Is Bridgerton Season 4’s Biggest Casting Twist Just a Petty Compromise?

Bridgerton is back in the discourse, and Season 4 is already stirring the pot before a single waltz hits the ballroom floor. The big headline: Benedict Bridgerton is finally getting his love story, but the show is making some noticeable changes to the book version of it. And fans have thoughts.

The casting turn: Sophie Baek, not Sophie Beckett

Yerin Ha, an Australian-Korean actress, is playing Benedict's love interest in Season 4. Her character is named Sophie Baek on the show, which is a clear pivot from the books, where she’s Sophie Beckett. That’s not just a cosmetic swap — it reframes the character’s heritage and has set off a ripple of debate about how the rest of her family is being portrayed.

Specifically: fans clocked that Sophie’s step-family is played by Chinese actors, which creates a mismatch that some viewers find distracting. On Reddit, the speculation machine is in overdrive — everything from the show chasing the Hallyu wave to backstage casting compromises because there allegedly weren’t enough Korean actors available for the roles. None of that is confirmed, obviously, but the chatter is loud. The short version: the optics are messy, and people are wondering how intentional any of this is versus how much is just casting math.

So who is Sophie in the show?

Not a debutante, not a privileged darling of the ton. Season 4’s Sophie is someone who’s had a rough go of it — a tragic past, a demanding employer, and a life spent working in the shadows. She’s resilient and scrappy, and she’s not content to stay where the world put her.

Everything tilts at Violet Bridgerton’s masquerade ball. Sophie shows up in disguise, catches Benedict’s eye, and the two spark something that’s equal parts swoony and complicated — especially since Sophie’s identity is a secret that the season is clearly going to make us chase. Yerin Ha has called Sophie a layered character who wears masks in more ways than one, and said what pulled her in was that Sophie starts with obstacles she has to keep pushing through — comments she made to Netflix’s Tudum while talking about the role.

Building the Benedict-Sophie spark

Ha says working with Luke Thompson (Benedict) turned out to be more fun than nerve-wracking once they actually met. They did the vulnerable actor homework — rehearsals, lots of dance training — and Thompson has teased that Season 4 has some unexpected twists waiting for Benedict’s arc.

"I remember Luke stood there with arms wide open, just ready for an embrace — That was the moment I was like, 'Ah, OK, I don’t need to stress about these little things now. I can just genuinely focus on the on-screen connection with him.'"

When you can actually watch it

We’re waiting a minute. The season lands in 2026, and Netflix will split the release into parts so the obsession can stretch a little longer. Until then, the casting discourse will probably keep doing what it does.

• Leads: Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton), Yerin Ha (Sophie Baek)
• Book vs. show: Sophie Beckett becomes Sophie Baek; step-family cast with Chinese actors, which has sparked fan debate
• Story beats: A disguised meet-cute at Violet Bridgerton’s masquerade ball; a mystery around Sophie’s identity
• Release: 2026, split into parts
• Where to watch: Netflix
• Source material: Based on Julia Quinn’s novels

Whether you see the casting switch as bold or baffling, Season 4 is clearly playing with the template. If they stick the landing emotionally, most people will move on. If not, expect the inside baseball casting talk to outlast the ball.