JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The latest installment of "Bridgerton" is a Regency era Cinderella story. At the center is Sophie.
YERIN HA: Sophie is an illegitimate child to Lord Penwood. And I think she's someone who really constantly struggles with her identity. She was born to a nobleman and then later finds out that her mother was a maid.
SUMMERS: That's Yerin Ha, who plays Sophie Baek in this season of the show, the love interest of Benedict Bridgerton. After her father's death, Sophie is forced to work as a maid by her stepmother.
HA: But one night, her fellow friends tell her to dream and have her one night of fantasy. And so she goes to a masquerade ball at the Bridgerton house. And her night changes her life forever, I think.
SUMMERS: This season of "Bridgerton" takes a different approach, centering itself not just on the Bridgerton family and the siblings' search for love. It puts the people who serve the ton as well as issues of workers' rights front and center.
HA: This is the first time in "Bridgerton" where we're really going under to the downstairs world.
SUMMERS: When I spoke with Yerin Ha, I asked her about the way that expanded the story.
HA: I think, you know, with the class disparity and really exploring that, I really do think it deepens the "Bridgerton" story. I think it makes it potentially more relatable for people. It's not just about privileged romance, actually. I think it touches on romance perhaps on more of a universal level, perhaps.
And, you know, for me, I think what really fascinated me as well, in touching Sophie and exploring her, is about the constant code-switching, actually, that you have to do. And I think that's something that I know I personally relate with, especially when you're dealing with different people in different relationships and environments and what that looks like. And, yeah, I think it just grounds "Bridgerton" - makes the obstacle a bit more at the surface, if that makes sense, of, like, how are these two people going to fall in love?
SUMMERS: Talk a little bit more about that code-switching that you mentioned that Sophie has to do as she's kind of navigating these two different but inextricable worlds that she finds herself in.
HA: Yeah. I mean, you know, I know with myself, I think with any character that I do, I constantly think about ways of bringing my own experience to it. And I think I'm very aware of perhaps the code-switching that happens - whether it's subconscious or consciously - about, you know, when she's in her private space, how does she react? When she's in a space where she's serving someone, how does she react versus when she's in a public space with her friends, versus public space with someone who's of a higher rank?
It's constant, not just mannerisms, but also the way you talk, also the way that you hold yourself. It's constant - you know, I think humans adapt to certain situations and environments constantly. We're putting on different parts of ourselves, or especially with this season, I feel like certain masks, you know, to be in certain situations that make you thrive or survive.
SUMMERS: Yerin, I want to talk a little bit about your background. I understand that it was your grandmother who inspired you to pursue acting.
HA: Yeah.
SUMMERS: Tell us about her.
HA: Yeah, she's been mainly a theater actress. So when I was young, I would try and visit Korea like every once a year to see my grandparents. And she was always doing some kind of play. And when I - I remember she did this one-woman play. I don't remember quite the age I was. But she was playing a single mom, and she was - especially this one scene where she was holding a pillow. And she was - basically, the audience has to suspend disbelief that that pillow was essentially her baby and she was crying.
And I remember the audience just all sobbing and being there with her, reciprocating what she was giving and them giving her the energy in real time. And I was so in awe of the fact that that is, A, an occupation that you can do, and B, about the power of storytelling and how it makes you feel so connected as a community through art. And so, yeah, I think I got a lot of inspiration. And a bit of that acting bug rubbed off on me through her.
SUMMERS: This season of "Bridgerton" is based on the Julia Quinn novel "An Offer From A Gentleman." And in the book, Sophie's last name is Beckett, but in the show, it's Baek. And there's this certain power in the names that we choose and changing a name like this. Tell us the story behind how that came to be.
HA: Yeah, it was a really simple conversation, actually. I remember after I booked the role, Jess Brownell, the showrunner, wanted to have a Zoom call with me just to discuss the character and the arc of the season. And she just quickly mentioned, oh, by the way, like, you know, we're going to change the last name, Beckett, to a Korean surname. So do you know any Korean names that start with B? And I was like, Beckett - what's something that, you know, sounds similar but starts with B?
And so I immediately thought of Baek. And they kind of rolled with that ever since. And it was nothing more than that in terms of a conversation, which I really appreciated, you know? You know, in the books, obviously, she's described as a blonde woman with green eyes. I don't have those features. I'm of Korean heritage. And so for them to just be like, yeah, it makes sense, cool, you know? And there's no overexplanation of that.
It is like them going, of course, we're going to make it to fit you. You're the leading lady that we cast and we wanted, so we wanted to honor that. And it is so nice because it's just a simple change, but it means it's a celebration of my identity, of who I am and me not having to fit this mold or description that is not who I am, you know? So it's a slight change but I do think it is significant, and also, I think really shows the industry that, you know, it can be so simple. It doesn't have to be that hard.
SUMMERS: Yerin, four episodes of the show are out now, and there are more on their way. And when we leave Sophie and Benedict, they are at a bit of a crossroads and Sophie is left with a choice. I don't want to give too much away here.
HA: Yeah.
SUMMERS: But help us out. What might be next for Sophie and Benedict?
HA: I think it's a bit more of a tug-of-war (laughter) situation. I remember finishing Episode 4 and thinking, I don't even know how he's going to redeem himself or how they're going to make things work out because, you know, Sophie doesn't back down. She has a feisty side to her. And I think the cliffhanger that we're left with, it really makes Sophie's walls go back up that I think he worked so hard trying to bring down. So I think you're going to see him trying to knock them down even harder and try even harder. And we'll see if he succeeds or not.
SUMMERS: I can't wait. Actor Yerin Ha plays Sophie Baek in "Bridgerton" Season 4. Thank you so much.
HA: Thank you. Thanks.
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