‘Bridgerton’ Season 3: Hannah Dodd Talks Joining Season 3 as Francesca

Hannah Dodd, who currently stars in Lifetime’s Flowers in the Attic: The Origin (the season finale airs tonight at 8/7c), will soon be transported to the Regency Era.

The English actress in May joined the Netflix hit Bridgerton for Season 3, replacing original cast member Ruby Stokes as Francesca. (Stokes starred in Seasons 1 and 2 as Lady Violet’s six-oldest child before leaving the show to star in fellow Netflix production Lockwood & Co.)

“I’m so excited,” Dodd tells TVLine. “Everybody’s been so lovely. I just want to do a good job.”

The upcoming season of the Netflix series will follow Penelope and Colin’s love story, with Penelope in search of a husband and failing spectacularly at it due to her lack of confidence. Enter Colin, who offers to mentor her in the ways of confidence while also grappling with whether his feelings for Penelope are truly just friendly.

 “I really enjoyed Colin and Penelope’s story,” Dodd says of the pair, “so I am really looking forward to seeing how that pans out in our version.”

Having read six of Julia Quinn’s eight-book series, Dodd began with Francesca’s story “because 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.”

“I know how people feel about her as well, so I’m going to do my best,” she adds.

How are you feeling about Hannah Dodd joining Bridgerton as Francesca? What do you hope to see in Season 3? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.