Petticoats at the ready! Bridgerton season 3 is officially back on screens, with Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton’s love story unfolding before our very eyes. One character who’s also taking to the spotlight is Francesca – but why does she look so different?
If you’ve already gobbled up for first four episodes of season three, you’ll know we also start to see Francesca, the sixth Bridgerton sibling, making romantic connections, after she meets John outside one of the balls. Only, er, the Francesca in question is actually a completely different Francesca to seasons one and two – here’s why.
Who played Francesca in Bridgerton seasons 1 and 2?
In the original season of Bridgerton which was released at the end of 2020, the sibling was played by Ruby Stokes, who’d previously had roles in multiple short films like The Price Of Time and It’s Going To Be Okay – and most notably, was in breakout coming-of-age story Rocks.
In mid-May 2022, Netflix revealed Francesca was being recast due to a filming clash with Lockwood and Co, the YA thriller about a ghost-hunting agency which dropped on the streaming platform in January 2023.
“I love Francesca,” creator Chris Van Dusen told TVLine at the time. “But we lost her midway through season two. After exhausting all other options, she unfortunately had to come out due to reasons beyond our control. Perhaps season three will be the charm.”
Speaking of her moving on from the show, Ruby Stokes told Cosmopolitan UK, “[Leaving] was a decision that no one took lightly, but it was incredibly supportive on both sides. I loved my time on Bridgerton; I learned so much. It prepared me for [being the lead role] on something like Lockwood & Co.”
Who plays Francesca in Bridgerton season 3?
For season 3, the baton was passed to Hannah Dodd, who you might recognise as playing a young Sienna Miller in the Netflix drama Anatomy Of A Scandal. Speaking about taking on the role to Tudum, Hannah admitted she was able to bring her own experiences to Francesca, as both of them were doing things for the first time.
“Francesca has been preparing for [her debut to society] … Filming it was absolutely terrifying, because it was quite early on in production,” she shared. “There was a little bit of life imitating art there. She was nervous and I was nervous. She was watching people, and I was watching people to learn. We were kind of going through it together.”
You’re doing great, sweetie!
Bridgerton season 3 part 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
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What happens in Francesca’s book?
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Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment and Lifestyle Director at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site’s Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.