The biggest series, Bridgerton, is back with its third season on Netflix, with the adorable love forming between Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton before our eyes. There is another character who is taking quite a lot of spotlight in the show.
Francesca Bridgerton, the sixth Bridgerton sibling, is seen making romantic connections after she meets John outside one of the balls.
But the thing that is catching everyone’s interest is why Francesca looks completely different in season 3 compared to seasons 1 and 2.
In seasons 1 and 2, which were released in 2020, the sibling was played by Ruby Stokes, who had previously had roles in multiple short films like The Price of Time and It’s Going To Be Okay, and most notably, in the breakout coming-of-age story Rocks.
But in mid-May, Netflix revealed that Stokes had to be re-cast because of the filming clash with Lockwood and Co., a thriller about a ghost-hunting agency that 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.”
Ruby talked about moving on from the show with Cosmopolitan UK. She said that she loved her time on the sets of Bridgerton and has learned a lot from her co-stars and the entire production. She added that leaving was not an easy choice, but both sides were supportive of her decision, which helped her a lot.
Stokes has been replaced by actress Hannah Dodd in season 3, who you will recognize as young Sienna Miller in Netflix’s Anatomy of a Scandal. Speaking to Netflix about her joining, she said that “Francesca has been preparing for [her debut in society]… Filming it was absolutely terrifying because it was quite early on in production.”
Francesca Bridgerton, the sixth Bridgerton sibling, is seen making romantic connections after she meets John outside one of the balls.
But the thing that is catching everyone’s interest is why Francesca looks completely different in season 3 compared to seasons 1 and 2.
In seasons 1 and 2, which were released in 2020, the sibling was played by Ruby Stokes, who had previously had roles in multiple short films like The Price of Time and It’s Going To Be Okay, and most notably, in the breakout coming-of-age story Rocks.
But in mid-May, Netflix revealed that Stokes had to be re-cast because of the filming clash with Lockwood and Co., a thriller about a ghost-hunting agency that 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.”
Ruby talked about moving on from the show with Cosmopolitan UK. She said that she loved her time on the sets of Bridgerton and has learned a lot from her co-stars and the entire production. She added that leaving was not an easy choice, but both sides were supportive of her decision, which helped her a lot.
Stokes has been replaced by actress Hannah Dodd in season 3, who you will recognize as young Sienna Miller in Netflix’s Anatomy of a Scandal. Speaking to Netflix about her joining, she said that “Francesca has been preparing for [her debut in society]… Filming it was absolutely terrifying because it was quite early on in production.”
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She added, “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.”
