A press event for the series was held Tuesday afternoon in Seoul, with Ha in attendance.
‘Bridgerton’ Season 4 follows Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), a free spirit uninterested in marriage, as he navigates love, identity and class after meeting a “lady in a silver dress” at a masked ball — and Sophie Baek (Ha), a maid in his everyday life. The ‘Bridgerton’ franchise is one of Netflix’s best-known global hits.
Ha said she struggled to grasp the show’s immediate success. “When ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4 hit No. 1 on the global chart, honestly it didn’t feel real,” she said. “It felt like something happening outside of me.”
She said her grandmother, veteran actor Son Sook, watched the entire season and sent a message of support.
“My grandmother finished ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4,” Ha said. “Her eyesight has gotten worse lately, so she watched close to the TV. She messaged me, ‘I’m proud of you, I love you,’ and it made me feel warm — and also a little heartbroken.”
Son is currently performing in the stage play ‘An Elder’s Dream,’ Ha said, adding that she planned to attend a performance.
“She told me, ‘People used to call you Ha Yerin, Son Sook’s granddaughter, but these days they call me Son Sook, Ha Yerin’s grandmother,’” Ha said. “Hearing that made me feel emotional, and proud.”
Ha, who has worked in Hollywood including on ‘Halo,’ recalled learning she had landed the role.
“Overseas, you send a lot of self-tapes,” she said. While visiting her mother in Taean, she received a call from her agent telling her to submit an audition video within 24 hours. She filmed and sent scenes involving tea and a lake, then received a callback days later.
She said she interviewed with the director over Zoom and later met Thompson the same way, auditioning at 11 p.m. due to the time difference. “Later, I was having brunch with my mom in Gangnam when I heard I’d become the female lead,” Ha said. “We cried and screamed together. I remember people around us looking like, ‘Is she OK?’”
Ha said she also felt pressure joining a series with an established global fan base. “I worried that coming in as a new character might throw off the rhythm,” she said. “But they wanted new energy. In my seven years as an actor, it was the set that respected diversity the most. I was happy during the shoot.”
Though set in the 19th century, the series has drawn attention for its diverse casting, including across race and sexual identity.
“Even though it’s set in the 19th century, it has the power to make it feel modern,” Ha said. “At its core, it’s a love story. The center is how Sophie’s emotions and sincerity are expressed, so I tried to act with that as the focus. I think ‘Bridgerton’ reflects today and lets people project the love story and fantasy they imagine.”
The franchise is also known for explicit romance. Ha said she felt “pressure and fear” filming intimate scenes with Thompson, and credited the production’s intimacy coordinator.
“In Hollywood, in society, and in the media, it feels like people think they have the right to blame, judge and criticize women’s bodies,” she said. “That made me feel pressure and fear. In Korea, especially, beauty standards can be stricter than in the West. I worked with an intimacy coordinator on ‘Bridgerton,’ and I think it’s an essential role in the industry. They did an excellent job, choreographing it like a dance and doing everything possible to make it feel safe on set.”
Ha also explained how her character’s surname changed from “Sophie Beckett” in the original work to “Sophie Baek” in the series.
“After I passed the audition, we had a Zoom meeting,” she said. “While talking about the character, they asked, ‘What surnames start with a B sound?’ Since it was ‘Beckett,’ we were thinking of a name that fits ‘B,’ and I think ‘Baek’ came to mind. It wasn’t a big conversation, so I didn’t think much of it — but then Sophie’s last name had changed. It felt satisfying. Since I’m a Korean actor, I thought it was natural to change it to a surname that fits my identity, and I felt grateful.”
‘Bridgerton’ Season 4 Part 1 was released worldwide on Netflix on Jan. 29, and Part 2 on Feb. 26, and has been drawing strong attention, the organizers said.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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