Bridgerton’s author Julia Quinn spoke out about the comments made about having a queer cast which is opposite to what the book characters are like in an Instagram post made on June 25.
“Many Bridgerton fans have expressed their surprise, and for some, disappointment in the twist at the end of Bridgerton Season 3–that Michael Stirling, with whom Francesca eventually falls in love in When He Was Wicked, would instead be Michaela. Anyone who has seen an interview with me from the past four years knows that I am deeply committed to the Bridgerton world becoming more diverse and inclusive as the stories move from book to screen. But switching the gender of a major character is a huge change, and so when Jess Brownell first approached me with the idea of turning Michael into Michaela for the show, I needed more information before conferring my agreement,” the 54-year-old noted.
The whole conrtrovesy began after Franchesca Bridgerton’s – played by Hannah Dodd – love interest was gender swapped to a woman, Michaela Sterling – played Masali Baduza – , when in the books it was a male. “ I trust Shondaland’s vision for Bridgerton, but I wanted to be sure that we could remain true to the spirit of the book and of the characters. Jess and I talked for a long time about it. More than once. I made it clear that it was extremely important to me that Francesca’s abiding love for John be shown on screen… I didn’t want to just tell the reader that they loved him. I wanted the reader to feel it.”
She continued her post with “Honestly, it may pack even more of a punch, since John is getting a lot more time on the screen than he ever did on the page, and I think it’s fair to say we’ve all fallen a little bit in love with him…I am grateful for your understanding and touched by your deep commitment to the characters of the Bridgerton world.”
“I ask that you grant me and the Shondaland team some faith as we move forward. I think we are going to end up with two stories, one on page and one on screen, and they will both be beautiful and moving,” she concluded her statement.