'Bridgerton' author Julia Quinn is addressing fan "disappointment" over the gender flip of a major character in the show's season three finale. In the final moments of 'Bridgerton' season three, fans are introduced to the character of Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza), the cousin of Francesca Bridgerton's (Hannah Dodd) husband, John Stirling (Victor Alli).
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Bridgerton author Julia Quinn is addressing fan disappointment over the gender flip of a major
00:04character. In the final moments of Bridgerton season three fans are introduced to the character
00:10of Michaela Sterling the cousin of Francesca Bridgerton's husband John Sterling. Now major
00:15spoilers ahead so fair warning those familiar with the books know that John's cousin Michael
00:20becomes Francesca's second husband after John sadly dies. For the screen adaptation showrunner
00:26Jess Brownell changed Michael to Michaela introducing Bridgerton's eventual first same
00:32sex relationship and some fans have expressed their surprise and disappointment over the major
00:37change. In a lengthy social media post Quinn addressed the feelings fans may be having
00:41noting that she was also a little unsure after Brownell brought the suggestion to her.
00:46Switching the gender of a major character is a huge change and so when Jess Brownell first
00:50approached me with the idea of turning Michael into Michaela for the show I needed more
00:55information before conferring my agreement. However after speaking with Brownell the author
00:59noted that she's confident that when Francesca and Michaela's story comes to life in Bridgerton
01:04it will be the most emotional and heart-wrenching installment of the show just like the novel was.
01:09She even pointed out that John's death may even hit harder in the show than in the books
01:14because he's getting more time on screen than he ever did on the page.
01:18She concluded by thanking her fans and touched by their commitment.
01:21I think we are going to end up with two love stories one on page and one on screen
01:25and they will both be beautiful and moving. In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter
01:29Brownell explained that she got the idea to change Francesca's love interest to a woman
01:34when she read the book and related to it as a queer woman. She noted that even though there
01:38will be some changes they plan on adapting the book pretty closely. She added when we tell the
01:43Francesca and Michaela story we would definitely want there to be a time jump to give Francesca
01:48time to earnestly mourn what she had. For more on this story head to THR.com and for
01:53the latest entertainment news and updates keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.