#Francesca Recasting News

[oceanspray5]

Its quite well known by now that Ruby Stokes, who played Francesca Bridgerton in S1-S2 and laid the perfect groundwork for her character, was recast in S3. Hannah Dodd did a marvelous job of portraying Frannie so far and I'm so excited to see what she does next with her!

However, if you're like me and miss Ruby's Francesca, I do urge you to watch Lockwood & Co. She's the lead character of that show and her character is not entirely unlike Francesca. Ruby's range and skill is truly incredible! Starting a new show can be daunting and in case you're more into the regency vibe at the moment, I have the perfect (non-crack) crossover fic set in the Bridgerton universe that combines the characters of Bridgerton and characters of Lockwood & Co. while blending their relationships!

No prior knowledge of Lockwood & Co. is needed to read this fic and Francesca plays a major role in this fic as well! I highly recommend giving it a chance and if you enjoy the characters of Lucy and Lockwood in this fic, then trying out watching Lockwood & Co for Ruby Stokes too. She's marvelously talented and would have shone as Francesca were she given more of an opportunity in the first two seasons too.

Ao3

I really do hope people will give it a try! (And no, don't worry, it's not a love triangle fic). I really had so much fun exploring both of Ruby's characters through this story! Also added a bit of Kanthony too because of course I had to! In case you read it, please also let me know what you think of it! 💖 (The last chapter is just the Epilogue that's left, in all other manner the story is complete).

Here's to our two amazing actresses who play Francesca Bridgerton! 🎹💙

[where-dreams-dwell]

I’m seeing a lot of discourse about Bridgeton Season 3 and the recasting of certain characters and people keep talking about it being unfair to the original actors, or that they shouldn’t have jumped to other projects (Francesca’s season 1 actor was cast as the lead in Lockwood and Co, which was then unfortunately cancelled…) and instead they should have stayed around to be avalible etc.. and I think we’re missing an obvious point:

People don’t want to watch the kids that grew up on their Tv have s*x.

Bridgerton by definition is a s*xual show, with explicit scenes and n*dity from its leads. When it gets around to the younger kids stories (if the show’s renewed enough) no one will be 100% comfortable watching s*x scenes when they remember that actor as a child.

Game of Thrones ran into this issue too. We all watched Maisie Williams grow up on screen, watched as her characters story grew and she had to handle tougher subject matter and scenes. No one wrote into complaint when we watched her pretend to kill a child at 14 (playing an 11 yr old Arya Stark), when she blinded and killed a p*edophile at as an actor of 18 (15 for Arya) or watched what was essentially torture p*rn of a blind 19 year old being beaten relentlessly every week for a month.

But when it came time to do an intimate scene… suddenly the audience felt awkward. Something about s*xual intimacy crossed some internal boundary for a large portion of the audience and suddenly the voyeuristic nature of being an audience in those scenes was driven home. It was okay being a viewer to explicit scenes if they were violent or gory, but explicit scenes of romance… nope that somehow feels indecent.

It was a tasteful scene, only partial n*dity, nothing full frontal, and the blocking and writing made it clear it was consensual and enjoyable. In every way possible this was a positive thing for Arya as a character and as both the character and actor were adults there was no concern about appropriate story lines.

And yet.

People wrote in. People switched off, fast forwarded, talked about it at work on Monday. Articles were written, and it became a discussion piece around the TV; even knowing all the above people still felt wrong watching an actor they first knew as a child and who they ‘watched grow up on screen’ perform a s*x scene.

So I think a big part of Bridgerton’s casting choices around the younger children is to head this off at the pass and to not invite the discussion. Why risk even a percentage of your audience not watching the intimate scenes that season (or god forbit not streaming the season at all!) when you can just recast and remove the problem? Why borrow trouble or controversy, especially when other plot points in future stories will likely do that all on their own?

This way we get to have a child character played by a child actor, who the audience can find cute and precocious, who they can feel parental and familial toward with complete peace of mind. And then when the season comes for that siblings love story, ‘oh would you look at that puberty made them look all grown up and completely different’! A new adult actor is playing the adult version and the audience can watch them enjoy their love affair with no guilt, unease, or annoyance.

So yes it’s probably sad for the actors who first played these characters or are playing them now to know that they won’t get to be the one to act out their characters ‘main character moment’ season. But they were hired on in that capacity, they knew what they signed up for, and at the end of the day no one is ‘entitled’ to anything in Showbusiness.

The whole show’s already a guilty pleasure, so let’s not tip the balance too far!

[wishihadatimemachine99]

Ok so here is how I think the next couple Bridgerton seasons are going to play out:

Season 4- Benedict's Season * Mama Bridgerton and Agatha throw a masquerade as the first ball of the season and Benedict meets Sophie -> Proceeds pretty similar to the book. *Pen and Colin move into Featherington house and they have a conflict with trying to get Portia out. She's having issues letting go of control of the estate because of all the work she's put into it. *In a turn of event Eloise is now always the one across the street to avoid her family (her mother is trying to get her back into the courting life). Here El realizes she doesn't actually hate babies and kids (thank you baby Eliot). *Pen is still writing her papers but is struggling with the pressure of people knowing it is her now. This causes her and Lady Danbury to grow close because she seeks her advice. (restoring the book friendship) *Francesca's Struggle with Fertility or maybe decision to try and have a child is touched on. *At the end of the season being the head of the Featherington Family Colin and Pen get word that Marina has passed. Maybe they go to the funeral/wake and Eloise tags along to get away from a ball and she meets Philip. OR maybe Eloise starts writing to Philip because Colin and Pen don't really know how to respond. (they both had a love-hate relationship with Marina)

Season 5- Eloise's Season *Pen and Colin are in the country for the season instead of London because Pen's pregnant. *El goes to stay with them for the season because she wants to help Pen, get away from bores of the courting season, and she hopes that she can maybe run into her pen pal Philip. *She does run into him and it's pretty obvious he's not doing well especially with the kids. El who has grown to like kids because of her nephew starts helping out with the twins. She ends up telling Colin and Pen she's going back to London but in reality, she goes to the Crane Estate. *On their way to their Estate to through a ball the Bridgerton family stops in to see Collin, Pen, Eliot and Eloise only to find Eloise is not there. * The Brothers go to get El and the story continues as normal *Pen has her baby girl and names her Agatha after Lady Danbury *Francesca and Lord Kilmartin announce they're finally expecting!

Season 6- Francesca's Season *Francesca has her baby boy *At the ball in honor of the new Earl Kilmartin Jon starts complaining of a headache. Cut to a scene sometime later of Francesca dressing morning clothes holding her baby boy or something. *The baby is now the Earl but Francesca has to be in charge of handling the estate and is completely lost. Cue Michaela... *The two wrestle with their feelings for each other both out of respect for Jon and because well... the obvious. *Maybe there's another Stirling adjacent family member who didn't become the next Lord Kilmartin because of the baby and he's trying weasel his way in by courting Francesca...

Anyway, with the clues and all the (overdone) side stories this season that's just how I would have the next couple seasons play out. You could probably flip Francesca and Eloises seasons too with little change. Obviously there would still be Pen and Colin and Mama Bridgerton and Lady Danberry and other stuff going on too. Maybe we get a mention of the Duke and Duchess and their family has move to France or some crap since someone's too good to ever come back and they won't recast him. :(

[galwithalibrarycard]

I am so hoping Bridgerton will Go There with Eloise x Cressida, but I also hope that… (book series spoiler and show-related rumor discussion under the cut)

…Francesca’s second love interest really does get genderbent to become Lady Michaela Stirling. A quick debunk of all the reasons I’ve seen people argue against this:

- They can still do a tie-in edition of the book, just put Fran’s actress Hannah Dodd on the cover without either of her love interests and highlight that the season is “inspired by” the book. They can even have Julia Quinn or another writer pull a Twilight and write the genderbent Michaela version of the novel and sell that too, double the books, double the profit. (They can do the same thing with the Eloise book if her TV love interest is Cressida or a recast [or rehired if she wants to come back and they can make the set a safer workplace for her mental health] Marina!)

- I understand that people who love book!Michael might be disappointed, but actually, book!Michael will not stop existing if the show goes the Michaela route! The book will be there for you, unchanged, no matter how the show adapts it. It doesn’t go away.

- The inheritance and infertility plot lines can be adapted, just differently. Maybe Michaela’s dad or brother inherits and knows she’s gay, accepts her, and gives her an allowance to live on. Maybe she’s a widow with a baby boy and he inherits.

- The infertility plotline doesn’t need to end with Fran getting pregnant, especially given that many people who struggle with their fertility in real life never do get pregnant. She can struggle with infertility/loss while married to John, then grieve him and their lost child, then when she’s ready to move on with a new love, she either adopts Michaela’s son or they adopt a ward together to raise as their own. (Adoption, when done ethically, is a VALID form of family-making.) Or F&M are the cool aunts who do all the babysitting for their niblings.

- Even if their relationship can’t be public, and that will always be a source of sadness and stress, they can still have accepting families and take each other as wives in their hearts if not in the law. Queer people have always existed and fallen in love. Allies have always existed and loved their queer relatives/friends, even when that was a dangerous and unpopular choice.

- Besides, this show does not have to be historically accurate. Maybe Queen Charlotte hears Brimsley and Reynolds’ love story and makes LGBT+ equality the law of the land about it.

- The concept of a long story arc where we see a character love her first partner deeply, mourn them, then fall just as deeply in love with a new person of a different gender from her first spouse, is so rare! A bi person who gets to articulate that all of the loves in her life are valid and equal is so sadly rare in media! This season would (I hope) force people to acknowledge that there’s more than straight or gay, that you can’t act like a bi person’s ex-husband “doesn’t count” just because she has a wife now. It would be so good!!!

- Also, while I’m at it, bi4bi Sophie and Benedict. She finds out he’s queer by seeing some exquisite male nudes in his sketchbook and is not even a little bit bothered. She aggressively finds him sexy about it, to combat the discomfort a lot of (straight) women have with dating bi men in real life. They both love having a partner who understands what it feels like to be bisexual, always stuck in the middle. This one’s just a headcanon… unless…?

- You got 3 straight couples already, you can share. And if you’re homophobic to me on this post I will block you. I’m just having fun speculating here.

[ofmermaidstories]

Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory, addresses the National Press Club of Australia on why previous approaches in Israel and Palestine have failed, and why we need to recast our approach based on self-determination and human rights.

Invited by the Australian Friends of Palestine and the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network to speak, human rights lawyer Francesca proceeds to dress down the Australian Press Club for their poor reporting and wilful lack of education. She’s wasted on these idiots—but I did enjoy watching her serve their inept asses back to them any time one of them was stupid enough to ask a particularly stunning question.

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

Potential Riverdale Recasts

Been debating recasting some Riverdale ocs but not sure what direction I want to go in, any thoughts would be super appreciated!

(some of these faces are also ones that if I don't use as recasts, I'll probably use for future ocs, which makes it harder for me to decide because "well who would I rather have in Riverdale" doesn't make the decision for me)

1 – Astoria Topaz: Toni's twin sister; currently China Anne McClain (bottom), new options Samantha Logan (middle) or Zendaya (top)

Astoria Topaz was a Serpent by blood, and by choice.  She joined with her twin sister and their two best friends, Fangs and Sweet Pea, when they were all thirteen, and had quickly risen in the ranks among teenagers.  She never expected to be a leader though, until FP Jones got arrested. Suddenly there was a hole that needed to be filled, and apparently Astoria would have to fill it.  That’s fine, she’s a born Serpent and knows how to keep her family together–or she did, until Jughead Jones walks into the Wyrm, suddenly ready to take on his legacy.  But still, Astoria was born a Serpent, and she’ll die a Serpent, she’ll live as a Serpent come hell or high water.

2 – Barbie Booth (tbd if going to recast): currently Candice King (middle), other options Sydney Sweeney (left) or Ginny Gardner (right)

By fifteen, Barbie Booth already had her eye on the prize: early admission to Tisch for musical theatre, followed by an upper east side apartment with her best friend Veronica Lodge - who would be studying business at Columbia, and then starring as Elle Woods in a revival of Legally Blonde The Musical.  But her plan didn’t include Veronica’s dad getting arrested, and her other half moving to some bumfuck town called Riverdale, leaving her alone for her sophomore year at Spence.  And it definitely didn’t account for her parents up and moving them to Riverdale, for reasons that they refused to explain.  But at least she’d be with Ronnie again, and at least Ronnie told her that Riverdale High wasn’t as bad as they’d imagined.  But then they get to Riverdale, and her plans really go to shit -not only did her parents not research the town that they were moving to, but they bought a house on the south side of the town, dooming her to the rundown school on the wrong side of the tracks, riddled with gangs, murder investigations and, worst of all, no musical theatre program.

3 – Fallon Parris Jones (tbd if going to recast): Jughead's twin: currently Brenna D'Amico (bottom), other options Ella Purnell (middle) or Odeya Rush (top)

Fallon Parris Jones, FP to her friends, was taken to Toledo against her will when her parents separated.  She would have stayed, for Jellybean, except her dad called her and told her that her twin had just been hauled in and questioned for murder.  Fallon may play at obedience, but her twin’s wellbeing is always the most important thing in the world, so she hops on the next bus to Riverdale with no intention of leaving him ever again.  It isn’t until she arrives that she finds out just how deep her family is in this mess, and clearly no one else can be counted on to fix everything.  Armed with nothing but her well-worn Serpent jacket, a switchblade, and an unstoppable determination to protect her brother, Riverdale is about to find out that they messed with the wrong family.

4 – Francesca Jones: Betty's twin but adopted by FP: currently Lili Reinhart, new options Peyton List (top), Zoey Deutch (middle), or Sophie Thatcher (bottom)

Francesca Paige Jones grew up on the Southside with her brother Jughead and their miracle sister Jellybean, although she chose to stay on the Southside and not interact with the other side of town, despite knowing that she had a twin sister and biological parents somewhere across the tracks, despite knowing that Jughead was even friends with her twin. But then Gladys and Jellybean move to Toledo, Jughead leaves home, FP helps dispose of Jason Blossom’s body, and suddenly the Northside is paying attention to them.  She would have been perfectly happy to fly under the radar, to continue to pretend that she had no ties to the Northside, had she not come face to face with Betty Cooper.

5 – Jac Daniels (tbd if going to recast): currently Alycia Debnam-Carey, other option Zoey Deutch

Despite being a Southside Serpent, Jacqueline Daniels was one of the last truly good people in the town of Riverdale.  Despite being surrounded by darkness, she wore her heart on her sleeve and always kept her heart open for more strays.  Of course the majority of it was taken up by her three best friends and fellow Serpents, but when Jughead Jones transferred to Southside High, she knew there would be a place for him too.  And there was, and Jughead found himself with a new tour guide slash bodyguard slash friend, whose open heart and pure soul were rivalled only by her fierce loyalty and protective nature.  But even the brightest light in Riverdale has a breaking point, and when Northside drama starts to endanger her friends, her family, Jac may just discover her own.

6 – Jewel Cooper (tbd if going to recast): FP & Alice's daughter, Betty & Jughead's younger sister: currently Grace Phipps (right), other options Katie Douglas (top), Ella Purnell (bottom), or Zoey Deutch (left)

Opal Cooper, the youngest of the Cooper sisters, had always known that she was different.  How could she not? Her dark hair made her the literal black sheep of her perfectly blonde family.  Sure, her mom always claimed that she inherited it from her grandfather, but Opal knew that something was different.  So, in the summer before she started high school, she did some digging.  She wasn’t surprised at all to find she wasn’t a Cooper, but she was more than a little shocked to learn her biological father was none other than FP Jones.  A simple desire to build a relationship with her real dad started Opal down a road that she never expected; a road of gangs and murder and nicknames.  Starting high school armed with a switchblade and the truth about what happened to Jason Blossom, the newly nicknamed Jewel Cooper was nothing like the Opal anyone remembered.

7 – Tanya Conway: daughter of Joseph Svenson/Conway: currently Nicola Peltz (middle), new options Olivia Cooke (left) or Olivia Scott Welch (right)

Identity was fickle, as far as Tanya was concerned. To some she was Tanya Trent, a first generation serpent whose mother was the principal of Southside High, until the Black Hood killed her. To others she was Tanya Svenson, a Southside punk whose father was the janitor at Riverdale High, until he was killed for being the Black Hood. To herself she was Tanya Conway, a teenage girl who knew that the Cooper family had killed her dad’s family; who knew that, even after they divorced, her dad loved her mom; who knew that, no matter what anyone said, her dad wasn’t the Black Hood. And now she’s just Tanya, a scared but stubborn girl with no sense of identity who’s just been sent to Riverdale High with her fellow Serpents, armed with nothing but the snake tattooed on her back and the need to clear her father’s name.

8 – Vine Verona (tbd if going to recast): currently Emily Rudd (middle), other options Milly Alcock (left) or Zoey Deutch (right)

If there was one thing that Ivy Verona was good at, it was lying.  She lied to the Northsiders; she said she was Northside pure, that her guardian was an accountant, that she’d never even heard of the Whyte Wyrm.  She lied to the Southside too; she said she was flunking all her major classes, said cheerleading was only a front, said she planned to stay in Riverdale the rest of her life. And then there was the lie that she told the entire town - that she had no idea what might’ve happened to Jason Blossom. Only her uncle FP and best friend Joaquin knew the truth.  She’d been Jason’s dealer; she’d brought him to the Wyrm; she’d watched him die, and then washed away his blood; she dumped his body in the river and pretended it never happened. But the biggest lie she told was to herself - that Jason Blossom’s death was not her fault.

[thekatebridgerton]

Here me out. I think s4 could be philoise. Sophie is not introduced yet & even if the ball happened in s3 dont forget there I'd suppose to be a gap between their 1 meeting to when the story takes off. Plus 1 of the reason we're polin now is because they don't want to aggravate the fan, well the same applies for philoise. Add the actress playing Marina is sick she might not be up to return to a project so close to what she's going through her story could be wrapped in 1 scene or with her not even present in s3, paving the way for s4 philoise.

Okay so before I answer this I'd first like to encourage all of you to support Ruby Barker, who plays Marina. Like I always do. She's an amazing actress who has been trough a lot and deserves all the love.

Now for those of you who don't know the context, Ruby Barker was quite open about her hospitalization in May 2022 due to mental health problems. She has subsequently been posting pictures of what we assume is a happy and healthy path to recovery. BUT we haven't heard anything about her taking on new projects. Which likely means she's not ready to go back to work yet. (And honestly, acting, is a job, glamourous as it is, if any of us had a job that caused us to have mental health struggles, the least recommended thing would be to go back to that job, until healing was well and truly accomplished)

Because of the situation with Marina's actress I do think s4 is going to be Benophie. I love Phillip as much as any other Philoise fan, but 1) Benophie fans were left pretty high and dry after they polin season was announced 2) Eloise has a lot of growing up to do, before she's ready to start her journey towards true love. At least with Benedict, we know he is open to finding love.

I disagree with what you said about not wanting to aggravate Philoise fans. Because, and I say this with all the kindness in the word, Philoise fans are less rabid than Polin fans. They're even less rabid than Benophie fans. (by a landslide but they are). You will find that when push comes to shove, Philoise fans will be happier to wait for s5 than Benophie fans ever would (and I say this with all the love in the word, Benophie fans, you are as scary as the Polins)

In fact, with the recent recasting of Francesca, there is a possibility that s4 will mash up An Offer From A Gentleman and about half of what happens in When He was Wicked.

I'd also like to add something very very obvious about TSPWL. that for Philoise to happen benophie NEEDS TO EXIST FIRST. at least one quarter of TSPWL involves Eloise and Phillip going in and out of My Cottage. The philoise proposal happens in Sophie's study and the scene where Phillip saves Benophie's son from a fever is pretty pivotal for Phillip and Eloise character development. Netflix can't just cut that part out and I will seriously riot if they decide to substitute those scenes of Philoise bonding with Benophie, with Kanthony or Polin.

the point of showing in s1 and s2 how much closer Eloise is with Benedict than she is with the rest of her siblings. Is to draw a parallel of how they both fall inlove with people who love them and accept them for who they are. Both in Sophie, who has always seen Benedict as his own person, and never confuses him with Bridgerton #1 or Bridgerton #3. And with Phillip who sees everything that people consider flaws in Eloise and celebrates her for it.

isn't it also interesting that Eloise and Benedict have the only 2 Bridgerton spouses who have suffered childhood physical abuse as well. Because here are two people who need to be loved so desperately it hurts because they have received so little love in their pasts, and that just tugs at that weak spot inside of Benedict and Eloise. Because they can give all the love and they just want to feel needed but still maintain their independence and holding on to their right to do what they want in life. Sophie and Phillip not only need them, but also support their individuality and encourage their self expression to the extreme.

So when the Philoise season does come Benophie kinda needs to have already happened.

and that's the tea

[malspinningyarns]

Netflix can recast Francesca in Bridgerton because she was barely in the first two seasons to begin with and it’s always been a possibility that they’d recast Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth if they went on to the later Bridgerton books. I bet a lot of people won’t even notice that she’s being played by a new actress.

Recasting Henry Cavill in The Witcher is absolutely madness. Not only is he the main character in the show, he’s also the most famous person in the show so far. Like, they could have just not renewed.

[giuliet29]

i think Francesca’s debut is gonna be right at the beginning of the first episode of season 3 and they’re gonna make it super clear that that’s Francesca because the general audience may have not read the news about the recast

Before seeing the paparazzi photos i honestly thought they would have made her coming back in the house after being away like Colin did in S2 and everybody would have greeted her, so it looked like she’s was away and in the meantime she grew up, but that’s basically what Colin’s gonna do again in this season so i think they’re just gonna do the debut

[ivashkovadrian]

I have a feeling that all these leaked info about Henry Cavill and the attempt by the writers to paint Lauren Schmidt Hissrich as the best showrunner ever with no mistakes will backfire at them badly. We all had problems with s2, you too mentioned that they made some bad decisions, to try and defend everything and blame the fans who didn't get it or we are the minority or Cavill who tried to overruled them will only piss his fan base even more (and I think they underestimate how big it is) not to mention the book and game fans - if they are still watching after s3 - and they'll boycott the show. A nice word, "he is going to be missed but we hope we can continue and do better with the support of the fans" etc would give them at least a chance. Now I think the show is doomed and it's sad for the other actors.

I'm pretty sure it already backfired at them to some extent! Because a lot of fans are pissed. Henry was the heart of the show not because he played its lead but because he knows the story so well. There was a change.org petition that appeared shortly after the announcement and it gathered quickly enough tens of thousands of signatures!

Changing your lead and title actor three seasons in, for what seems to be no dire reason (i'm thinking of the tv show Spartacus where, I guess you might already know, they had to recast the lead actor because he was extremely sick and he did pass away very little after), is a massive red flag. Mishandling the fanbase afterwards? Bad bad bad bad. And we have to remember that Henry had said he was all in for the show's 7-8 seasons (according to the writers' plan) on the condition they respect the books. It reallyyyyyy doesn't take a genius to figure out something went awry, it isn't about just a DC paycheck (and that went down the drain).

I don't know if something new happened/leaked that prompted this ask (i am out of the loop about almost anything nowadays). The show is in no way perfect, and s2 truly is proof of that...i don't know the games nor the books but Yen's plot was horrendous in many ways, and when we hear that they initially wanted to make Roach's death a comedic scene.........yeah, NO.

I know I will watch s3. Many will, I believe. Beyond that...I am not so sure. And i fully agree it is a shame for the other actors. Anya is MAGNIFICENT as Yen, Freya is amazing, anyone can tell Joey was made for this role, and all the rest!!! Myanna and Anna are utterly killing it. I could go on (Francesca's actress who's doing a terrific job DESPITE BEING!!! WHITEWASHED!!!! Mahesh Jadu!!! Or the actor playing Stregobor--you want to beat him up SO BAD). I do hope they will all get more time to shine with proper storytelling

let's enjoy s3 as much as we can, at least we're not saying goodbye just yet...

[mejcinta]

In the first Bridgerton still it looks like the others are staring at someone in her debutant gown.. Francesca??? Or Pen????? What do you think????

Since the scene happens in the Bridgerton household, I guess it's Francesca. This would also serve as a good way to introduce Hannah Dodd as the new Fran (since she's a recast).

[viscountessevie]

I’d agree about the body type differences, Phoebe and Hannah are on the skinny (and as someone pointed out stereotypical period heroine) side whereas Ruby’s body type is like Florence Pugh’s which im not sure what the proper term is for. Ruby is shorter than Phoebe a bit but so is Florence, and between them Flo is the one I’d say is closer to Phoebe’s (and Hannah’s) body type so I get what that anon was saying about conventional attractiveness and wishing Fran’s new actress didn’t really fall under that

Thanks for the ask anon! Okay so I've seen this pop up a few times now. Before this ask, it was mentioned in my previous ask and I think that anon may have gotten it from a post in the main tag that I've seen before but for the life of me cannot find it right now. So if anyone sees that post mentioning Hannah not being like Ruby in physical likeness please do let me know in the comments thanks!

I just want to put this out there as a blanket statement: As someone who has always been skinny and not targeted to be ridiculed because of her weight, I feel like I'm not the best person to talk about this. So if anyone else better equipped wants to weigh in on this please feel free to do so!

That being said, here is my two cents: I kept googling the girls and comparing to see what 'different body type' I was missing because honestly the only thing I see is Ruby has a rounder face than Hannah and Phoebe. However, in this full length picture, she's looks to be my height and weight so I'd consider her skinny since her build reminds me of mine.

And to me personally, Florence Pugh is more curvier than any of the three Bridgerton girls.

As Trivia @hptriviachamp has mentioned in our discussions; "While she wished for better body diversity in bridgerton, neither Ruby nor Hannah fulfil that, and she's not gonna judge their acting ability by their looks- and that goes either way." And I feel the same way.

Would it have been great if we got more body diversity via Fran's new casting? Yeah! It would have been great to have a fat actress like Nicola or Barbie Ferreira to portray a character like Frannie. It would definitely minimise the villianising of plus size characters on the show through Penalty at the moment.

But we got Hannah Dodd and so there's no use wishing for someone else. Maybe we could get a curvy or plus size Sophie but we'll see!

My friends and I have speculated that the production team only wants Nicola and Penelope so that the spotlight can be shined on her as the token fat character sigh.

Relevant addition from Zara @jeanvanjer (with some edits from yours truly to make it flow better!): 

Plus size Sophie works if they’re not following her story in the book exactly. But (for Frannie) as a rich girl and one of the Bridgertons would’ve been perfect for that rep. Even in other countries, back in the day, being bigger or curvier was a sign that you were well off. As for existing rep in the show, we’ll only get Nicola who I hope doesn’t get pressured to lose some weight for intimate scenes. There’s also a problem in any sort of Media that there’s just specific type of Plus size that’s acceptable. I mean as far as “plus size” rep goes and not what should really be fat rep because aesthetically there’s a difference right?  This was an opportunity to show a diverse body type as a “diamond” Hannah is, I’m sure a wonderful actress, and deserves the role but there are definitely actors out there who are just as talented but don’t look like models. If they have an opportunity to recast a role, they should’ve been more conscious of how they could again positively represent a community that is always undermined especially when it comes to “aesthetics”. 

Overall, I'll say it's okay to be sad and wish for more body diversity in the show but I honestly don't think Ruby brought body diversity into the show in the first place.

Thanks again for the ask and if anyone who is actually plus size and wants to add on this - feel free to via reblogs or comments (because my ask box is flooding and I'm going close them soon! Thanks for understanding :))

[knackeredbint]

The first casting news about Season 3 of Bridgerton is out and it’s related to Francesca being recast. (I called that!). If you’re looking for Sophie news don’t bother. They’re going to do Polin. In my opinion, the best anyone can hope for with Sophie is that she will show up at the end of the season in the masquerade ball/final scene and it will be a surprise casting reveal.

[kepnerandavery]

i don't think it's a very unpopular opinion to be bummed about the lost potential of ruby stokes as francesca honestly, i personally am still sad that they just let her go (and ngl i still find the way that recasting news came out kinda sus). ruby had that quiet mysterious look to her that was perfect for fran and it really sucks that we won't get to see her play the role out in full

Me too. I think Ruby would have posted something about leaving the show if it was her decision. And I know that she's gonna play the lead in another show, but why would her team advice her to leave a show like Bridgerton which is globally popular at the moment if she was going to be getting to play an important role in the next season when the success of her new show is not guaranteed? Idk, something doesn't add up. And don't even get me started on how all of the Bridgerton sisters pretty much have the same body type now. I saw other people talking about that right when the casting was announced too. It seems logical since they are siblings, but it still makes me wonder why they didn't try to cast an actress that at least looks like Ruby a bit to show that she has gotten older in the next season. I'm sure Hannah will do the role justice cause she seems to be a good actress, but like you said, I always felt like Ruby was born to play Frannie. I guess we just have to let it go (like most of the things about this show tbh).

[viscountess-sharma]

Kinda sad they replaced Ruby but excited that they recast new actresses for the role which means they'll give Francesca a plot and more screen time next seasons. Totally hoping they'll announce the Stirling cousins cast next.

*fingers crossed*

Season 3 Franchael let's goooooo!!!

[thebluemallet]

Season 3 Predictions

Since Polin has been announced as the main couple for season 3, my previous list of "Things I'd Like to See in Season 3" is now better for season 4.

So here's some predictions now that it's confirmed that Polin will be taking center stage! (And I bet most if not all will be disproven).

This got long, so I'm putting it under the cut!

1- Penelope Cold Shoulder

The first time we see Colin approach Penelope at a party or a ball, he's going to be in for quite the shock of his life when his "Pen" addresses him as "Mr. Bridgerton" instead of Colin. Eloise isn't talking to Penelope, so she'll be of no help and Colin will try to visit the Featherington residence to call on Penelope and get answers.

2- Featherington Matchmaking (?)

There is a Featherington sister from the books who is absent from the show: Felicity Featherington. And in the book Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, Portia gets it into her head that if 33-year-old Colin Bridgerton decides to marry that year, he should marry early-20s Felicity Featherington. Since Felicity doesn't exist in the show, it's possible that Portia might take Colin coming to the Featherington residence the wrong way and try to push him towards Prudence.

3- Eloise Will Tell Colin About Penelope

From some comments Colin made in season 2 toward Eloise, I'm inclined to think that he suspects his sister of being Lady Whistledown. He confronts her in the book about this, too. But at this time, nobody knows about Penelope's alter ego.

I think in the show, Colin will confront Eloise about being Lady Whistledown. She'll deny it vehemently, they'll argue back and forth, and then she'll exclaim in a fit of anger: "I'm not Lady Whistledown! It's Penelope!"

Or he could find out on his own like he does in the book.

4- Another Baby Gender Swap

This is based entirely on Portia's reveal in the final episode of season 2 that the first of her girls to bear a son will automatically inherit the title of "Lord Featherington" instead of Cousin Jack. I think that season 3 could end with Penelope and Colin and a baby. In the books, their first child is a girl named Agatha in honor of Lady Danbury. While I sincerely hope they keep baby Agatha, it's not outside the realm of possibility that they'll have a son first instead. They've already done this with Daphne having a son named Augie instead of a girl named Amelia like in the books.

So instead of Agatha being the firstborn (again, I hope they don't change this, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did), maybe their son Thomas would be.

5- Masquerade (?)

So far Bridgerton has done a build up to/foreshadowing of the next season's couple alongside the main couple's storyline with both of their seasons. If they continue with this trend, it's entirely possible that the masquerade ball where Benedict meets Sophie could be in this season. Maybe in the final episode? That could allow for a time cut in season 4 and maybe some flashbacks to Sophie's childhood and how she got to the ball.

This one honestly seems the least likely to me and they'll probably hold off until season 4 for the masquerade. But who knows?

6- Introducing John Stirling (and maybe Michael)

I was not surprised by the Francesca recasting news. The actress seems in high demand. I believe they intended for her to be in more episodes in season 2, but conflicts with other projects meant she was only in 3 episodes. And since she landed the lead role in a different show and Francesca's storyline won't come around until much later, it's understandable that she'd want to take the opportunity instead of being a background character for the next couple of years.

With Francesca being recast with an older actress, I think we'll see more of her in the show. Season 3 will be the perfect opportunity for Francesca to debut and be presented to Queen Charlotte. Then her subplot, while the Polin drama is going on, can be her relatively tame romance and engagement to John Stirling, Earl of Kilmartin. And if John is introduced this season, maybe a later entry into the season will be Michael Stirling.

I can't wait for 2023, where all of my predictions will be proven wrong.