Production on Bridgerton season 4 is well underway, but it seems one member of the show’s ensemble has not yet gotten the call to return for the upcoming season of Netflix’s hit regency drama.
In a new interview with The Direct, season 1 lead Phoebe Dynevor revealed that she has yet to be approached by the show about returning for the upcoming fourth season.
"I mean, they've not called me yet. And I think they're shooting Season 4 right now. So, I'm still waiting for that call,” Dynevor revealed when asked whether she would be returning to reprise her role as Daphne Bridgerton in season 4.
It’s hard to know whether Dynevor could be pulling an Andrew Garfield – claiming she is not attached in order to help keep her involvement in the season under the radar – but we sadly worry that this is not an act. Dynevor made similar comments about season 3 and her character did not return for the show’s third season which makes it highly likely that her comments about not being approached for season 4 are sadly true.
By design, each season of Netflix’s hit series shifts the attention to a new central couple which has resulted in the leads from past seasons taking on much smaller roles following their initial season. While we were lucky to see Dynevor return following season 1 via a few appearances in the show’s second season, season 3 came and went without a single appearance from the eldest Bridgerton daughter.
Now that we’re heading into a fourth season, it makes sense that the writers might not be able to bring back every member of the cast from past seasons. Still, that doesn’t make it any less disappointing. After all, while the books by Julia Quinn which the show is based upon do shift the focus to a new couple much like in the show, the Bridgerton siblings not at the heart of the main story frequently play a role in the pages of their siblings’ books.
Season 4 will draw inspiration from the third book in the Bridgerton book series, An Offer from a Gentleman, which tells Benedict’s story. In the book, Daphne pops up but only as a secondary character which is often the theme within the books though there are some books in which the non-leads do play significant roles in aspects of the story. However, we’ve seen Netflix isn’t afraid to change these stories.
For example, in Romancing Mister Bridgerton which tells Colin and Penelope’s love story, Daphne and Simon play a key role in hosting the ball where Penelope reveals herself to be Lady Whistledown. However, this was not adapted for the show’s third season with Daphne and Simon playing no role at all in the couple’s story. So it’s possible that the show could easily change up scenes involving Daphne in season 4 or simply not include them at all.
While we know the show’s ensemble is growing with each passing season, it’s nice to see all of the Bridgerton siblings appear together at least once in a while and we’re disappointed to know there is a good chance this won’t happen in season 4.