The role of the sixth Bridgerton sibling was recast for season three.

Francesca Bridgerton is the first major character on Netflix’s hit Bridgerton to be recast: actress Hannah Dodd will be taking over the role from Ruby Stokes starting in season three.

Stokes was unable to commit to future seasons because of her leading role in Netflix’s Lockwood & Co., and the scheduling of filming both were in conflict. During season two, showrunner Chris Van Dusen had hoped she would be in more of the season, but it wasn’t possible.

“I love Francesca, but we lost her midway through season two,” Van Dusen told TVLine. “After exhausting all other options, she unfortunately had to come out due to reasons beyond our control. Perhaps season three will be the charm.”

In January 2023, Stokes opened up about leaving, calling it a “difficult choice.” She added, “Working on Bridgerton was wonderful and it was incredible to be part of a show like that.” Stokes had previously shared a bunch of fun behind-the-scenes photos of her time on set during season two:

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Executive producer Shonda Rhimes is hoping to make eight seasons of Bridgerton, with each season following a different sibling, just like the Bridgerton books. So far, seasons one and two have followed books one and two (The Duke and I and The Viscount Who Loved Me), but season three will go out of order, and focus on Colin and Penelope’s love story—which occurs in book four, An Offer from a Gentleman.

“I really feel like it’s Colin and Penelope’s time. Because we’ve been watching both of these actors on our screens since Season 1, we’ve already invested in them a little bit. We know who they are as people,” Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell told Variety.”Instead of treading water on that dynamic, we wanted to push it into their season. It really felt like the perfect moment to tee it up.”

Yet, no matter which Bridgerton sibling is in the lead, the recasting of Francesca means viewers will definitely be seeing more of her during season three, and Dodd will be in the lead for whichever season follows book six, When He Was Wicked. In fact, in the new trailer for Bridgerton season three (watch above), it appears that Francesca will be making her debut in society this season.

In an interview, Dodd revealed she’s extremely excited for Francesca’s storyline. “Francesca’s book is like a complete mix of the both [steamy and tortured],” Dodd told Page Six. “I’m, like, a massive fan of Bridgerton, so I’m like, ‘Bring on the steaminess,’ but then I’m like, ‘I don’t want to do that.’ I want it for the people who watch it, but to actually do it is quite scary.”

LAURENCE CENDROWICZ
Dodd as Francesca in season three.

Dodd shared that when she was cast, she started by reading When He Was Wicked. “I didn’t know what I’d got myself in for, but I needed to read that as soon as possible. It’s such a beautiful book and she’s such a beautiful character. I can’t really believe that I get to play her,” Dodd told TV Line. “I know how people feel about her as well, so I’m going to do my best.”

According to a character description released by Netflix, Francesca “is a bit of a mystery within her chatty, extroverted family. Despite her reserved nature, she goes along to get along when it comes to society affairs, fortified with a dry wit and pragmatism that confound the fickle ton yet seem to draw attention when she least desires it.”

Bridgerton season three, part one drops May 16, and part two drops on June 13.