The hotly anticipated new episodes of Bridgerton Season 4 dropped on January 29, with the second batch set for release on February 26. Holding its place as one of Netflix’s most popular series, the period romance continues its tale of the Bridgerton brood. This season’s story focuses on the exploits of Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), the second-eldest son of the prominent and eponymous family and a very eligible bachelor. Yerin Ha joins the show as Sophie Baek, a maid who enchants the rakish Bridgerton but keeps her identity hidden when they meet at a masquerade ball.
The Asian Cut sat down with Ha in Toronto during her whirlwind international press junket to discuss joining the enormously popular show, working with fellow cast members, and expanding Bridgerton’s scope.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
The Asian Cut: What was it like joining such a large cast for their fourth season of filming Bridgerton? Was it a little bit intimidating?
Yerin Ha: I think it’s the anticipation of it that’s more intimidating actually. You build these scenarios in your head that actually have no true evidence. But the moment I met [the cast and crew], they were so welcoming and so warm. They’re genuinely the sweetest people that I’ve ever met and worked with. Once I met them, it really felt like I could put that aside, and I was able to focus on the work. They’re such lovely human beings.
Knowing you’d be part of the first East Asian family in Bridgerton, did you feel a little bit of pressure for representation?
It’s so exciting, but it’s also so much pressure. I’m naturally someone who puts a lot of pressure on myself regardless of any job that I do. It’s different when a show like Bridgerton is so successful and has such a big fan base and viewership. There’s more eyes on you, and with that, I just wanted to make sure that I did a good job so that people see this Asian woman play a really good leading lady and therefore, maybe we should look into different projects with other leading Asian female characters and not be afraid of casting us.
As a millennial, Harry Potter was a really big part of my childhood. How was it working specifically with Katie Leung (who played Cho Chang in the Potter films)?
So fantastic! She’s honestly so amazing. And she’s so warm compared to what you might see and that’s just a testament to how amazing she is playing Araminta Gun. Being able to share a room with other female Asian actors, it’s such a blessing and it doesn’t happen very often. We had a fun time and it was a blast. Being able to talk about our shared experiences off the screen and really connect on a deeper level just woman to woman — it was so nice.
For Sophie, your character, due to her place in society as a maid, we get to see more of the upstairs/downstairs divide in the Bridgerton world. Can you talk to me a bit about expanding the world of the Ton in this way?
We never really see the downstairs world of Bridgerton, which I call the heartbeat of the house, actually. That’s how you see how things are run, and that’s how you see how things are so clean and pristine and how food’s made and spread out.
Because Sophie’s a maid, naturally, you get a sense of what it’s like being in the lower class status. It makes our season quite different in energy because of the class disparity, and it roots it with such obstacles that feel a bit more real, perhaps. In the sense that they’re real things that you have to overcome. It’s not so much mental; it’s actually more societal.
It opens up different story lines that are really fun. Like we got the maid wars happening this season, and it just is a bit more of a microscopic look into the downstairs world of Bridgerton.
How much did you know before you started becoming part of Bridgerton? Were you a fan of the show and the books?
I didn’t read the books before, but I became a fan of the show, like everyone else, during COVID. Obviously, when I got cast, I immediately bought the book. I’ve yet to tackle some of the other ones, but I read An Offer from a Gentleman in a few hours. It was such an easy read. But I was thrust into the role so quickly, and it was such a quick turnaround that I didn’t have time to read the other books.
How was it leading with Luke Thompson?
It was such a gift. When you are able to work with an actor who is so intelligent and so present — you just never know what you’re going to get. That’s the dream, isn’t it? Because it’s all about reacting with someone and being in the present moment. He was genuinely my support system throughout the entire shoot. And it’s so nice because work colleagues aren’t necessarily your friends. Sometimes they’re just work colleagues. But to be able to actually call them your friend by the end of it and have a friendship and a connection that you know is going to last past this experience doesn’t happen very often. That takeaway is a real gift for me.
How would you describe the relationship between Sophie and Benedict for part one of this season?
It’s a bit of a mystery. It’s a bit of getting to know each other and what it means to slowly fall in love. And for Sophie, particularly, I think it is about her slowly letting her walls down. He brings a bit of magic into her life. She’s constantly thinking about her place and who she’s been told she is her entire life. He brings this sense of child-like play back into her that [was] lost a very long time ago, and gives her a bit of hope, a bit of a glimpse into who she could allow herself to be. But then obviously it ends with that question and then her walls go straight back up. It’ll be interesting to see if and how he knocks them back down.
Your story line begins with the masquerade. Can you talk about the metaphorical masks that Sophie wears?
It’s interesting because I think when you have a physical mask, you actually feel more invincible. Sophie’s true personality actually shines through. I think it’s just a reflection of who we are as human beings. There’s so many different parts of us, and we wear different masks in different settings and environments and to different people.
But it’s interesting with Sophie what her metaphorical mask is, and how much she dislikes letting people in and refuses to ask for help from anyone. It’s all about survival, being efficient, and just getting on with the work. She doesn’t allow herself to dream. So through meeting Benedict, hopefully she’s able to let her metaphorical mask down a bit and truly just be able to be who she is. It’s always nice when somebody lets you just be who you are.
