Netflix has confirmed that Benedict is the season 4 lead of Bridgerton — but who should play his love interest Sophie?
Based on Julia Quinn‘s book series, Benedict’s (Luke Thompson) love story with Sophie is following the events from the third novel titled An Offer From a Gentleman. As some fans know, Benedict’s world gets turned upside down when he crosses paths with a mysterious woman in a Cinderella-inspired meet cute. A romance like that requires a scene-stealing actress and there’s plenty of talented stars to choose from.
Showrunner Jess Brownell has previously hinted at plans to introduce Benedict’s love interest, telling TheWrap in June 2024, “The introduction of Sophie is definitely still in the cards, but we are going to continue to explore [Benedict’s] fluidity. This is not the end of that story line.”
During the season 3 finale, which aired that same month, Benedict had a personal awakening when he explored his potential sexual interest in men by engaging in a threesome. Brownell hinted how the realization would help Benedict’s growth as he prepared to meet The One.
“I think we’re going to continue on the storyline of Benedict learning exactly how he wants to exist in the world,” she continued during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that same month. “I think Benedict is someone who experiences a lot of breadths in his life in terms of a million different experiences, but he’s never really committed to anything. I think what he’s starting to realize is that he also craves depth, and so Benedict reconciling breadth with depth is something we’re going to dive into pretty deeply in future seasons.”
Fans eagerly awaiting for it finally being Benedict’s time to shine have already compiled a list of actresses who should be cast as Sophie. Keep scrolling to help Us fan cast the woman at the center of Bridgerton’s fourth season:
Jessie Mei Li
The most popular online choice by far for the role of Sophie has been Netflix’s very own Jessie Mei Li. She is best known for playing Alina Starkov in the fantasy series Shadow and Bone, which ran from 2021 to 2023. Li is now looking for her next big role — and fan have already kicked off a campaign to get her cast opposite Thompson for season 4 of Bridgerton.
In addition to Shadow and Bone, Li appeared on the small screen in Strangers and Locked Up Abroad. Her movie roles include Last Night in Soho and Havoc.
Joy Sunday
Another Netflix newcomer who deserves to be utilized more is Joy Sunday a.k.a Bianca from Wednesday. While Sunday is set to appear in Wednesday’s sophomore season, she should be able to also pull off potentially leading one season of Bridgerton. Similar to Simone Ashley who took on the role of Kate Sharma and left Netflix’s Sex Education behind, Sunday could transition fully to future seasons of Bridgerton or Benedict and Sophie’s story could mirror Quinn’s novels as the couple move away after their nuptials.
Sunday might also look familiar to TV fans due to her appearances on MacGyver and Dear White People. On the big screen, Sunday scored roles in Bad Hair, The Beta Test, Dog and Rise.
Jeanté Godlock
Speaking of keeping it in the family, Jeanté Godlock didn’t get enough of a chance to show off her acting skills after Netflix canceled the post-apocalyptic series Daybreak after just one season. Godlock has continued to book jobs on shows such as 9-1-1: Lone Star and Black-ish after playing Simone Biles in The Simone Biles Story: Courage to Soar.
Godlock is more than ready to be at the center of a new show so why not Bridgerton?
Arden Cho
While Arden Cho is best known for playing Teen Wolf‘s Kira, she has gone on to score roles in Hawaii Five-0, Freakish, Chicago Med, Partner Track and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Cho has also starred in Stick and The Honor List.
It is about time Cho gets the chance to really bring a character to life and Sophie could be that opportunity.
Leah Lewis
Many know Leah Lewis for her role as George in The CW’s Nancy Drew or as Ellie in Netflix’s The Half of It. There’s also her lead voice role as Ember in Elemental or her upcoming involvement in CBS’ Matlock series. Suffice to say, fans can take their pick because Lewis’ filmography is full of interesting projects.
Moses Ingram
Ahead of her critically-acclaimed performance as Cleo in Apple TV+’s Lady in the Lake, Ingram starred in The Big Cigar and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Her portrayal of Jolene in Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit earned Ingram an Emmy nomination. On the big screen, Ingram has appeared in The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Same Storm, Ambulance, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt and The End.
Jemma Moore
In addition to acting, Jemma Moore could sound familiar to some because of her extensive experience voicing characters in video games such as Sifu, Ghosts and the voice of Annabel in Netflix’s Lockwood & Co series. Moore can also be seen in Red Eye, 7 Keys, Silent Witness and more various short films.
Ashleigh Murray
Throughout her career, Ashleigh Murray has always been able to steal the show even when she wasn’t a main character. From Riverdale to Katy Keene to Tom Swift to The Other Black Girl, Murray has a stacked resume and that’s only the TV section. Murray has also appeared on the big screen in Deidra & Laney Rob a Train, Valley Girl, Christmas in Harmony and The Way Out.
Havana Rose Liu
A more familiar face, Havana Rose Liu got her start in modeling before her scene-stealing role as Isabel alongside Ayo Edebiri in the 2023 movie Bottoms. Liu has since continued to be booked and busy with Afraid, Oh. Was. Fun and Power Ballad. She has also scored TV projects such as American Horror Stories and the upcoming star-studded series Hal & Harper.
Simona Brown
Before having her name thrown in the ring for Sophie, Simona Brown has focused largely on TV projects with roles on Guilt, The Night Manager, Him, Outlander, Grantchester and Behind Her Eyes. There’s nothing like a big break to boost someone’s career and it’s about time Brown got hers potentially through Bridgerton.
