Bridgerton casts new love interest for Benedict in upcoming season

Australian actor will star as Sophie Beckett in new season

Bridgerton has reportedly found its next leading lady to star opposite Luke Thompson’s Benedict Bridgerton in the forthcoming season of the popular romance drama.

According to Variety, sources revealed that Korean-Australian actor Yerin Ha has been cast to play Sophie Beckett, Benedict’s new season four love interest.

The Independent has contacted Netflix for confirmation.

29-year-old Ha previously starred as Kwan Ha in the recently canceled Paramount+ series Halo. She also appeared in the Australian miniseries Bad Behaviour, the 2022 horror comedy Sissy, the 2022 season of ABC drama Troppo and several episodes of the one-season 2019 drama Reef Break.

No further details about the cast have been shared.

It was announced last month that the fourth season of the popular romance drama based on Julia Quinn’s best-selling book series would center on the love story of the second eldest Bridgerton (Thompson).

“Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down,” a press release stated at the time, “until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver at his mother’s masquerade ball.”

Yerin Ha will reportedly star as Sophie Beckett in ‘Bridgerton’ season four (Getty Images)

Season three saw the nuptials between the Bridgertons’ third son, Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), while season two saw the eldest Bridgerton, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), marry Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). The eldest daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) married Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page) in season one.

Benedict was last seen in series three exploring his sexuality with Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) and Paul Suarez (Lucas Aurelio).

“He’s a charming man who’s trying to find his way. He’s very delightful and funny. I’m excited for everybody to watch him,” executive producer Shonda Rhimes told Netflix’s Tudum of Thompson’s character in July.

“It felt important for him to explore the fullness of himself before he settles down. He is someone who has big appetites, and we wanted to see him living a big life before he goes into settle-down mode,” showrunner Jess Brownell added.

A release date for the eight-episode season four has not yet been announced. The first three seasons of Bridgerton are available to stream on Netflix.

Bridgerton first debuted in 2020. It has since gone on to become the most-watched show across all streaming platforms amassing 9.3bn viewing minutes in the month of June alone.

The period romance drama’s success has also been credited with helping Netflix add eight million new subscribers over the April - June period, a 37 percent increase over the same period in 2022.