Bridgerton: Michaela Stirling actress says she doesn’t feel like she’s ‘playing a queer quality’ with role

Actress Masali Baduza is reflecting on entering the Ton as Michaela Stirling, one of Bridgerton’s only LGBTQ+ characters. 

After making her first appearance in season three in 2024, Michaela Stirling has been upgraded to the main cast for season four, and she’s made plenty of waves already. 

Introduced as the cousin of Lord John Stirling (Victor Alli), Michaela Stirling is keen to spice things up. She’s a typical rake, bringing buckets of charisma and a little chaos to the show’s elegant proceedings. After meeting John’s wife Francesca (Hannah Dodd), it’s clear that the pair have a spark.

In the Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn, Michaela is Michael. No spoilers here, but events transpire that bring Francesca and Michael closer and closer together.

For the Netflix adaptation, Michael has been gender-swapped, with Baduza taking on the big role. When the gender-swapped role was announced, it caused a fair amount of ruckus and yawn-inducing outrage online, with some fans bemoaning the fact that Francesca would likely soon be entering into a queer romance with Michaela.

While the relationship didn’t become fully realised in season four, by the final episode, the stage had been set, and it looks like Bridgerton season five will bring us the show’s first explicit LGBTQ+ romance between leading characters.

Speaking to Metro recently though, Stirling said that while she’s “excited” to see how the romance plays out, she doesn’t necessarily feel like she’s “playing a queer quality” when embodying Michaela. 

Baduza said that she “loves” taking on the typically male rake stereotype, but that Michaela Stirling is “just who she is”.

“They just are who they are,” Baduza said of Michaela and Francesca. “I don’t think I’m necessarily playing a queer quality, I think she is just who she is.”

However, she added that she’s “excited to see where [their relationship] goes”.

“It wasn’t accepted [at the time]. It’s still hard to be accepted today, but I just feel like we’re living in this fantasy world of Bridgerton, and everyone deserves a happily ever after,” she added.

Dodd agreed that it’s “really nice” to be able to bring some LGBTQ+ representation to the world of Bridgerton, following on from Benedict Bridgerton, who identifies as pansexual, according to his actor Luke Thompson.

Speaking to Refinery29, Baduza explained that she is “proud” to be making Michaela and Francesca’s romance queer through her role in the show, despite what Bridgerton book purists might say.

“I understand that the Bridgerton book fans are very passionate about these characters, and I am too. I love Michaela so much, and I am just very proud to tell the story alongside Hannah,” Baduza said.

“I think everyone’s story deserves to be told, and in Bridgerton, a lot of the characters are growing into themselves and learning new things about themselves. I think that the show accepts that, I think it’s important for everyone else to accept that too, and hopefully that can be reflected back into society.”

She again that she was “excited” to see the story told in future seasons, adding: “Everyone deserves to be represented.”

Bridgerton is streaming on Netflix now.

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