Who is Michaela Stirling, the new character introduced at the end of season 3 and who will change everything for the future?

Fans of Bridgerton were finally able to discover on Netflix the continuation and end of season 3, centered on the love story between Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton. But these episodes, which notably included a successful intimate sequence, which Internet users welcomed for a very specific reason, did not feature a single marriage. If Colin and Penelope said “yes”, Francesca also got married. The young woman married John Stirling, Lord Kilmartin, in an intimate ceremony at the family residence. A new beginning, literally, for the discreet young girl since the two spouses decide to leave for the home of Lord Kilmartin, in Scotland. And they don’t leave alone, they take with them Eloise, who asked to accompany them for a year, as well as a cousin of John. Beware of spoilers, if you haven’t read the novels!

The Bridgerton Chronicles (Netflix): Michaela Stirling represents a major departure from Julia Quinn’s novels

The final episode of season 3 of The Bridgerton Chronicles indeed contains several revelations and in particular a significant change compared to the novels by Julia Quinn from which the Netflix romantic series is adapted. In the series, John introduces Francesca to his cousin, Michaela Stirling. If this new character, played by Masali Baduza, may have seemed trivial to you, think again, it will on the contrary be decisive for the rest of the series! Indeed, in Julia Quinn’s books, Francesca marries John Stirling, but the latter dies of a ruptured aneurysm, only two years after their marriage. Devastated by grief, Francesca gradually becomes closer to her late husband’s cousin, Michael Stirling, who becomes the new Lord Kilmartin. If Michael was secretly in love with Francesca, it would take several years for them to marry and start a family together.

Thanks to Michaela, Bridgerton will finally be able to feature a homosexual couple in the series

The screenwriters of The Bridgerton Chronicles therefore made a major change from Julia Quinn’s novels by making Michael Stirling a female character. Francesca’s confusion when she meets Michaela is evident, even more so if we remember the conversation between the young woman and her mother, Violet, who told her how she had felt upon meeting her husband and that she had been troubled to the point of stuttering and searching for words. This is what seems to happen when Francesca meets Michaela. When Tele-Leisure questioned Jess Brownell, the showrunner of Bridgerton, regarding Benedict’s sexuality, she answered us: “I can’t talk specifically about Benedict because I don’t want to spoil anything. But it’s a show about love, in all its forms. So it makes sense to explore homosexuality. I want to see positive representation of the queer community on screen It remains to be seen how this will be seen in future seasons.

Will Francesca be the main heroine of season 4 of The Bridgerton Chronicles ?

If Benedict’s journey suggested that the screenwriters were going to explore this avenue for the young man, it seems that it is ultimately the character of Francesca who carries this theme. A nice surprise that we can’t wait to discover, perhaps in season 4 of Bridgerton, already ordered. Will Francesca be the main heroine of this fourth season or will Benedict finally have the honors, after being skipped in season 3, as Luke Newton had suggested? Nothing has yet been officially announced but, one thing is certain, fans can be patient since season 4 of Bridgerton is not expected to air until 2026. Will Colin and Penelope be back in season 4? Chances are; actress Simone Ashley in any case confided to Télé-Loisirs whether or not fans would see Kate and Anthony again, despite their planned trip to India.

The Bridgerton Chronicles (Netflix): who is Masali Badusa, the interpreter of Michaela Stirling?

Masali Baduza is a South African actress born in 1996. She became known for playing one of the main roles in the BBC series Noughts + Crosses. She was named a Rising Star to Watch by the Royal Television Society. She notably starred in the 2022 film The Woman King, alongside Viola Davis. In an interview for the site GlamourJess Brownell recalled Masali’s audition for the role of Michaela Stirling. “I remember the moment when Hannah (Hannah Dodd, who played Francesca, editor’s note) met Masali. When Masali left, Hannah said ‘well, that’s her!’. Francesa felt it.” And to add about the young woman that we should see a lot in the rest of Bridgerton : “She’s an incredible actress and the two of us had a lot of discussions about the weight and importance of her role. She threw herself into it with wonderful energy.”