Logo text
[Thisstorycontainsmajorspoilersfrom[ThisstorycontainsmajorspoilersfromBridgerton Season four, part two]
Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Sophie (Yrin Ha) may have finally found their happily ever after in… Bridgerton The fourth season, however, was not without many obstacles and setbacks that come with any fictional story.
In the second part alone, while also trying to figure out how to make their relationship work within society — Sophie being a servant and Benedict a nobleman — Sophie is also dealing with Araminta’s (Katie Leung) vendetta against her, trying to throw her in prison for good, and Benedict contemplating leaving his family and society so he can be with his one true love.
But thanks to an ingenious plan devised by Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell), Benedict and Sophie make it down the aisle legally (if you watched the post-credits scene) by the end, along with some hot scenes to come along the way.
Thompson says Hollywood Reporter that it was important for them to “bring something real” to Benedict and Sophie’s intimate scenes, “because we are not puppets in a thirst trap”. Below, Thompson and Ha explain the sequel, including the chaos with Araminta (Katie Leung), film those spicy scenes, and their thoughts on the new Lady Whistledown mystery.
***
The events of this season revolve around a love story between two people who are not accepted by society’s opinions. What did you love most about bringing this type of love story to the show in a Cinderella-like way?
Luke Thompson I love how tensions over what can and cannot happen, due to internal and external obstacles, undo Benedict. From my perspective, it was really nice to watch a character like that get completely torn apart a little bit. I think this is fun. It’s a nice thing to experience from an actor’s point of view.
Yerin Ha How much your personality can change you internally, and make you actually face your internal obstacles and have to actually deal with them. That was really fun to play.
Benedict was already going through that in Part 2, between trying to decide whether to leave his family and move to the countryside with Sophie or figure out another way. What was your reaction when you first read that Benedict was willing to lose his family for love? Did you agree?
Thompson It’s not really about whether you approve of it or not. Symbolically, you should always hold on to your family less tightly if you are starting a family with someone else. That’s what’s so poignant about this relationship, that meeting someone is your little doorway out of the family unit. This is especially poignant with a family united by grief and the loss of a father. Everyone has stuck to each other a little closer, Benedict in particular. Everyone’s reaction to this was different, but it seems that Benedict’s response was to become a kind of glue for the family and keep them very close. This is the journey, isn’t it? You have to learn to let go a little if you’re going to change and start a story with someone else.
It was also very intense when Araminta arrested Sophie and threw her in a prison cell, almost putting her on trial. How was filming those more intense scenes in Part 2?
Ha We did not see a Bridgeton imprisonment before. I was like, “How far into the dark are we going?” I’ve really had to rely on directors, and when you’re working with a great script and a great cast member like Katie, who really makes you feel very scared, I think you’re able to play on the day. It’s fun to play those scenes and explore that part of Sophie, and delve into that story that we haven’t really seen beforeBridgeton processed before.
There are also more intimate scenes in Part 2, including the bathtub scene from the book. How did you work with your intimacy coordinator to bring those scenes to life?
Ha Lots of choreography. There were a lot of logistical things we had to deal with and problem solve, from the slippery, oily water to the long bathtub for a 5-foot-2 girl to twisting and turning away (He laughs). It was like choreography really. And actually, when you have those logistics to overcome, it’s a lot more fun.
Thompson Seven hours in the bathtub… not for the faint of heart ( He laughs).
Ha [You become] pruning.
Thompson With those scenes, the thing that I really have to maintain, for me anyway, is this kind of pressure, Oh, it’s that kind of scene and we need to provide that kind of thing so that people need excitement or whatever. I guess that’s not really your job. Your job is just to live the scene. Lizzie [Talbot]Intimacy Coordinator, empowers you to do just that. It puts you right in the scene instead of standing there thinking, Will people enjoy this? You can’t really control that, so you have to keep that side of things at bay because we’re not thirst trap puppets. We are trying to present something real, his story.
In the end, Sophie and Benedict fortunately end up together, but even if Araminta had not agreed to Violet’s plan, do you think the Queen would have allowed Benedict to marry a maid?
Thompson I like a narrative that has a little evasiveness about the truth because it’s sweet in the same way that Benedict, through being with Sophie, finds his weight, his seriousness, and his connection to reality. I think it’s good that Sophie keeps this little secret, this little fantasy with that nonsense about the truth at the end. The symmetry of that. But it wouldn’t end well, would it?
Ha I like to think for the happy ending that she would still say yes.
Also, there’s a new mystery, Lady Whistledown. Who does each one of you think you are?
Ha There is no evidence. Really it could be anyone.
Thompson It could be anyone. All bets are off. I have no idea at all. I think they wrote it specifically for that, because we only get a little taste of this new sound until we move on to the next season.
Although Season 5 will not focus on Benedict and Sophie, what do you hope for your characters in the upcoming season after the wedding?
Thompson I don’t know. We’ll see. This is beyond my pay grade. It would be nice to see them have kids, and be part of the family too. They’re actually two characters who have nice hotlines of all the characters on the show, so I hope they continue to connect with the siblings.
Ha Or they feel they can count on any one of us.
***
All episodes BridgertonSeason 4 is currently streaming on Netflix. Check all Hollywood ReporterCoverage of Season 4 is here.
