British actor Luke Thompson discussed his experiences on “Bridgerton” Season 4 on Netflix, where he stars as Benedict Bridgerton.
The synopsis is: In a new tale from the ton, eternal bachelor Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) finally meets his match: a captivating lady’s maid in disguise at a masquerade ball.
Thompson on being back in Season 4
On being back front and center in Season 4 of the hit series, Thompson remarked, “Well, people ask a lot more questions. You have to answer for yourself more. No, it’s a real privilege and it’s nice.”
“We’ve experienced Benedict through the seasons as a little theme that crops
up occasionally now and again. To get to spend a full eight episodes digging into him and making a whole symphony about him, it’s great,” he elaborated.
Thompson on whether he was familiar with the book ‘An Offer from a Gentleman,’ which is the basis for Season 4
On whether he was familiar with the book ‘An Offer from a Gentleman,’ which served as the inspiration for the fourth season, Thompson responded, “I read it when I first got the part just to get a sense of it.”
“It’s very important that this show is drawn from the books, but it is its own thing. And in order for it to grow and become its own ecosystem, you have to also move beyond,” he elaborated.
Thompson on Benedict’s transition from the end of Season 3 to the beginning of Season 4
On the transition from the end of Season 3 to the beginning of Season 4, he said, “One of the great things about this show is that it’s about love, but it’s also about growing up and growing out of your family, or how to grow within your family but not be completely circumscribed by it.”
“That’s difficult when there are eight siblings with something to bond them all together, like this story around their dad and his death — it’s quite hard to exit that circle that’s been drawn,” he noted.
“Benedict is very free and very keen to hold onto his freedom,” he admitted. “He is able to compartmentalize.”
“Benedict can be a certain person at home, he can be a certain person at the Demimonde, he can be a certain person in society. What he struggles with is bringing it all together and being whole in some way,” he elaborated.
“His weak spot is where love comes in, because you can’t really be in love with someone or be loved by someone if you’re not fully there,” he added.
Working with Yerin Ha as Sophie
On welcoming actress Terin Ha as Sophie to the cast, he said, “‘Bridgerton’ is a very easy show to welcome someone into, because we’re very lucky to have a tight-knit, kind group of people.”
“I’m not just talking about the cast — I’m talking across the board. We got a strong sense when we were doing chemistry reads that there was no one else who could play Sophie, and that’s absolutely been borne out,” he elaborated.
Thompson on the struggles Sophie and Benedict face coming from different stations in society
On the power dynamic of Sophie and Benedict coming from different stations in society, he stated, “What’s great about ‘Bridgerton’ is that every time it regenerates, we discover another corridor in this system of rooms in this big Bridgerton house.”
“For the first time, we’re going downstairs and finding out about all the servants who work there,” he admitted.
“There are all sorts of characters, not just Sophie, that we’ve seen in the background who are suddenly coming to the fore, which is really exciting. What
Benedict finds hardest is that he can’t have his cake and eat it, too,” she elaborated.
“The ideal situation that he wants is not possible because of that obstacle — and other obstacles — so it’s him trying to reckon with that,” he added.
Thompson on filming the masquerade ball
On filming the masquerade ball, a beloved moment from the book, he said, “The show is incredibly famous for its design, and the masquerade ball gives the opportunity to the costume, makeup, and set designers to create a whole fantastical world that feels a little different from the stuff we’ve seen before.”
“No surprise, they absolutely grabbed it and ran with it because this particular storyline has an element of fairy tale about it, it does make you a bit like a little
kid again,” he said.
“The challenge of the masquerade ball, and balls generally in ‘Bridgerton,’ is that there are many of them, and they manage to make them all different. For this one, by virtue of being masked, there’s something more mysterious, sexier. Everyone’s playing a game and not showing all their cards,” he explained.
Thompson on the relationship between Benedict and his sister Eloise
On the dynamic in the relationship between Benedict and his sister Eloise, he said, “In many ways, Eloise is the person he’s closest to in the family. They bonded over being two outsiders, or two people who don’t really know how to crack the whole love thing.”
Thompson on the relationship between his character Benedict and his brothers
On the relationship between Benedict and his brothers, Thompson said, “Siblings are reflections of yourself that you want to fight against because you want to be your own person, but they are also people you have an incredible amount in common with. They can guide you through things because they’ve been through it.”
“There’s a constant jostling of taking on advice but not wanting to show that you’re taking on advice because you’re too proud. So you just sort of say, ‘Leave me alone.’ Then, you think about it and you’re like, ‘Oh God, he’s right’,” he elaborated.
Thompson on his character exploring a new side of his sexuality
On the exploration of a new side of his character’s sexuality, he said, “What I find refreshing about the show is that it tackles Benedict’s sexuality in a very gentle
way.”
“It doesn’t feel like Benedict is repressed and angsty about it,” he admitted. “There are lots of ways of exploring sex and sexuality. One of those for this season is how it links to love. He’s always been a very open and fluid character.”
“People have put all sorts of labels on him and seen different things, which is great,” he said. “People should be able to see themselves in the character rather than me telling them what he is or what he isn’t or how he identifies.”
“It’s refreshing to tackle sex and not necessarily think about it in terms of
identity. Sex is complicated. We’re all trying to make sense of it, but it’s not straightforward,” Thompson concluded.
“Bridgerton” Season 4 is available to stream on Netflix by clicking here.
