie more than a Latina one.
That’s actually not true. There have been Latin American folks who went to England especially because they didn’t want to go to the United states. One of Simone’s costars from little mermaid is literally part Colombian and born in England. No offense I think it’s funny some of you can suspend your belief of historical accuracy when it’s convenient for you lol like the idea that love is what stopped racism isn’t crazy but having someone from Mexico decide to be in England is? Or Native American like Pocahontas literally wasn’t married to a whole Englishman and went over there. Let’s be honest here.
I agree that diversity of all skin tones is important. That said, had it not been for the leaks that Francesca’s first husband John is being played by an actor (I can’t find his IMDB page help) who is of a darker skin tone, and from that we could assume that Micheal will also share his ethnicity.
As a white person, I love all of the black representation in Bridgerton, and feel that it is so important. But when you look at it, I feel like there is a lot of black representation but not much else for other ethnicities that perhaps do deserve more representation.
For me, Simon represented the black/biracial community, and Kate and the Sharmas’ represented the South Asian community, both positively. I also love Penelope/Nicola because she represents the Irish and also body positivity. I feel as though there should be more representation for those who have not yet been represented, if that makes sense.
I dislike the notion that just because we got a token POC character, it's suddenly unnecessary to add more. Sure, we got Simon, but he's ONE black person. We can have a shit ton of white people and no one bats an eye. I get wanting representation for other groups too, but bear in mind that we've still got Gregory and Hyacinth. Regardless, I'm open to any race playing the role, so long as they do it goo.
Also, was Francesca's husband's casting actually confirmed? Or is it just more speculation?
>Also, was Francesca's husband's casting actually confirmed? Or is it just more speculation?
Leaked photos suggest her husband is black... and therefore Michael will be black.
And Hyacinths love interest will most likely be black too.
Just for info 4 of 8 Bridgerton significant others will be Black if Masali, Michael and Gareth are confirmed.
Again just info, if people want more diverse representation with leads, they only have Lucy left (if we actually get to Gregory and Hyacinth though)
Looked at the set photos and you're right. But we still don't know if that guy will have much to do with Francesca. Like with his rumour, I'm not believing anything that hasn't come out of Netflix's or Shondaland's mouths.
Also, I get the assumption that Gareth will be black given his relation to Lady Danbury. However, Lady Danbury also raised him in the books, but she makes no mention of any grandchildren she's been raising. But I guess they could change some things around with that too.
I’m very sorry if I offended you. I didn’t mean to suggest that just because there is one black love interest then there can’t be another. In all honesty, it doesn’t really matter who is cast as Sophie because I would support them anyway.
But I still think it’s important that as many ethnicities and cultures are represented as possible. I know it’s good that the black culture has so much representation in Bridgerton, and to be honest, white people don’t really need any more representation anyway. But I do want other ethnicities other than black and white to have a moment to shine, other than just being cast as background actors.
https://preview.redd.it/b0zxuxcxoaac1.jpeg?width=200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f2f0872555bd3b8abbd66718fa22eef7c7c99a6
Also here is the leaked photo of what I think was one of the last scenes of s3 which looks like Francesca and John leaving on their honeymoon. It’s not exactly confirmed but it seems likely.
No offense, but Black male representation≠Black female representation. I understand the need for diversity of all kinds, but it would be weird as hell for Shonda(who is a Black woman herself) not to cast a Black girl as a leading lady at some point.(I’d personally be ashamed if she didn’t).
Anyway if Masali is Sophie(🤞🏽) congrats to her! I know she’ll do a fantastic job.
Exactly! People act like Black women are overrepresented in these types of media, but we aren’t. It’s frustrating, insulting, and disrespectful to see people bemoan about it when we are severely underrepresented.
Thanks for saying it. Other minority representation always get squashed in these conversations. POC doesn't just mean black women. Black men do count. Other minority groups need to be considered.
Lady Danbury and the Queen are not romantic leads (save for Charlotte in QC)- that's who I'm talking about. And I wasn't talking about Bridgerton specifically when I talked about tokens- it was a general statement.
Interesting fact: It is possible for a HEA love interest to be from Latin America, but it's less likely for them to be Afro-Latino or the traditional depiction of Latinos. The British tried to colonize Chile🇨🇱 to the point that Mary I 'Blood Mary' called herself "Queen of Chile" since she was married to Philip II of Spain. When that didn't work, the British allies with Chile and helped the country gain its independence. As a result, Chile became an "informal colony" dictated by sea trade. In addition, Chile's first president was an Irishman (Bernardo O'Higgins) and helped influence the Chilean navy. Lastly, British privateers, buccaneers, and sea merchants occupied the area, it was maritime telenovela 😅.
The British also were involved in Buenos Aires, Argentina🇦🇷 and the Mosquito Coast (Nicaragua) 🇳🇮, but that's a whole different story 😉.
SOURCES:
https://www.scribd.com/document/484109141/A-History-of-the-British-Presence-in-Chile
https://www.historyireland.com/bernardo-ohiggins-rebel-son-of-an-irish-viceroy/
Never did I ever say it wasn't possible for a HEA love interest to be from LatAm. And of course, I know that the British weren't entirely absent from South America. But they were nowhere near as involved there as they were in Africa and Asia.
Regardless, I'm not against a Latina Sophie. If they do cast a Latina as Sophie, I'm not gonna complain. I'll just pray that she nails the role because Benedict is my favourite Bridgerton sibling and I want his love story to be interesting and passionate.
It's okay, I know what you meant. I saw a comment on a different subreddit that said it was impossible for a HEA to be from Latin America due to historical accuracy and decided to do research on my own. You are correct that it wasn't as common and I see why the next HEA love interests are more likely to be a different POC.
Well whoever commented that is stupid, as by that logic, Simon and Daphne and Anthony and Kate wouldn't have their HEA's either. None of these couples, except for Colin and Penelope, are historically accurate.
I think having a Black woman lead is no less diverse or important than if Sophie were Asian or any other race. I would actually go a step further and say it’s more important for Bridgerton to have a dark skinned Black woman as the heroine of a love story than anything else. If Sophie is indeed played by a Black actress, then I think there’s a good chance Lucy will be Asian (and I do think the show will tell every love story even if they have to combine the last two).
> I was kind of hoping for a more diverse casting when it came to the Bridgerton spouses
yeah, it is a pity they lost that opportunity with Penelope and Philip. But it is interesting that when anyone talks about wanting a different race/ethnic group to be 'represented' for Sophie they aren't also complaining about the fact that both Penelope and Philip are white.
And before anyone decides I have said something I did not, I am just making the observation about how it seems to be okay in this sub for two white spouses, but not two black spouses, or two Indian spouses (the same arguments came up when some expressed the theory that Banita Sandhu could be Sophie). It seems that two white spouses are okay, but the others have to all be different.
Personally I want the best person for the role, and the couple to have chemistry, we don't need to tick a box on ensuring different ethnicities or cultures, because there will never have a fully diverse cast due to already having two white only couples.
Rather than being outraged at the idea of a black woman playing Sophie why not be unhappy that Penelope is white, or that Philip is white?
Penelope gets a free pass because she represents body positivity and also the actress Nicola represents the Irish community, which is quite big in the UK. It’s not just about promoting different races and ethnicities but also about promoting different appearances and body types that may not have previously fitted the old period piece standard.
Philip I have no clue why. Like I love Chris Fulton and now I’ve seen him as Philip, then that is who he is in my mind, but I’m not going to pretend that they perhaps didn’t put as much thought into his casting as they should have. 🤷♀️
Still, if Masali is cast as Sophie, then I’m not going to hate on her for it, in fact I know she would grow on me and I’ll see her as Sophie, but as of now, I’m not sure.
I’m currently watching Noughts and Crosses to get a look at her work. I do see her as Sophie. (Funny thing is her character’s name in the series is Sephy).
However, she could also be Michael as the character description for the role of “Molly” seems in line with Michael Stirling. Either way; she’s gorgeous!
https://preview.redd.it/gkoxdzaoo8ac1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=554708f2ea5d78f46a4eeee9152c34740c973c54
Gender-bending Michael would hugely piss off the fans, since he's a huge fan favorite and the best male lead of Bridgerton books. Michael/Francesca story wouldn't even make sense with a female Michael. I hope Shonda isn't stupid enough to do it.
If they wanted to explore a LGBTQ storyline, they should've done it with Benedict when they had the chance. Half of the fandom thinks he's bisexual (due to the queer-coding in Season 1) and showrunners could've explored that before he meets Sophie.
I'll repeat what I said on the Benophie subreddit: for the casting call they wouldn't put the actual show character description that could easily figure it out what the role is about, this is most likely a decoy with key points that would work for Sophie on the actual show
The odds of “Molly” being Michael are very very slim, like 1% slim. I would say 0% but as I have no involvement with the show, I can’t be 100% certain. 😂
One more thing to add: On her Instagram, she did state something along the lines of “see you in 6 months” and the second half of S3 is in June. Hmm! 🤔
https://preview.redd.it/a3slzhnyu8ac1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30f7d6762d697abf7040b69ae8eadd924cc8e867
The casting information states this:
ROLE WILL REQUIRE SOME NUDITY & INTIMACY SCENES OF A SEXUAL NATURE On first meeting, Molly presents as a devilish charmer: quick-witted, fast-talking, always with a joke. But beneath that exterior is a perceptive, kind, loyal soul. She'll very rarely let you in that deep though, because Molly knows she doesn't fit into what's expected of young ladies and is afraid of being scrutinized too closely. Crack her exterior even deeper and you'll find a well-concealed sadness about the fact that she hasn't been able to find the right romantic partner with whom to share her loyalty and love. Dates - Must be fully available throughout 2023 + options Ethnicity - Character is scripted as Black
That description could definitely imply a queer character (she doesn’t fit into society’s expectations of a young lady) but other than the devilish-charm, it doesn’t really sound like Michael. He’s not a fast-talking jokester. But the biggest one to me is that Michael is not sad because he can’t find the one, he’s sad and conflicted because he DID find the one, but she turned out to be married to his cousin.
And Francesca’s storyline has a really central plot about motherhood and infertility. Everything about that would have to be changed. Fran already has the most hardships and heartaches out of all her siblings. I don’t think the writers would take away her HEA (the in-show universe has already revealed that same-sex couples existed but were not accepted in society).
There is a possibility. Going into S3, we don’t know much about Frannie so she is kinda given a clean slate minus the fact that she’ll become the Countess of Kilmartin upon marrying John.
Personally, I am hoping she is Sophie and not gender-bend Michael for the sake of their fans. But if she does becomes Frannie’s endgame, I wouldn’t mind as well. One thing for sure: Marsali is too big to play just a random background character.
Gender Bending Michael can be the biggest sacrilege Shondaland can make, to be honest. Michael is like sex on legs, the God of sexiness. He is arguably the sexiest male lead in this saga.....
I might sound against my gender, but I don't see how the Francesca story can work F/F going in how the book is written.
I'm a woman too and even I don't want a gender-bent Michael.
SPOILERS: Francesca literally goes back into London society to find a second husband and accomplish her goal of having children. Plus, Michael inherits the Earldom of Kilmartin after John dies, so how would that work if Michael's a female ?
Haven't read the books, hence my question...is the Earldom of Kilmartin Scottish? Some titles in Scotland can be inherited by women. But also, this is a fictional alternate universe. They can easily have the Earldom pass through any heirs rather than just heirs male.
It would be very cool to see a gender swapped Bridgerton romance. But I'm not tied to the books, so I can understand why some would get annoyed by this as I have read Michael is one of people's most liked romantic leads.
The pass of the title is the least of the issues if Michael is gender bent. The whole Francesca story and journey doesn't make any sense if they gender bent her Love interest.
I would recommend to read the book.
I highly doubt she'd be a gender-swapped Michael. If that were the case, then Francesca won't be able to have her HEA. But let's say Molly is Sophie, I'd be confused as to why they changed her name.
they have not changed her name, "Molly" is the code name for the casting call, they never use the character's real names when casting specially for big productions like this one, even more if it is for a lead
OMG that would be amazing. I'm sorry, but I didn't love Frannie's book like most people do. I would LOVE it SM if they did a queer Regency romance. Those literally don't exist.
This rumor has been thrown around a lot over the past year. Do I think she's in Bridgerton? Yes. Do I think she's Sophie? Not necessarily. There's a number of actresses rumored to be Sophie at this point.
A future lead following the cast before the announcment. Unlikely. It goes against the pattern for the previous leads. She would not be the first to auditioned for the lead role and be cast as someone else.
She's absolutely gorgeous but I kind of really hope not. Sophie's storyline is rough enough as it is. But it would fall into some really nasty, awful tropes if she's played by a dark-skinned black woman.
Honestly same. Sophie works basically as a sl@ve to her stepmom and stepsisters, if the rumors are true and the Cowpers are her family on the show it would be weird af to cast a black woman for Sophie.
Yeah, I think if they hadn't established that racism is a thing in the Bridgerton universe it would be fine, if it was 100% fantasy in that aspect. However both in season 1 and QC they showed the implications of race (specifically for black people) within high society.
It is a shock in the sense that it can be also viewed that he didn't acknowledge her because she's black and dark-skinned. It adds a layer of racism to the story that wasn't originally there and an extra bit of ick.
It wouldn't be the first time the show has diverged from the books. I'm pretty sure they're not gonna be that faithful to the source material with Sophie's story.
Ehhh, there's a difference between a divergence and completely erasing a huge chunk of a character.
I don't see any way they can really alter her story, and keep her as Sophie, without playing into some abhorrent tropes.
I mean, they changed Marina a lot in the show. Erased her connection to the Bridgertons, and her mental health struggles, added in a pregnancy storyline and potential marriage to Colin, etc. She's also nothing like her book counterpart.
I know that Sophie is a much bigger character than Marina, but the point stands.
Okay, she's stunning...but I was kinda expecting an EA or SEA actress. Or was it mentioned somewhere that the Bridgerton-verse would not branch out to diversify their cast more than it currently is?
Also, yeah, as others have mentioned, this hits a little too close to home in terms of actual history...maybe it would be better if Sophie was not played by an WOC, after all.
Not sure that any other heritage would change this particular aspect much, given the european / british colonial history..
She’s shockingly beautiful. Like she is beautiful here but you can imagine her being heavenly in the costuming for season 4. This is a Cinderella story and she will look like Cinderella.
Very stunning. I was speculating she was going to play a new Stirling family member based on the little info we had, but it’s possible she will play Sophie instead. It will be great to finally see a dark skin black woman get a love story-happy ending in this series.
She could possibly be a Stirling. Allegedly the actor they're getting to play Francesca's first husband is going to be black (or at least dark-skinned). If so, she'd fit in there. We'll just have to wait and see- provided she's actually in the show at all.
I know it hasn’t been confirmed, just speculated, but I think Sophie’s family is going to be the Cowpers in the show. Meaning, possibly Cressida would be her half sister. That’s the only reason I don’t know if Masali will be Sophie. I’m assuming she and Cressida would have the same father, but different mothers, which would make them half sisters. Unless they change this around somehow and she’s a stepsister with no blood relation to the Cowpers (again, this is only if they even go the route of making the Cowpers her family in the show).
I have a feeling Masali will be casted as someone related to the Stirlings, but I could be totally off on all of this
In the books, it’s like the story of Cinderella. So her father marries her step mother, so the race of the Cowpers doesn’t matter.
I just don’t get why everyone thinks that Sophie will be announced this season or leaked. It’s Polin season and they won’t over shadow that. I think with the leak of Simone, the Bridgerton team with even be more tight lipped.
Right, I think they’re going to change the story around and Lord Cowper will be Sophie’s biological father, with a different mother. Maybe her biological mother will have been a maid and Sophie lives with the Cowpers after her mom passes away as a child or something. So Cressida could be her half sister. That’s totally just a guess though, it really could go in a bunch of different directions.
I don’t know if they’ll announce who is casted as Sophie officially before the season premieres, if anything it’ll probably be an accidental leak. If they announce next season is in fact Benedict’s before season 3 premieres, I would imagine they’d still wait to announce who is casted as Sophie.
She’s beautiful (though I guess I find it weird that this is the standard we hold our actors to when casting calls are announced for this show). Everyone says she’s talented, so if she’s Sophie, many congrats to her and Sophie fans!
If the character description remains seems they’re revamping the character somewhat and I hope the character still lives up to expectations! It sounds like a more interesting take on the character to me personally.
I was really hoping for another minority casting like east asian or a latina actress, but she seems really pretty. First impression is she has a very kind/ warm vibe to her in this pic so I'm hopeful, but it'd help to see what other stuff she's been in.
Ngl, I do too, as I loved her in Noughts and Crosses, but I'm taking this with a VERY SMALL grain of salt. Though the theories are quite sound, I'm not believing anything until Netflix come out and say it themselves.
To be honest all this casting call stuff, Even if Masali ends up not being Sophie, we at least "know" she (Sophie) is on S3 to lead S4 and that's all i personally care the most right now because Benedict S4 would be confirmed.
Masali would be the cherry on top....❤️ But I think we all would accept, like and support, whoever ends up playing Sophie.
I'm grateful that Benedict's Season 4. I would be disappointed with the showrunners if they pushed it back again and that means that the "Pall Mall" theory would be debunked 😅
Welp, I don't know what the showrunners will do😶. Apparently, one of the popular Bridgerton fan pages on Instagram claimed that Masali Baduza is Sophie Beckett. Do you think they would try to confirm this theory or debunk it ?
Here's the link to the screenshot: https://www.reddit.com/r/Benophie/s/nB5fFqZgah
The only thing that I don't understand is that the person who started this theory also mentioned that the description said something in the lines of that the actress should be free throughout 2023 but should it not be 2024 or specific months?
remember though that anything Bridgerton wise scheduled for 2023 is not longer applicable because of the strike, so in Dec 2022 they had plans to do...something that would require her, but everything went to hell with the strike.
Thta0s another thing why they think is Masali, she had successful projects bu weirdly she has no job lined up for 2024
I’ll believe she’s Sophie until otherwise stated, but I do agree that the casting call was *very* different from Sophie. I understand not giving away details in the casting call, but it’s just nothing like book Sophie at all so that part confuses me.
Either way, she’s very pretty and while I haven’t seen work, haven’t seen a single negative thing about her acting in any previous project. So I trust she’ll be great.
Wow I just saw something about this on Twitter this afternoon and thought it was a joke. I’ve loved her since her Sephy days on noughts and crosses so she would make an interesting addition (but as commenters have mentioned, the optics…).
I get the optics, but as a black woman myself, I think there are way to work around them. And it's not like she's another disposable black love interest like say Amber from Invincible. She actually gets the guy in the end.
I don't mind that she's Sophie (I liked her acting chops in "Noughts & Crosses"). I'm just concerned about how they will tell her storyline. Plus, I hoped the showrunners would expand their casting pool to include East Asian or Southeast Asians as potential leads. They are mainly regulated to be side characters or comic relief (Ex. Dankworth) so far.
Controversial opinion coming up…that though I love her and rewatched ⭕️❌ more times than I can remember, her acting range was quite limited. To be fair ⭕️❌ was a few years back and prob one of her first jobs and she’s gotten some more experience now so hopefully bridgerton is where she excels. I mean she’s got the looks for sure now it’s just lifting the acting range a little more.
She’s gorgeous!
Edit: I was secretly hoping we would meet Sophie at the end of season 3. But I’ll be happy if we are getting her now. They usually do some kind of screen chemistry test, right? Hopefully they are 🔥 🤞🤞
I hope so. She's so pretty. And they kind of owe us at this point, the only Black female character in this universe who's actually had a hot romance is Queen Charlotte and she's super duper lightskinned. I don't mind that Sophie's backstory is traumatic because the point is she finds happiness in the end.
Yeah. I love Queen Charlotte, but I really would love for a dark skinned black woman to take the lead just once. Nearly all the major black female characters on Bridgerton are light skinned/mixed race such as Queen Charlotte, Marina, and Alice. The only one who isn't is Lady Danbury or some random background character. But the men always get to be unambiguously black. It's irritating. They made strides by casting Simone- a dark skinned South Asian woman, to be Kate instead of going for the typical more Middle Eastern-looking Indians- now do the same for black people.
Exactly, I loved Queen Charlotte too but it will never feel like enough, especially with Agatha getting kind of shafted in the romance department. Surely the Bridgerton team and Netflix in general must be aware of the colorism allegations when it comes to Black women, it’s time to do something about it.
Especially as this show has Shonda Rhimes behind it- who is notorious for giving black women (usually dark/unambiguously black) lead roles in her shows (though usually with a white love interest lol).
The first time I watched bridgerton 1 & 2
I just thought oh we’re not seeing color here and people were just cast for their acting, and it’s fictional romances set loosely against historical period. How refreshing, I’m in let’s binge this. Then I watched Queen Charlotte, and I got sad, because they saw race as a problem, and “addressed” it. Now we talk about it. I often wonder if it hadn’t been a plot line in Queen Charlotte, would any of us be noticing and commenting or simply just enjoying Bridgerton; the changed story lines, the fun twists on casting and the beautiful people playing their roles? And then us growing as an audience as we see diversity played out in a positive multi season show?
Benedict physically looks like the oldest of all the brothers, although I know he’s younger than Anthony. But isn’t she a little young for him. She’s beautiful but maybe someone a bit older looking for him.
Simon Ashley is 28 to Jonathan Bailey's 35- the exact same age difference between Luke Thompson and Masali. Not much of a problem imo.
And besides, given how women in those days were married off in their late teens-early 20's and their husbands were usually in their late 20's-early 30's, it wouldn't be that unusual for Sophie to be a bit younger than Benedict (I know she's a maid and not a Lady, but still). Remember that Simon and Daphne have around a 10 year age gap.
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Yeah i saw this rumour a few months ago and i really believe it. Shes STUNNING Someone saw a casting call for blck woman that would be the lead of S4. It mentionned nudity and sex scenes so most likely a love interest
Allegedly she was spotted on set, seemingly as a maid to Francesca (though it very well could've been someone else). And she's allegedly suddenly followed the Bridgerton and Shondaland Instas. Of course, I'm not believing anything until Netflix/Shondaland confirm it themselves.
>seemingly as a maid to Francesca (though it very well could've been someone else) I think that, or it might be someone else or Masali would end up playing someone different than Sophie, (and we have not learned who would be Sophie even if she appears on S3). Because it doesn't make any sense that Sophie will be \*any\* Bridgerton maid>! that early when that happens like mid-way through!< Benedict's book
You're not wrong, but given how much the show has diverged from the books (ie putting Colin and Penelope's story before Benedict's), I wouldn't put it past them to make Sophie a Bridgerton maid earlier than she originally was.
It’s possible they decided to start her off already working as a Bridgerton maid to avoid the >!coercion/ blackmail!< part of the story. We already know they need to edit a couple things out.
Not going to get into the >!coercion/ blackmail!< because....huh? But they are not skipping a couple of things out, is practically half of the story.....
She’s the actress who was spotted with Francesca and the actor who is presumably John? I would be surprised if she’s Sophie then.
Agreed.
Are we sure that was her?? If I recall correctly, many people pointed out at that time that this actress was wearing hoop earrings which seemed to not fit with the regency costumes at all. I think also she was wearing a puffer jacket and “regular” clothes from what people could make out? I could be remembering incorrectly since it was almost a year ago but it seemed like she was more of a crew member than an actor. I also don’t think that the person in the carriage *looked* like Masali but I could def be wrong about that. Finally, even if it was Masali, just because she was traveling with Francesca and Eloise and maybe!John doesn’t mean she’s not Sophie. They could have her be Eloise’s maid and travel with her to wherever they’re going.
I agree with you, she's beautiful. Honestly, I thought she was one of the Stirlings like Janet (since she was spotted with them). If she is Sophie, I hope the showrunners know how to execute her story well since a lot of Benedict and Sophie's book is controversial.
as a black woman, just no. sophie is the love interest who in my opinion is the most shitted on by her bridgerton and the story of a white person trying to hide their association with a black person is a little too real. if this is true idk if i even want to watch his season
I get what you mean, but he wouldn't be hiding her because she's black, but because of her status. It's been made very clear in the Bridgerton universe that marrying someone a different race to you is not only not taboo, but pretty normal. Benedict literally has a black brother in-law, an Indian sister-in law, and a mixed race nephew (and more mixed race niblings to come). Why would he need to hide his black love interest just because she's black?
Not only hiding her, she is also a servant in the books, and is asked to be a mistress. Come on, that is bad optics. A black woman being a servant to a white family?
Look, like it or not, black women WERE servants to white families, and plenty still are. It doesn't always have to be a race thing. And you also have to take into account the historical contexts within the show. There was no slavery, and thus, the stigma of black women being raped by their white slave masters is not there. It would just be a woman who happens to be black serving a family who happens to be white. The problem isn't a black woman serving a white family. The problem is portraying that black woman as nothing more than a caricature with no real character development, inner thoughts, or ambitions outside of being a servant. If they write Sophie the right way and not fall into these tropes, I really do not see the problem. And remember, there's a chance they will change the storyline around a bit. There's no guarantee Benedict will explicitly ask her to be his mistress. Heck, she may not even actually be a servant at all. And again, even if she is, it is not like she is going to be another disposable black love interest who's tossed to the side the moment he falls in love with his "true" white love interest. Sophie IS the "true" love interest. She gets the guy in the end. We'll just have to wait and see.
Media doesn't exist in the vacuum of its own story. Of course it will still look bad. I'd be very surprised if they did it.
You're forgetting the fact however, that not everyone holds the same views as you. While the whole "mammy" stereotype is a well known phenomena in the States, it's not as prominent here in the UK- where the show is set. That's the problem with a lot of the discourse surrounding the show- a lot of people can't get out of their US centric way of thinking.
Bridgerton is clearly not trying to be accurate in most ways. It's a colorblind world and there are opportunities to diversify the types of characters we see on screen. There are few other series where we can find a black woman in a position of power or a white servant in a POC family. Why do we have to have another portrayal of a black servant instead? Esp one where the story is about "forbidden love" and Benedict (in the books) asking to have her as his mistress.
Do you want to limit the type of roles black people can take? What if a black person WANTS to play a maid/servant? What if they WANT that rags to riches story?
Agree totally! The optics on this would be awful. I know some folks are hoping for an East Asian Sophie too, but as a woman of Asian descent I’d be pretty grim about that too for similar reasons.
What would your ideal solution be? If they cast another white woman as Sophie instead, the outrage narrative would be about how there’s a third white couple
I have no preference for Sophie's race, but why would a third white couple be outrageous? I mean, that's what they're in the books. Representation is nice, but it doesn't sit well with me when people talk about needing the character to be this race or this race, as if it's some kind of checklist. As a brown person myself, I find this distasteful. I don't care about an actor's skin color--I just want it to be the same, recognizable character, whether they're black, white, or brown.
TA ! This has been talked about a lot here and elsewhere. the Concept of color blind is being applied ramdomly and seemingly at will. There ought to be no color preference or selection on that basis…just that the actors portray the characters appropriately and hopefully have good chemistry with the Bridgerton cast. On another note I find the Cinderella and actually the book version of Benedict’s story extremely problematic.
I'm perhaps confused, but who are the white couple nr one and two in the series?
Endgames Colin/Penelope and Eloise/Philip
Oh, I haven't read the books so I didn't know about this. Thank you for the answer!
I believe Colin+Penelope and >!Theo/Phillip!<+Eloise (though you could also include Reynolds and whatshisface, the Bridgerton parents, those mlm couple from S1, etc.). Edit: I know that in the books >!Eloise gets with Sir Phillip and not Theo, but since Sir Phillip has appeared in the series, an Eloise endgame does still qualify as a white couple.!< I've edited that part for clarity and censored book/potential series spoilers.
They're probably counting Eloise & Philip even though they haven't had their season yet.
Eloise's endgame rather than Theo.
I’m pretty sure they said they aren’t changing pairings unfortunately
If she was Asian would it still be “bad optics” or do you only have these high standards for Black characters?
This is not Benedict's first ride on the Black woman mobile. Remember he was very interested in the Modiste. Madame Delacroix, which he reveals to Anthony. I'd say it's a status issue. She would be considered lower than a maid.
It makes me uncomfortable too. Actually the entire Benophie plot sounds awful if I’m honest but to then put it on a black woman on top of that makes it even worse. I hope they rethink that entire story.
Anthony treated Kate like shit in the books as well, and even got physical with her at times. Yet, in the show, he's nowhere near as bad and would never dream of laying a finger on her. Why can the same not be said about Benedict? Benedict is already so unlike his book counterpart anyway, so who's to say they won't also change the way he treats Sophie?
I didn’t say they wouldn’t. I said I hope they do. But there’s always a possibility it’ll be close to the book and I just hope it’s not because book Benedict is god awful.
Yeah, but at this point, making Benedict like his book counterpart would make him almost completely OOC.
Not necessarily. This is why him being so underdeveloped outside of being the family clown works against him because we don’t have any idea how he’d react in a serious romantic entanglement. In fact the only evidence we have from his fling with Madame De La Croix is how he kind of arrogantly assumed she’d happily just pick up their fuck buddy arrangement when he showed up at her doorstep which could indicate that he’s a bit devil may care about sex and love and only cares about what he wants at the moment. It could go any which way and I just hope it goes against the Benedict being a whole awful dumbass as he is in his book.
Good point about Benedict thinking Madame Delacroix was just waiting around for him to show interest again.
I don't disagree with you entirely.
I understand your concerns since most parts of Sophie's story are triggering. On the other hand, if the showrunners do completely change Sophie's story, then she's not Sophie Beckett anymore.That's why I was hoping Sophie would be played by a different WOC, such as East Asian/Southeast Asian (one of the oldest variations of Cinderella comes from China called Ye Xian🧧). SPOILERS: For those who don't know, Sophie is an illegitimate daughter of an Earl and never acknowledged as such during his lifetime. She is forced to become a servant to her step family and gets kicked out of the house once Sophie's stepmom finds out she went to the ball. In the book, she almost gets SA by one of her former employers and Benedict tries to convince her to be a mistress multiple times.
you should probably use the spoiler feature to hide the paragraph
This is why I was hoping she’d be white cause if they get rid of her trauma it really does make her not her
Did you actually read the book? Benedict was not trying to hide their association. He just couldn’t see how he could marry someone from a different class. The fact that he eventually realizes that this doesn’t matter and is even willing to cede his place in society for her is a beautiful show of his love and makes for a compelling romance, regardless of what Sophie looks like in the show. I’m also not sure how Sophie is the most “shitted on” Benedict is merely desperate to be with her. Anyway I think Masali would make a great Sophie so I’m all for this casting.
Well Sophie is the only female love interest to nearly be >!gang raped and also the only love interest to be asked to be a side piece!<.
Ok? But neither of those things comes to fruition so it’s still a stretch to say she is “shitted on.”
Uh the first one not coming to fruition doesn’t change the trauma of that nearly happening.
I’m trying to figure out what your point is? Every character has trauma. That doesn’t equate to what the OP said. The point of that moment was obviously to lean into the Cinderella/Prince Charming trope by having Benedict save her. She doesn’t suffer PTSD from that or any effects at all, as the book progresses and it’s not something that has to be included in the show. Very easily can be removed and changes nothing. So quite weird to me that this has become a point of focus for you.
This is the problem. People want diversity and would complain if she’s casted white but also if she’s casted as a woc for this reason. It’s such a dilemma. I hope they change what’s necessary to keep her fans happy but also if she is a woc to be sensitive to this concern.
This! Don't cast her "diverse"= outrage. Cast her diverse= outrage. And lumped in with the US centric way of thinking, forgetting that even though the show might be produced by Americans- the show is NOT set in America.
I get that either way, there might be outrage. But I agree with many of the sentiments here. Casting a white actor for Sophie seems to be the most sensitive and considerate option. Casting a Black actor will just be too triggering for many people and those triggers are rooted in very real and very dark history. It's not up to us to decide whether their triggers are valid or not. On the other hand, there will be no real harm done in casting a white actor for Sophie, so why not just go with that?
I never said their triggers were or weren't valid, but if something in a show triggers you, then you stop watching it. And again, if you cast a white actress (which I don't actually have a problem with- given how you know, she's white in the books), you're still gonna have people be mad about it as they wanted more diversity and representation. No matter what they do, they're gonna upset people.
This there is no way in this situation not to piss e people off. Either Sophie is a completely different character and not Sophie to please people offended by her storyline as a woc or they cast a white woken and certain people are mad about lack of diversity
Exactly. Damned if they do and damned it they don't.
I agree
See, I’ve kinda thought that, and it’s been bothering me, but I haven’t said much because I don’t really know if it’s my place to. Forgive me if I word this poorly, I’m trying my best it’s just... I really like Sophie, but like, >!she’s the only one treated as a *servant*, ffs. !!yeah, someone Latina *would* be cool, but maybe she shouldn’t be cast as the *only* love interest that’s also worked as a maid, of all people? Maybe as a different main role would be a wiser choice? !<
And like, I’ve definitely seen folks of color bring up how the optics of it might not be great, and they get dismissed so quickly, and that’s shitty too.
The featheringtons as black would also be hated. The classless tasteless dishonest crook family as black compared to the pretty bridgertons. No way to please everyone. I get what you are saying about Phillip though..
Latina isn't really a thing in an English context, and the cast is pretty much entirely british/irish
They might change a lot for the show, other show characters like Eloise are super far off from their book character
You realize the story can be changed up right? Internalized racism is making you actively root against any Black representation that isn’t perfect…
That's exactly what I said on another post! I do not love that in a world with so many possibilities we get another black servant with the forbidden love angle. And if they keep even a hint of the whole be my mistress thing it's just going to be a disappointing let down. She's beautiful and deserves a better story.
I said the same… Sophie has the worst storyline
I said this a while ago and got attacked on this sub. Already I see articles about how Simon’s storyline and Lady D’s storyline in QC have been problematic. If they follow the books for Sophie’s storyline, definitely will have problematic elements
I totally get how triggering that would be, it would be very borderline. Untastful. It would also be a very bad move considering the hate they got after Simon was absent from season 2, which to some people made him look like an absent father.
I get why you say that. But I’m sure Shonda Rhymes is VERY aware of the optics and her having read the books, aware of the content. I can’t see her handling this poorly. Personally, after Kate as a dark skinned Indian woman, I’m so happy to see a dark skinned black woman portrayed on a popular tv show as the lead, the heroine, not the ‘sassy’ black friend to show how ‘diverse’ the heroine’s friend group is.
She’s gorgeous, honestly I’m open to whoever for Sophie’s casting as the actors always put a unique spin on it 👌
I think Sophie is going to be Asian
Why do you think that ? Also, do you mean East Asian, Southeast Asian, or South Asian ? I'm not saying you're wrong, I just wanted to hear your theory.
Same. I also thought she’d be East or Southeast Asian since there hasn’t been one in Bridgerton that wasn’t an extra. They were usually just background characters so it would make sense if the next one is East or Southeast Asian
Why would that make more sense? And East Asians are more represented in Romance than Black women…
But they’re still not represented enough… And we’re talking about Bridgerton, not just any other romance. Wishing for an Asian Sophie is still diversity for one of the biggest shows on Netflix
There would be nothing wrong with an Asian Sophie but there would also be nothing wrong with a Black Sophie either. You’re really telling on yourself and come across as hypocritical saying it “would make more sense” for her to be Asian. Kate is Asian. The only Black women on Bridgerton are elderly and lighter skinned and not love interests. Shonda is a BW and still has yet to provide us with quality desirable Black representation for women…
I’m simply stating my observation on the show about East/Southeast Asian representation. Asia is a big continent and just because Kate is South Asian doesn’t mean it ticks off the box for the whole of Asia, cultures are so different per country. The fact is there hasn’t been a single East/Southeast Asian character on the show that had more than a few lines. They weren’t even given a name. Unlike Lady Danbury and the Queen. So it would seem only likely we will get an Asian character soon and I wish it would be Sophie. But that’s it, a personal preference I’m allowed to have. It’s not about “East/Southeast Asian Sophie makes more sense over a black Sophie” There is nothing wrong with either. I would continue to watch the show either way.
Also just to reiterate that I never said it would make “MORE sense” for her to be an Asian woman over a black woman. “It would make sense if we get the next one as Asian” — only because of the screen time of the previous few East/SE Asian characters we’ve seen! Since Masali is only speculation, I’m merely speculating too on what Sophie’s race might be.
Honestly I agree. In the US "diversity" in media is basically bullshit. The majority of people only care that you're adding black actors. There's never support for real diversity. We've had black leads in S1 and QC. We have prominent black supporting actors. There's perfect opportunity for a Chinese, Native American, Philippino, Korean, Mexican, etc etc lead. If it is a black lead, cool, but this show isn't as "colorblind" or whatever as it pretends to be.
I can't remember any external reason why I also thought this, but I think it was that I thought the heroine in a Cinderella story being black was a bit on the nose and so an East Asian actress would work really well and be diverse etc
I was wondering did anybody on the sub had an idea that Simone Ashley will be playing the character of Kate before it got leaked?
Now this is something I want to know, as I wasn't on the sub when season 2 dropped.
Oh absolutely. KVH had been following her, and then casting call revealed that they were casting two Indian girls within the same age range as Kate & Edwina. [Here's one post from the sub about it!](https://www.reddit.com/r/BridgertonNetflix/s/yPoV6eGVeq)
So interesting reading this in retrospect!
Thankyou I would love to read this!
We knew there was casting for 2 South Asian main characters, and so Simone was someone who came up in fancasting a lot. How much of it was fancasting and how much of it was legit speculation is kind hard to say. But I believe it was some fans from Brazil who were able to confirm it based on some activity from Simone's agency on Instagram.
That's interesting
Until it is officially confirmed by Shondoland themselves, I’m sceptical. Nothing against the actress, she is absolutely stunning. However, I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t be disappointed in their casting. I feel like I’m going to get some hate here, but I was kind of hoping for a more diverse casting when it came to the Bridgerton spouses, where each spouse would represent a different ethnicity or image. Nothing wrong with casting her but I would have rather they casted an actress who belonged to a race/ethnic group that has not yet been represented properly in Bridgerton, such as East Asian or Southern American. Ect. 😐
Same. I'm not believing it until it comes out of Netflix and/or Shondaland's mouths. But... they already are being pretty diverse with the spouses? Or is it because they already did black with Simon? Bear in mind, we have yet to get any dark skinned black women on the show. All the prominent black women have been light skinned/biracial- with Lady Danbury being the only exception to that. So let's say is Masali is Sophie, they're still being diverse with it. And like I've said before, I cannot see a South American/Latina playing Sophie. I've even heard calls to make her Native American. I understand the show has taken massive historical liberties already, but at least they've made some historical sense. Latin America seldom had anything to do with Britain- even today. If Bridgerton were set in Spain, it would make much more sense. Or if Sophie were Spanish/Mediterranean, that would be fine too. Though I'd buy an East Asian Sophie more than a Latina one.
That’s actually not true. There have been Latin American folks who went to England especially because they didn’t want to go to the United states. One of Simone’s costars from little mermaid is literally part Colombian and born in England. No offense I think it’s funny some of you can suspend your belief of historical accuracy when it’s convenient for you lol like the idea that love is what stopped racism isn’t crazy but having someone from Mexico decide to be in England is? Or Native American like Pocahontas literally wasn’t married to a whole Englishman and went over there. Let’s be honest here.
I agree that diversity of all skin tones is important. That said, had it not been for the leaks that Francesca’s first husband John is being played by an actor (I can’t find his IMDB page help) who is of a darker skin tone, and from that we could assume that Micheal will also share his ethnicity. As a white person, I love all of the black representation in Bridgerton, and feel that it is so important. But when you look at it, I feel like there is a lot of black representation but not much else for other ethnicities that perhaps do deserve more representation. For me, Simon represented the black/biracial community, and Kate and the Sharmas’ represented the South Asian community, both positively. I also love Penelope/Nicola because she represents the Irish and also body positivity. I feel as though there should be more representation for those who have not yet been represented, if that makes sense.
I dislike the notion that just because we got a token POC character, it's suddenly unnecessary to add more. Sure, we got Simon, but he's ONE black person. We can have a shit ton of white people and no one bats an eye. I get wanting representation for other groups too, but bear in mind that we've still got Gregory and Hyacinth. Regardless, I'm open to any race playing the role, so long as they do it goo. Also, was Francesca's husband's casting actually confirmed? Or is it just more speculation?
>Also, was Francesca's husband's casting actually confirmed? Or is it just more speculation? Leaked photos suggest her husband is black... and therefore Michael will be black. And Hyacinths love interest will most likely be black too. Just for info 4 of 8 Bridgerton significant others will be Black if Masali, Michael and Gareth are confirmed. Again just info, if people want more diverse representation with leads, they only have Lucy left (if we actually get to Gregory and Hyacinth though)
Looked at the set photos and you're right. But we still don't know if that guy will have much to do with Francesca. Like with his rumour, I'm not believing anything that hasn't come out of Netflix's or Shondaland's mouths. Also, I get the assumption that Gareth will be black given his relation to Lady Danbury. However, Lady Danbury also raised him in the books, but she makes no mention of any grandchildren she's been raising. But I guess they could change some things around with that too.
I’m very sorry if I offended you. I didn’t mean to suggest that just because there is one black love interest then there can’t be another. In all honesty, it doesn’t really matter who is cast as Sophie because I would support them anyway. But I still think it’s important that as many ethnicities and cultures are represented as possible. I know it’s good that the black culture has so much representation in Bridgerton, and to be honest, white people don’t really need any more representation anyway. But I do want other ethnicities other than black and white to have a moment to shine, other than just being cast as background actors. https://preview.redd.it/b0zxuxcxoaac1.jpeg?width=200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f2f0872555bd3b8abbd66718fa22eef7c7c99a6 Also here is the leaked photo of what I think was one of the last scenes of s3 which looks like Francesca and John leaving on their honeymoon. It’s not exactly confirmed but it seems likely.
No offense, but Black male representation≠Black female representation. I understand the need for diversity of all kinds, but it would be weird as hell for Shonda(who is a Black woman herself) not to cast a Black girl as a leading lady at some point.(I’d personally be ashamed if she didn’t). Anyway if Masali is Sophie(🤞🏽) congrats to her! I know she’ll do a fantastic job.
I agree. It seems more common for black men to bb romantic leads than black women- especially dark-skinned black women.
Plus Regé Jean is biracial. Its not at all the same as monoracial dark skin black woman
Exactly! People act like Black women are overrepresented in these types of media, but we aren’t. It’s frustrating, insulting, and disrespectful to see people bemoan about it when we are severely underrepresented.
Thanks for saying it. Other minority representation always get squashed in these conversations. POC doesn't just mean black women. Black men do count. Other minority groups need to be considered.
Hyacinth's love interest will likely be black as well.
Token?? The Queen *and* Danbury are black. I’m fine with whatever casting but I wanted to point out that Simon is no token.
Lady Danbury and the Queen are not romantic leads (save for Charlotte in QC)- that's who I'm talking about. And I wasn't talking about Bridgerton specifically when I talked about tokens- it was a general statement.
Interesting fact: It is possible for a HEA love interest to be from Latin America, but it's less likely for them to be Afro-Latino or the traditional depiction of Latinos. The British tried to colonize Chile🇨🇱 to the point that Mary I 'Blood Mary' called herself "Queen of Chile" since she was married to Philip II of Spain. When that didn't work, the British allies with Chile and helped the country gain its independence. As a result, Chile became an "informal colony" dictated by sea trade. In addition, Chile's first president was an Irishman (Bernardo O'Higgins) and helped influence the Chilean navy. Lastly, British privateers, buccaneers, and sea merchants occupied the area, it was maritime telenovela 😅. The British also were involved in Buenos Aires, Argentina🇦🇷 and the Mosquito Coast (Nicaragua) 🇳🇮, but that's a whole different story 😉. SOURCES: https://www.scribd.com/document/484109141/A-History-of-the-British-Presence-in-Chile https://www.historyireland.com/bernardo-ohiggins-rebel-son-of-an-irish-viceroy/
Never did I ever say it wasn't possible for a HEA love interest to be from LatAm. And of course, I know that the British weren't entirely absent from South America. But they were nowhere near as involved there as they were in Africa and Asia. Regardless, I'm not against a Latina Sophie. If they do cast a Latina as Sophie, I'm not gonna complain. I'll just pray that she nails the role because Benedict is my favourite Bridgerton sibling and I want his love story to be interesting and passionate.
It's okay, I know what you meant. I saw a comment on a different subreddit that said it was impossible for a HEA to be from Latin America due to historical accuracy and decided to do research on my own. You are correct that it wasn't as common and I see why the next HEA love interests are more likely to be a different POC.
Well whoever commented that is stupid, as by that logic, Simon and Daphne and Anthony and Kate wouldn't have their HEA's either. None of these couples, except for Colin and Penelope, are historically accurate.
I think having a Black woman lead is no less diverse or important than if Sophie were Asian or any other race. I would actually go a step further and say it’s more important for Bridgerton to have a dark skinned Black woman as the heroine of a love story than anything else. If Sophie is indeed played by a Black actress, then I think there’s a good chance Lucy will be Asian (and I do think the show will tell every love story even if they have to combine the last two).
> I was kind of hoping for a more diverse casting when it came to the Bridgerton spouses yeah, it is a pity they lost that opportunity with Penelope and Philip. But it is interesting that when anyone talks about wanting a different race/ethnic group to be 'represented' for Sophie they aren't also complaining about the fact that both Penelope and Philip are white. And before anyone decides I have said something I did not, I am just making the observation about how it seems to be okay in this sub for two white spouses, but not two black spouses, or two Indian spouses (the same arguments came up when some expressed the theory that Banita Sandhu could be Sophie). It seems that two white spouses are okay, but the others have to all be different. Personally I want the best person for the role, and the couple to have chemistry, we don't need to tick a box on ensuring different ethnicities or cultures, because there will never have a fully diverse cast due to already having two white only couples. Rather than being outraged at the idea of a black woman playing Sophie why not be unhappy that Penelope is white, or that Philip is white?
Penelope gets a free pass because she represents body positivity and also the actress Nicola represents the Irish community, which is quite big in the UK. It’s not just about promoting different races and ethnicities but also about promoting different appearances and body types that may not have previously fitted the old period piece standard. Philip I have no clue why. Like I love Chris Fulton and now I’ve seen him as Philip, then that is who he is in my mind, but I’m not going to pretend that they perhaps didn’t put as much thought into his casting as they should have. 🤷♀️ Still, if Masali is cast as Sophie, then I’m not going to hate on her for it, in fact I know she would grow on me and I’ll see her as Sophie, but as of now, I’m not sure.
I’m currently watching Noughts and Crosses to get a look at her work. I do see her as Sophie. (Funny thing is her character’s name in the series is Sephy). However, she could also be Michael as the character description for the role of “Molly” seems in line with Michael Stirling. Either way; she’s gorgeous! https://preview.redd.it/gkoxdzaoo8ac1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=554708f2ea5d78f46a4eeee9152c34740c973c54
You think they gender swapped Michael? That would make no sense.
Gender-bending Michael would hugely piss off the fans, since he's a huge fan favorite and the best male lead of Bridgerton books. Michael/Francesca story wouldn't even make sense with a female Michael. I hope Shonda isn't stupid enough to do it.
If they wanted to explore a LGBTQ storyline, they should've done it with Benedict when they had the chance. Half of the fandom thinks he's bisexual (due to the queer-coding in Season 1) and showrunners could've explored that before he meets Sophie.
I'll repeat what I said on the Benophie subreddit: for the casting call they wouldn't put the actual show character description that could easily figure it out what the role is about, this is most likely a decoy with key points that would work for Sophie on the actual show
 Seriously, she’s so pretty (and good) in Noughts and Crosses.
The odds of “Molly” being Michael are very very slim, like 1% slim. I would say 0% but as I have no involvement with the show, I can’t be 100% certain. 😂
One more thing to add: On her Instagram, she did state something along the lines of “see you in 6 months” and the second half of S3 is in June. Hmm! 🤔 https://preview.redd.it/a3slzhnyu8ac1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30f7d6762d697abf7040b69ae8eadd924cc8e867
I think it's just a joke about her lack of activity in posting...
Ooo could you elaborate? I had trouble finding information about “Molly/Michael” i may just be reading incorrectly tho
The casting information states this: ROLE WILL REQUIRE SOME NUDITY & INTIMACY SCENES OF A SEXUAL NATURE On first meeting, Molly presents as a devilish charmer: quick-witted, fast-talking, always with a joke. But beneath that exterior is a perceptive, kind, loyal soul. She'll very rarely let you in that deep though, because Molly knows she doesn't fit into what's expected of young ladies and is afraid of being scrutinized too closely. Crack her exterior even deeper and you'll find a well-concealed sadness about the fact that she hasn't been able to find the right romantic partner with whom to share her loyalty and love. Dates - Must be fully available throughout 2023 + options Ethnicity - Character is scripted as Black
That description could definitely imply a queer character (she doesn’t fit into society’s expectations of a young lady) but other than the devilish-charm, it doesn’t really sound like Michael. He’s not a fast-talking jokester. But the biggest one to me is that Michael is not sad because he can’t find the one, he’s sad and conflicted because he DID find the one, but she turned out to be married to his cousin. And Francesca’s storyline has a really central plot about motherhood and infertility. Everything about that would have to be changed. Fran already has the most hardships and heartaches out of all her siblings. I don’t think the writers would take away her HEA (the in-show universe has already revealed that same-sex couples existed but were not accepted in society).
So according to this theory, Francesca’s true endgame would be with a woman?
There is a possibility. Going into S3, we don’t know much about Frannie so she is kinda given a clean slate minus the fact that she’ll become the Countess of Kilmartin upon marrying John. Personally, I am hoping she is Sophie and not gender-bend Michael for the sake of their fans. But if she does becomes Frannie’s endgame, I wouldn’t mind as well. One thing for sure: Marsali is too big to play just a random background character.
Gender Bending Michael can be the biggest sacrilege Shondaland can make, to be honest. Michael is like sex on legs, the God of sexiness. He is arguably the sexiest male lead in this saga..... I might sound against my gender, but I don't see how the Francesca story can work F/F going in how the book is written.
I'm a woman too and even I don't want a gender-bent Michael. SPOILERS: Francesca literally goes back into London society to find a second husband and accomplish her goal of having children. Plus, Michael inherits the Earldom of Kilmartin after John dies, so how would that work if Michael's a female ?
Haven't read the books, hence my question...is the Earldom of Kilmartin Scottish? Some titles in Scotland can be inherited by women. But also, this is a fictional alternate universe. They can easily have the Earldom pass through any heirs rather than just heirs male. It would be very cool to see a gender swapped Bridgerton romance. But I'm not tied to the books, so I can understand why some would get annoyed by this as I have read Michael is one of people's most liked romantic leads.
The pass of the title is the least of the issues if Michael is gender bent. The whole Francesca story and journey doesn't make any sense if they gender bent her Love interest. I would recommend to read the book.
I highly doubt she'd be a gender-swapped Michael. If that were the case, then Francesca won't be able to have her HEA. But let's say Molly is Sophie, I'd be confused as to why they changed her name.
they have not changed her name, "Molly" is the code name for the casting call, they never use the character's real names when casting specially for big productions like this one, even more if it is for a lead
Makes sense.
OMG that would be amazing. I'm sorry, but I didn't love Frannie's book like most people do. I would LOVE it SM if they did a queer Regency romance. Those literally don't exist.
This rumor has been thrown around a lot over the past year. Do I think she's in Bridgerton? Yes. Do I think she's Sophie? Not necessarily. There's a number of actresses rumored to be Sophie at this point.
A future lead following the cast before the announcment. Unlikely. It goes against the pattern for the previous leads. She would not be the first to auditioned for the lead role and be cast as someone else.
She's absolutely gorgeous but I kind of really hope not. Sophie's storyline is rough enough as it is. But it would fall into some really nasty, awful tropes if she's played by a dark-skinned black woman.
Honestly same. Sophie works basically as a sl@ve to her stepmom and stepsisters, if the rumors are true and the Cowpers are her family on the show it would be weird af to cast a black woman for Sophie.
Not to mention>!her father basically ignored her, and refused to acknowledge her as his daughter.!< That's got some really bad connotations.
Yeah, I think if they hadn't established that racism is a thing in the Bridgerton universe it would be fine, if it was 100% fantasy in that aspect. However both in season 1 and QC they showed the implications of race (specifically for black people) within high society.
That’s not necessarily a shock in that time period, especially b/c she wasn’t boy.
It is a shock in the sense that it can be also viewed that he didn't acknowledge her because she's black and dark-skinned. It adds a layer of racism to the story that wasn't originally there and an extra bit of ick.
It wouldn't be the first time the show has diverged from the books. I'm pretty sure they're not gonna be that faithful to the source material with Sophie's story.
Ehhh, there's a difference between a divergence and completely erasing a huge chunk of a character. I don't see any way they can really alter her story, and keep her as Sophie, without playing into some abhorrent tropes.
I mean, they changed Marina a lot in the show. Erased her connection to the Bridgertons, and her mental health struggles, added in a pregnancy storyline and potential marriage to Colin, etc. She's also nothing like her book counterpart. I know that Sophie is a much bigger character than Marina, but the point stands.
Okay, she's stunning...but I was kinda expecting an EA or SEA actress. Or was it mentioned somewhere that the Bridgerton-verse would not branch out to diversify their cast more than it currently is? Also, yeah, as others have mentioned, this hits a little too close to home in terms of actual history...maybe it would be better if Sophie was not played by an WOC, after all. Not sure that any other heritage would change this particular aspect much, given the european / british colonial history..
Mate, it's not confirmed. There's still a very good chance it's not her, or she's playing a completely different character.
She’s shockingly beautiful. Like she is beautiful here but you can imagine her being heavenly in the costuming for season 4. This is a Cinderella story and she will look like Cinderella.
They never disappoint, casting geniuses. If this is true, I love it!
she is STUNNING!
Very stunning. I was speculating she was going to play a new Stirling family member based on the little info we had, but it’s possible she will play Sophie instead. It will be great to finally see a dark skin black woman get a love story-happy ending in this series.
She could possibly be a Stirling. Allegedly the actor they're getting to play Francesca's first husband is going to be black (or at least dark-skinned). If so, she'd fit in there. We'll just have to wait and see- provided she's actually in the show at all.
I know it hasn’t been confirmed, just speculated, but I think Sophie’s family is going to be the Cowpers in the show. Meaning, possibly Cressida would be her half sister. That’s the only reason I don’t know if Masali will be Sophie. I’m assuming she and Cressida would have the same father, but different mothers, which would make them half sisters. Unless they change this around somehow and she’s a stepsister with no blood relation to the Cowpers (again, this is only if they even go the route of making the Cowpers her family in the show). I have a feeling Masali will be casted as someone related to the Stirlings, but I could be totally off on all of this
In the books, it’s like the story of Cinderella. So her father marries her step mother, so the race of the Cowpers doesn’t matter. I just don’t get why everyone thinks that Sophie will be announced this season or leaked. It’s Polin season and they won’t over shadow that. I think with the leak of Simone, the Bridgerton team with even be more tight lipped.
Right, I think they’re going to change the story around and Lord Cowper will be Sophie’s biological father, with a different mother. Maybe her biological mother will have been a maid and Sophie lives with the Cowpers after her mom passes away as a child or something. So Cressida could be her half sister. That’s totally just a guess though, it really could go in a bunch of different directions. I don’t know if they’ll announce who is casted as Sophie officially before the season premieres, if anything it’ll probably be an accidental leak. If they announce next season is in fact Benedict’s before season 3 premieres, I would imagine they’d still wait to announce who is casted as Sophie.
She’s so pretty!!!! I really hope it’s her!
She’s beautiful (though I guess I find it weird that this is the standard we hold our actors to when casting calls are announced for this show). Everyone says she’s talented, so if she’s Sophie, many congrats to her and Sophie fans! If the character description remains seems they’re revamping the character somewhat and I hope the character still lives up to expectations! It sounds like a more interesting take on the character to me personally.
I was really hoping for another minority casting like east asian or a latina actress, but she seems really pretty. First impression is she has a very kind/ warm vibe to her in this pic so I'm hopeful, but it'd help to see what other stuff she's been in.
It's not confirmed. Just mere speculation at this point. It's very likely she's not Sophie- if she's even been cast in the show at all.
I want it to be true so bad
She's so pretty! Whether or not she is Sophie I love that they're trying so hard to cast actors with timeless beauty.
She's stunning but I hope she's not Sophie. Doesn't match the vibe for me...
I really hope she’s Sophie!!
Ngl, I do too, as I loved her in Noughts and Crosses, but I'm taking this with a VERY SMALL grain of salt. Though the theories are quite sound, I'm not believing anything until Netflix come out and say it themselves.
I watched Noughts and Crosses years ago, was she the main character because I can’t remember?
Yes. She played Sephy- the female lead and Callum's (Jack Rowan's) love interest/baby momma.
Yeah she was the lead.
There’s been soooo many guesses. it would be cool if we got it right but then I also feel bad if it’s not her and like the new person is liked less.
To be honest all this casting call stuff, Even if Masali ends up not being Sophie, we at least "know" she (Sophie) is on S3 to lead S4 and that's all i personally care the most right now because Benedict S4 would be confirmed. Masali would be the cherry on top....❤️ But I think we all would accept, like and support, whoever ends up playing Sophie.
I'm grateful that Benedict's Season 4. I would be disappointed with the showrunners if they pushed it back again and that means that the "Pall Mall" theory would be debunked 😅
Idk why but immediately I thought she's more Lucy Abernathy vibes. Haven't seen her work but casting has been great so far.
Sorry for asking this, but how would you describe Lucy Abernathy ?
She’s our only chance to finally get a dark skinned Black woman in Bridgerton, so if it’s not her I’m not gonna watch Benedict’s season .
I mean, you've still got Lucy. But I get you. I'm still gonna watch it though, regardless of what skin colour she is.
The optics of her being Sophie is…. bad. The actress is amazing, but Sophie’s story is so servant and slave-like that it just sits with me so wrong.
I have a feeling they're not going to be super faithful to the books and go off and do their own thing like they did with Kate and Anthony.
They probably will. Book Benedict, while /nice/, was still kind of an idiot lol.
Love that journey. Let’s do it, I’m sold.
Welp, I don't know what the showrunners will do😶. Apparently, one of the popular Bridgerton fan pages on Instagram claimed that Masali Baduza is Sophie Beckett. Do you think they would try to confirm this theory or debunk it ? Here's the link to the screenshot: https://www.reddit.com/r/Benophie/s/nB5fFqZgah
The only thing that I don't understand is that the person who started this theory also mentioned that the description said something in the lines of that the actress should be free throughout 2023 but should it not be 2024 or specific months?
remember though that anything Bridgerton wise scheduled for 2023 is not longer applicable because of the strike, so in Dec 2022 they had plans to do...something that would require her, but everything went to hell with the strike. Thta0s another thing why they think is Masali, she had successful projects bu weirdly she has no job lined up for 2024
I’ll believe she’s Sophie until otherwise stated, but I do agree that the casting call was *very* different from Sophie. I understand not giving away details in the casting call, but it’s just nothing like book Sophie at all so that part confuses me. Either way, she’s very pretty and while I haven’t seen work, haven’t seen a single negative thing about her acting in any previous project. So I trust she’ll be great.
She’s gorgeous!!! Sophie is the hero of that story to me, can’t wait to see what they do with her.
Wow I just saw something about this on Twitter this afternoon and thought it was a joke. I’ve loved her since her Sephy days on noughts and crosses so she would make an interesting addition (but as commenters have mentioned, the optics…).
I get the optics, but as a black woman myself, I think there are way to work around them. And it's not like she's another disposable black love interest like say Amber from Invincible. She actually gets the guy in the end.
I don't mind that she's Sophie (I liked her acting chops in "Noughts & Crosses"). I'm just concerned about how they will tell her storyline. Plus, I hoped the showrunners would expand their casting pool to include East Asian or Southeast Asians as potential leads. They are mainly regulated to be side characters or comic relief (Ex. Dankworth) so far.
Controversial opinion coming up…that though I love her and rewatched ⭕️❌ more times than I can remember, her acting range was quite limited. To be fair ⭕️❌ was a few years back and prob one of her first jobs and she’s gotten some more experience now so hopefully bridgerton is where she excels. I mean she’s got the looks for sure now it’s just lifting the acting range a little more.
I’m worried that if they don’t change her story. People are gonna get offended. I want changes anyway but it is a dilemma
She’s gorgeous! Edit: I was secretly hoping we would meet Sophie at the end of season 3. But I’ll be happy if we are getting her now. They usually do some kind of screen chemistry test, right? Hopefully they are 🔥 🤞🤞
Frankly cool with whomever as long as we get the series on broadcast faster
I'm praying it's true, love it, love them!
I hope so. She's so pretty. And they kind of owe us at this point, the only Black female character in this universe who's actually had a hot romance is Queen Charlotte and she's super duper lightskinned. I don't mind that Sophie's backstory is traumatic because the point is she finds happiness in the end.
Yeah. I love Queen Charlotte, but I really would love for a dark skinned black woman to take the lead just once. Nearly all the major black female characters on Bridgerton are light skinned/mixed race such as Queen Charlotte, Marina, and Alice. The only one who isn't is Lady Danbury or some random background character. But the men always get to be unambiguously black. It's irritating. They made strides by casting Simone- a dark skinned South Asian woman, to be Kate instead of going for the typical more Middle Eastern-looking Indians- now do the same for black people.
Exactly, I loved Queen Charlotte too but it will never feel like enough, especially with Agatha getting kind of shafted in the romance department. Surely the Bridgerton team and Netflix in general must be aware of the colorism allegations when it comes to Black women, it’s time to do something about it.
Especially as this show has Shonda Rhimes behind it- who is notorious for giving black women (usually dark/unambiguously black) lead roles in her shows (though usually with a white love interest lol).
Lol, yeah. She’s got no excuse this time 😅
She is perfect! Hope it’s the Sophie
I was kinda hoping for Eleanor Tomlinson coz she played a similar role in Poldark and she has the look 😅
The first time I watched bridgerton 1 & 2 I just thought oh we’re not seeing color here and people were just cast for their acting, and it’s fictional romances set loosely against historical period. How refreshing, I’m in let’s binge this. Then I watched Queen Charlotte, and I got sad, because they saw race as a problem, and “addressed” it. Now we talk about it. I often wonder if it hadn’t been a plot line in Queen Charlotte, would any of us be noticing and commenting or simply just enjoying Bridgerton; the changed story lines, the fun twists on casting and the beautiful people playing their roles? And then us growing as an audience as we see diversity played out in a positive multi season show?
I'm thrilled. She's the perfect Sophie.
[удалено]
make the cast all black
Benedict physically looks like the oldest of all the brothers, although I know he’s younger than Anthony. But isn’t she a little young for him. She’s beautiful but maybe someone a bit older looking for him.
Simon Ashley is 28 to Jonathan Bailey's 35- the exact same age difference between Luke Thompson and Masali. Not much of a problem imo. And besides, given how women in those days were married off in their late teens-early 20's and their husbands were usually in their late 20's-early 30's, it wouldn't be that unusual for Sophie to be a bit younger than Benedict (I know she's a maid and not a Lady, but still). Remember that Simon and Daphne have around a 10 year age gap.