SPOILER ALERT! This put up accommodates particulars from everything of Bridgerton Season 3.
Whereas Bridgerton Season 3 tied a neat little bow on Colin and Penelope’s love story, the Netflix collection left lots for audiences to chew on as they wait for one more installment.
Each Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Francesca (Hannah Dodd) look like poised to proceed their love tales in Season 4, which was already greenlit in 2021.
Benedict particularly was left in a little bit of a flux after declining Tilly Arnold’s proposal that the 2 of them cool down collectively. After exploring his sexuality with each Tilly and Paul, Benedict thinks he wants extra freedom.
Perhaps he does. Or, perhaps, “you can argue that he’s been exploring,” Thompson tells Deadline. “It’s beautiful to discover, but in addition placing down some roots and selecting one thing or somebody additionally has large worth and pleasure.”
Maybe, that’s a lesson for Benedict in Season 4. Similar to viewers, Thompson says he’s anxiously awaiting regardless of the writers have in retailer for his character.
Within the interview under, the actor broke down a few of Benedict’s most confronting moments in Season 3 and weighed in on his hopes for the character’s journey towards a love match.
DEADLINE: I do know many viewers had suspected Benedict could also be queer. Was that one thing you’d thought as nicely over the primary two seasons? What did you make of that discourse?
LUKE THOMPSON: I feel it was kind of hinting at one thing in Season 1. I really suppose what’s good although, is that it doesn’t really feel like an enormous…repression, after which abruptly it’s out. It’s good, as a result of I feel it explores want in a method that’s fairly actual — typically it’s there within the background, nevertheless it’s not fairly sufficient to tip the stability into really doing one thing about it. And typically it’s. What’s beautiful is that you just really feel like Benedict has at all times been curious and open to that concept, however, I feel what’s good is that it simply appears like, this time, it was sufficient to essentially tip the stability, and I feel that’s very true to how want works.
It doesn’t really feel like an enormous difficulty of id in some way, which I feel hints to one thing that’s extra historic, Clearly, it was very repressive time for folks, however in these circumstances, really what can be true with others was that intercourse was intercourse. It’s fascinating…We talked just a little bit with showrunner about pansexuality, and I feel that’s a phrase that may very well be used, however really what I feel it’s actually beautiful concerning the characters is that it feels actually labeless, not like one thing that may simply be outlined.
DEADLINE: It did appear to be that was a releasing second for him. On the finish of the season, he tells Tilly that he isn’t able to decide to her and there’s extra to discover. What do you suppose that this exploration meant for him in Season 3?
THOMPSON: It’s an fascinating second, since you may argue that he’s been exploring. Really, it was fairly a confronting second for Benedict. There comes a time in folks’s lives, significantly once they’re rising up — and I do suppose the Bridgerton is a present about rising up in some methods and rising up via discovering love or discovering a relationship. Tilly selected him, however he’s perhaps not fairly but able to obtain [that] absolutely. It’s beautiful to discover, but in addition placing down some roots and selecting one thing or somebody additionally has large worth and pleasure. I feel he’s nonetheless at that stage the place that appears like piling down, and he simply needs to be free and exploring. Nicely, there’s one thing additionally actually thrilling about doing the other. He left with that on the finish of Season 3. He’s perhaps not fairly prepared but. Nevertheless it’s an fascinating place to depart him with one thing to consider.
DEADLINE: I appreciated that Benedict and Eloise had their swing set second in Season 3 once more. It’s kind of a practice now. What do you suppose these scenes encapsulate about their relationship?
THOMPSON: These scenes have been the primary scenes that, again for Season 1, I used to be despatched to audition for. They have been the primary scenes that made me fall in love with Bridgerton and often because it appears like an ideal marriage of one thing fairly Regency and historic but in addition one thing very trendy and relatable about only a brother and sister chatting on the swing. What’s beautiful about these scenes, I feel, is that they crystallize the connection between Benedict and Eloise in a method. They’re on the sidelines…and that’s the place they discover one another. I feel that’s why they relate to one another so profoundly. They’re each in that place when it comes to how they really feel concerning the ton or society.
However what’s additionally fascinating is that perhaps they’re kind of standing in one another’s method just a little bit. I feel there’s a variety of emotional intimacy, that Benedict will get from his household and Eloise particularly. You kind of suppose, ‘Nicely if you happen to’re going to seek out somebody particular, you’re going to need to let go just a little bit, or maintain on rather less tightly to these relationships.’ It’s very exhausting, when you will have such a connection, and it’s such an outdated connection, like brother and sister, it’s actually exhausting to create space for different stuff. It’s a extremely beautiful bodily abstract of what their relationship is, simply being on the swings, on the facet, simply having a quiet second. That’s the place they meet and discover one another comparable.
DEADLINE: I learn not too long ago that you just identified that we haven’t actually seen Benedict lose his cool or ‘crack’ but. Have you ever thought, although, about what he could be like beneath such circumstances?
THOMPSON: That’s the magic of performing, proper? I do know that sounds in all probability just a little bit unusual. The reply is, I don’t know. I’ll discover out. I don’t know what it is going to be. I haven’t performed the scenes but. It’s kind of why is the job is so enjoyable, proper? It’s a thriller to me as nicely. Any scenes going ahead into future seasons, I don’t know what he’s going to be confronted with. That’s why it’s such an thrilling job. My reply is, yeah, we’ll see what occurs.
DEADLINE: Benedict appeared a bit disconnected from his artwork this season. He doesn’t even point out it to Paul when he asks. What do you suppose was prompting that distance, and do you hope to see him reconnect along with his artwork in future seasons?
THOMPSON: It’s kind of much like what occurred to him [in Season 1] in that little second with the painter. It doesn’t actually go anyplace. There’s a glimpse of one thing, however then it’s re-explored in Season 3. I really really feel prefer it’s true with a variety of issues with Benedict, which is you get just a little one thing after which it goes underground for a bit after which perhaps it resurfaces. I feel, with the artwork, it was there for a bit and it went underground. We’ll see if it resurfaces. I feel it’s a really fascinating facet of him. I suppose it’s barely poignant now that it felt like a kind of method out of household for him, and in reality, it was one thing that then the household was concerned in on the finish of Season 2. So you’ll be able to see why he’s buried it deep. There could also be a wierd kind of sense of disgrace, really. We’ll need to see.
DEADLINE: With regards to future seasons, Benedict will finally get his personal love story, presumably. What are you most wanting ahead to about that?
THOMPSON: To not sound too unusual, however he was a little bit of a thriller to me. I’m as interested by it as hopefully different persons are about the place it’ll go, as a result of I feel what’s fascinating about Benedict is a personality that he’s actually battling one thing inside. He’s not capable of be absolutely weak about or absolutely dedicated to one thing. So it’ll be actually thrilling to see the place that takes him and if he manages to crack it — and what occurs when and if he does crack it.
DEADLINE: I admire the way you talk about your character and the way a lot reverence you give to the writers and the story. What’s one thing you realized from Benedict this season?
THOMPSON: How freedom is its personal entice, I suppose, in a wierd form of method. There’s no such factor as pure freedom and you can form being free and being curious and being open, that are all these beautiful qualities I feel that the character has, however really there’s a restrict to that. Really, freedom has its personal constraints, since you’re stopping your self from really rising up. I feel that’s actually fascinating. We speak about this concept of eager to be free. It’s comprehensible, and it’s additionally historic. [People] been at all times experimenting with the way to be free inside their marriage, the way to be free inside a pair, exploring with completely different folks. That has at all times been round, and that’s great. And I feel that’s a extremely, actually beautiful human trait, I suppose, that want to continuously re-interrogate and re-explore. But additionally, there’s a restrict to it. It’s not essentially the answer, and it received’t clear up the emotional mess that we’re inside anymore than a extra standard method. There may be simply one thing that’s unsolvable. I feel that’s fascinating. I feel that’s what he’s taught me, definitely, this season.
DEADLINE: Is there something I missed or that you just wished so as to add?
THOMPSON: Folks have been mentioning that I’d virtually come out, like ‘Benedict is pansexual.’ I feel the factor that I discovered actually fascinating enthusiastic about it’s I’m like, ‘Nicely, he’s a personality. He’s open to interpretation.’ I’m not going to say something about it. I feel it’s fascinating. I feel it’s a phrase that may very well be used. The extra I give it some thought, the extra that I feel, ‘Nicely, that’s kind of none of my enterprise. That’s as much as different folks.’ That’s only one factor that’s been floating round in my head.
DEADLINE: As I stated earlier, you do appear to have fairly a little bit of reverence for this character.
THOMPSON: I don’t need to sound like a d*ck, but in addition reverence in direction of the viewers. It’s as much as you guys. I’m not gonna stand in entrance of it and be like, ‘That is what he’s.’ As a result of that’s not the way it works, or how performing works. I feel it’s as much as the viewers. That’s what’s enjoyable about it as nicely, as a result of then like, everybody has completely different concepts, which is thrilling.
