Luke Thompson at BFI Southbank: Bridgerton star urges fans to give Benedict ‘grace’ ahead of part 2
luke thompson told a crowd at a special screening at BFI Southbank that viewers should give Benedict Bridgerton “a little bit of grace” as questions swirl about why his character fails to recognise Sophie Baek. The comments came ahead of the release of Part Two of the fourth season, which embraces a Cinderella-inspired storyline that has divided some viewers.
Luke Thompson defended Benedict’s blind spots at BFI Southbank
At the BFI Southbank screening, Luke Thompson framed Benedict’s inability to see Sophie’s true identity as central to the character. He said, “I think we need to give Benedict a little bit of grace, ” and argued that Benedict is flawed and has blind spots. Thompson added that everyone can have something that others see but they do not, and that sometimes “it's the thing that's closest to you, that's right in front of you. You can't see it. ” He concluded with a tidy diagnosis of the problem: “I think he can't square fantasy and reality. That's the whole problem with his character. He can't join all the dots and put it all together, because that'd be too scary. And hopefully he will in part two. ”
How the masquerade and a single glove set the Cinderella arc in motion
The fourth season begins with Benedict and Sophie first crossing paths at Violet Bridgerton's glittering masquerade ball, where Sophie is hidden behind a silver mask and disappears at midnight. That fleeting, fairytale encounter — with Sophie leaving behind only a single glove — haunts Benedict and fuels the slow-burn romance. The story leans into a more overtly Cinderella-inspired tone than previous instalments, with Sophie depicted as an overworked housemaid who is the illegitimate daughter of an earl and, in one account of the story, the illegitimate child of Lord Penwood.
Yerin Ha on the red carpet: a metallic gown at the BFI Southbank screening
Yerin Ha, who plays Sophie Baek, attended the screening in London and drew attention on the red carpet. The 28-year-old Australian actress wore a shiny gold double-breasted dress paired with knee-high black leather boots, simple make-up and dangling gold and pearl earrings. She was joined by co-star Luke Thompson, who wore a duck-egg blue monochrome ensemble paired with black patent leather shoes. Also present at the screening were showrunner Jess Brownell, wearing an all-black outfit accessorised with layers of chunky gold necklaces; American actor and director Tom Verica, in a navy bomber jacket over a pink shirt with a colourful plaid tie and burgundy trousers; and Alison Hammond, 51, in a maxi leopard-print dress with tall patent leather boots and loose beachy waves in her hair.
On-screen interactions and the scenes that test viewers’ credulity
After the masked ball, Benedict keeps sketching the elusive woman and later encounters Sophie in the staff ranks. He first rescues her from an altercation and then spends increasing amounts of time with her at My Cottage and at his mother's house, yet remains oblivious to her masquerade identity. For many viewers, the idea that he cannot connect these dots has stretched credibility — a point Thompson directly addressed when asking audiences for patience with his character's blindness.
Romantic payoff, class tension and what’s next in part two
The season pushes the narrative downstairs, showing the Ton through the eyes of servants and raising a harder question about whether a Bridgerton could pursue a relationship with a maid. When Benedict and Sophie finally kiss — a moment that arrives after four episodes for some viewers — the romance lands as the strongest the series has offered since the 2020 pairing of Regé-Jean Page's Simon Basset and Phoebe Dynevor's Daphne Bridgerton in earlier seasons. Beyond the central couple, the season also gestures toward wider social friction: workers across the city begin to demand better pay. The second part of series four will be available to watch on Netflix from February 26th.
