The new star of Bridgerton season four has described the emotional moment she was told she had been cast in the hit Netflix show.
Yerin Ha, 29, best known for her role as Kwan Ha in Halo and set to appear in the upcoming series Dune: Prophecy, will take on the role of Sophie Baek in the latest season of the regency-era drama about the love life of Bridgerton’s second brother, played by Luke Thompson.
Ha, a South Korean actress originally from Australia, said she was having breakfast with her mother in Seoul, South Korea, when she received the shocking news in a phone call.
In a YouTube interview with Shondaland, Ha was asked how her family and friends reacted when she told them she would be starring in Bridgerton season four.
“So when I got the role, I was having breakfast with my mother at a cafe in Korea,” she replied.
“I walked out and it was funny because my mom knew as soon as I was dancing on Gangnam Street that I got the part.”
Ha’s mother was so excited by the news that she quickly left the restaurant they were dining at.
“She ran out crying, and after the phone call she said, ‘We have to go home. I think I have indigestion,’ and so we left,” Ha said.
“I guess it was nice to share that moment with her.”
Ha was announced as part of the Bridgerton cast on social media in September. At the time, the actor told Tudum that Benedict’s love interest is called Sophie Beckett in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, but the character was given a Korean surname out of respect for her culture.
“A name is the first part of your identity that you share with the world, and that’s why changing your name can be so powerful,” she said. “It was really empowering to have the name Sophie fit into someone who looks like me. All the credit goes to Jess Brownell, our showrunner.”
“It was a really great way for me to feel like the role was right for me, rather than me trying to fit into some mold. It was amazing that it could do that just in a psychological sense. So the fact that Jess did that for me meant a lot.”
Regarding her initial interest in the role, Ha added: “What drew me to Sophie was that she had these obstacles right away — things that she was constantly having to overcome. Whether it was fighting around her social status or trying to hide her feelings for Benedict.” Netflix has yet to confirm a release date for Bridgerton season four.
