Exclusive Interview
‘Bridgerton’: Hannah Dodd & Masali Baduza Reveal Book Scenes They’re Most Excited to Adapt
What To Know
- Season 5 of Bridgerton will focus on the second chance romance between Francesca Bridgerton and Michaela Stirling.
- The season will follow plotlines from Julia Quinn’s novel When He Was Wicked.
- Actors Hannah Dodd and Masali Baduza revealed to Swooon the iconic book scenes they hope to film.
It’s official: Bridgerton Season 5 will chart the second chance romance between Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) and her late husband’s cousin, Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza). Season 4 already started tapping into the beginning stages of Francesca and Michaela’s journey from Julia Quinn’s When He Was Wicked, with John’s (Victor Alli) death and Michaela skipping town in the aftermath. (Spoilers for Julia Quinn’s When He Was Wicked ahead.)
Beyond swapping Michael(a)’s gender and removing Francesca’s miscarriage from the storyline, the Netflix series has largely followed Quinn’s book so far — which makes us wonder just how many scenes will make it into the adaptation. When they still had yet to be confirmed as the next leads, Swooon spoke with Dodd and Baduza about the When He Was Wicked moments they were hoping to bring to the screen.
“I would love to see Michaela on a horse,” Baduza said instantly, getting a smile out of her costar. “I would love to see her galloping.”
In the book, Francesca and Michael have a major moment on horseback. A little past the halfway mark, Francesca is in turmoil after sleeping with Michael, feeling like she’s betrayed John’s memory. So, she runs out of Kilmartin House and into the Scottish Highlands. When she gets caught in the rain, Michael finds Francesca huddled under a tree. Francesca refuses to return with him, so he hoists her onto his horse, upon which they’re pressed up against each other.
It leads directly into Michael and Francesca being forced to take refuge at their gardener’s empty cottage — which Baduza’s also hoping to shoot for Season 5. “Yeah, it’s that scene,” she began. “It’s like, the cabin in the woods with the fire…”
“There’s so much,” Dodd chimed in.
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What ensues is the forced proximity trope at its finest. Francesca and Michael warm themselves up from the rain next to the fire, and Michael takes off his wet clothes. They can’t avoid talking about their feelings, though Michael says he’ll let Francesca take the lead on initiating intimacy. One thing leads to another, and Francesca kisses him. It turns into a moment of passion — which Francesca takes charge of. She teases Michael and draws it out before giving him what he wants.
Francesca gets on top, too. When we pointed out that When He Was Wicked is one of the Bridgerton series’ spiciest books, Dodd quipped, “Docile ponies all around.”
“There’s bits that, as like a reader, I’m like, ‘That has to be in it.’ And then I’m like, ‘We’ve got to do that,’” she said, laughing.
Baduza also wondered if Michaela would contract malaria, referencing an earlier plot point in the book. Her book counterpart gets sick from his travels in India — where he flees after John’s death — and Francesca nurses him back to health. “I’m just looking forward to all of it and to see what’s in there,” Baduza said.
Bridgerton, Season 5, TBA, Netflix
