Bridgerton is back for its highly anticipated fourth season, turning the spotlight on Benedict Bridgerton’s long-awaited love story. Based on Julia Quinn’s An Offer from a Gentleman, the new chapter follows the charmingly commitment-averse Benedict (Luke Thompson) as he falls for the enigmatic Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) - a maid who slips into a glittering masquerade ball and changes his life forever. According to Emma Naomi, the "chemistry" between the pair is undeniable, teasing a romance that feels both sweeping and deeply real.
But season four isn’t just about new love - it also marks a major shift for the wider Bridgerton universe. Emma hints at a "real change" ahead, including what she calls the biggest transformation yet for her own character, Alice Mondrich. Married to Will Mondrich (Martins Imhangbe), Alice’s journey is set to take an unexpected turn, one that Emma promises will surprise audiences.
When we meet Emma for our Cosmopolitan UK fashion shoot, she’s effortlessly sweet, chilled and refreshingly self-aware, admitting she’s naturally shy - that is, until the cameras start rolling. In front of the lens, she completely transforms, looking just as stunning in sharp tailored fits as she does radiating quiet confidence.
Here, she reflects on how different she is from Alice, why she secretly wishes she were more like her, as well as what's to come from season four.
Without giving too much away, what can viewers expect from Alice on season 4 of Bridgerton?
Emma Naomi: Alice is going to go on one of the hugest shifts in a character's fate of the Bridgerton universe - I think I can say that. And I feel it too as an actor. It's very exciting and very scary for her. She's knocked off her centre. She's always been very rooted, and knows who she is. And I feel since season three, there's a lot of changes being thrown at her which challenge her values.
What are you excited for viewers to see?
Emma Naomi: I really love the chemistry between Luke and Yerin. I should say Benedict and Sophie. I think everyone is going to really, really love this season. There's a real change in what we're seeing and the kind of conversations and relationships we're seeing this season. You could say that we're let into a whole other side of the social playground. For Alice, she's thrown in the deep end. Let's see if she will sink or swim.
How has Alice evolved since you first landed the role?
Emma Naomi: If you were to tell me that this is where this character would be going, I wouldn't believe you. And if you were to tell Alice that this is what her life would end up like, I don't think she would believe you either. It's one of the biggest changes, if not the biggest change, that a character sees in the series.
How do you get back into character after months away from filming?
Emma Naomi: I watch the show because I think it's helpful to see where she fits and how their [Alice and Will's] relationship is captured. I speak a lot with Martins Imhangbe. We talk a lot before shooting, flesh out our background again, try and remind each other what we discovered, ask questions about what we're going to do now, and we rehearse. So that's always great, because I feel like they are such a team as characters.
What part of Alice's personality do you connect with most?
Emma Naomi: What I like about her, which I don't think I am, to be honest, is she's very sure of who she is, and very, very grounded. She doesn't really apologise for herself and I love that about her. I wish I was a bit more like that. But I guess that means it's more fun for me to step into her shoes. What do I actually connect with her about? We're both original working class Londoners and we have those values.
Alice wasn't originally part of the books - does this put pressure on you as you don't have the books as a reference unlike some of the other characters?
Emma Naomi: I'm really grateful because it means that I can be creative without feeling bound to an idea. What helped me was that filming had already started [for season one], and I joined in episode five. So I could only really learn from Will Mondrich, who is actually Bill Richmond, the historical character. He was real and we just tried to create something out of that. And the clothes really helped.
How did you find the costumes for season 4?
Emma Naomi: Season one was very, very easy, because it was all very loose fitting and heavy, and I had a lot of physical freedom. And then, as the social status changed, first of all, Alice was wearing very uncomfortable clothes, heavy clothes, unsuitable clothes, because it was what she inherited from her aunt and that was good, because it made me feel like I didn't fit in, which is exactly how she felt. The clothes literally were not fitting. And then this season was really varied, very different. Some of it was completely empowering, and some of it was literally very difficult, because it's so tight and it requires a different posture. But I thought the struggle was helpful because it's completely alien to Alice. She has to find a way to make it work, which was the same journey that I was going through as Emma.
Who are you closest to from the cast?
Emma Naomi: I think Martins. All of my scenes are with him and have been for six years. I also really like Hugh Sachs [who plays Brimsley]. He's actually the only one I hang out with outside. We go on a lot of theatre dates together and walks. He's very funny.
What have been some of your best memories from set over the years?
Emma Naomi: Martins and Daniel Francis [who plays Marcus Anderson] are very funny together. In the breaks when we're having a coffee, there is sometimes a moment when you're filming a ballroom scene where you go a little bit crazy because you've been filming the same thing for six or seven days. You just go past the point and you're laughing all the time. Them two together, they're always laughing and they're always joking, and there's a part of me that thinks they are very funny, but also, because I'm very tired, they're even more fun. It's kind of like you're delirious. Gia-Rayne Harris, who directed one of the ballroom scenes would just put on the best music during breaks, so we all did the candy like 100 of us, which was great. Once, I tried to get everybody to do this famous TikTok dance (to 'Boots on the Ground') but I wasn't really selling it because I'm too shy. Can you imagine how good that would be with all of us with the corsets and fans?
What would your ideal story arc for Alice be?
Emma Naomi: I would like to see the origin story of Will and Alice, so how they fell in love. I think that would be cool. In terms of where it's going now, I'd like to meet some more of her family. I don't know what's yet around the corner in terms of does she have any sisters? Who are her parents? What kind of background does she come from, and what would they do now that she has elevated status? I think that would be very interesting to explore.
What would you be your dream role?
Emma Naomi: I would really like to have a go at some Greek tragedy. I would love to play Medea. It's a very challenging role. I studied it in drama school. It's a harrowing story, but it's a phenomenal part to play that not a lot of women ever get the chance to and I would love to give the people might take on it.
Do you still get nervous before new roles and playing Alice?
Emma Naomi: All the time. Any new character is terrifying to play because I haven't figured it out yet. It's always scary because I'm completely vulnerable and we hope that we're doing a good job but we don't know for sure. I don't think anyone ever knows for sure. It's like, 'Did you do the character justice? Did I believe it? Do I always believe it?' I don't think that's ever going to change for me. That's something I know I'm just going to have to live with that I'm always nervous apart from maybe one character that I felt very settled in and that was Lisa Donckers from Professor T.
Bridgerton season 4, part one is out now on Netflix.
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Photography: Melanie Lehmann. Senior Fashion Editor: Rebecca Jane Hill. Hair: Dionne Smith; makeup: Joy Adenuga, both at Forward Artists. Manicurist: Cherrie Snow. Bookings director: Sophie Leen. Entertainment and lifestyle director: Grace Henry. Fashion assistant: Nana Kiyoshige. Photo assistant: Caterina Castro. Digital operator: Francesca Albarosa
