TV: Right. It feels like your emphasis, obviously, is on the characters, and also having future storylines in mind. I’m sure you’re already working on season four. Are you also already planning for future seasons beyond four?
JB: I am, yeah. I have a roadmap in my head of where we want to go, and Shonda and I have talked privately about our plans for seasons beyond season four, if we’re allowed to continue in the way that we hope we will be able to.
TV: That’s amazing. Benedict’s story ends on a little bit of an open note, and I know everybody wants to know about Sophie. Is there anything that you can tell us about if we will or won’t see her?
JB: Well, there are some clues at the end of this season, in episode eight, about where we’re heading with Benedict, and there’s a lot more to come from his storyline. We’ll continue exploring his fluidity, and we’re continuing to explore his relationship to what he wants out of life. I think the most important moment for me with Benedict is the moment when he’s talking to Tilley Arnold and he’s just told her, “Actually, I don’t want anything serious,” and Tilley says it felt good for once to want something serious.
Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton, Hannah New as Lady Tilley Arnold in episode 308 of BridgertonLIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
I’m paraphrasing, but there’s a look on Benedict’s face that I think Luke Thompson delivers brilliantly, where you see just a flash of doubt on his face about his path in life. My take on Benedict, and our take in the writer’s room, is that he has real commitment issues. He’s a Renaissance man, and he’s someone who’s able to really be good at anything, and bounce around, and try all that life has to offer.
But at a certain point, I think this season, he’s realising maybe he might be missing out on a bit of depth. He has breadth, but not depth. That’s something we’re going to be exploring with him in the future.
TV: I wasn’t expecting to see Francesca get married this season, either. There’s so much set up already also for Eloise. Are you planning to follow the formula of one main romance or couple per season, or will it maybe become two Bridgertons, and their romances are the main story?
JB: I don’t have any plans to combine seasons. I want every sibling to have their own season, and I know that Shonda wants that as well.
This feature originally appeared on Teen Vogue.