Even though ‘Bridgerton‘ has emerged as one of the most acclaimed Netflix shows, it’s not without the twists and turns that have been added to the original script written by Julia Quinn. Her readers might have been surprised by the twist at the end of season 3 when a pivotal character was gender-swapped on the show as against in the book.
However, the author was fully aware of the introduction of a beloved character as a woman rather than a man on the show. Here’s all you need to know about the characters that have been gender-swapped and how the author feels about it.
“You’re Never Going To Please Every Single Side Of The Fan Base”: Jess Brownell Reflects On The Gender Swap In ‘Bridgerton’
‘Bridgerton‘ showrunner Jess Brownell was speaking to ‘Teen Vogue‘ on Thursday when she opened up about the decision of gender-swapping characters from Julia Quinn’s book. Fans of Quinn’s books know that Francesca falls in love with Michael after the death of her husband, John Stirling.
However, at the end of the season 3 finale, Francesca played by Hannah Dodd is flustered as her husband Victor Alli introduces her to his cousin, Michaela Masali Baduza. Instead of heterosexual romance, the show has molded the narrative into a queer love story. This also sets ground for Francesca to take the lead in a future season.
Speaking about the same, showrunner Jess Brownell revealed that she made the decision with approval from Quinn. “The fact of the matter is, the fan base is not a monolith, and you’re never going to please every single side of the fan base,” she explained.
“In, for example, deciding to tell a queer story with Francesca, I spoke with Julia Quinn, I got her blessing,” she added.
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“It Felt Like A Natural Adaptation”: Jess Brownell On Why She Made The Gender Swap Decision
While it may seem like a great move to many, the book’s fans haven’t quite welcomed the gender swap. Speaking about the backlash the decision has faced from the audience, Jess Brownell admitted that she and Quinn anticipated the criticism.
“We talked about the fact that with almost any single book, there would be a side of the fandom that would be disheartened to see their favorite characters changed,” she said. “I don’t think that there is any book that wouldn’t happen with, so for me, again, it came back to story, and it came back to character. Because Francesca’s book resonated [with me] in the way that it did, it felt like a natural adaptation.”
Brownell also asserted that the change isn’t just for shock value. “I didn’t want to just insert a queer character for queer character’s sake,” she shared. “I want to tell a story that accurately reflects a queer experience, and the first time I read Francesca’s book, I really identified with it as a queer woman. Maybe not in the way Julia Quinn intended,” she added.
As rumors are swirling about Fransesca taking the lead in the next season, fans will have to wait quite a while to see how her romance with Michaela plays out at least for two years, as confirmed by Brownell recently.
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