‘Bridgerton’ Star Luke Thompson Reveals Whether or Not He Took Jonathan Bailey’s Advice Ahead of Season 4: “It’s a Slightly Different Romantic Hero”

Luke Thompson knows the moment he understood that Bridgerton was something special. It was all the way back when he watched the Netflix hit’s very first episode and he heard Vitamin String Quartet’s now iconic cover of Ariana Grande‘s “thank u next” kick up while co-stars Jonathan Bailey and Phoebe Dynevor strutted around a ballroom.

“It really stays with me,” Thompson said during his December 2025 visit to the DECIDER studio in Midtown Manhattan. “Just because I really remember watching that episode and thinking, ‘Oh, this show’s a thing.’ Like, it’s so coherent as a little universe. Do you know what I mean?”

“I was like, ‘That’s so quintessentially Bridgerton.’ And obviously, at that time, we didn’t know what Bridgerton was, but, just like walking around the room, promenading, introducing people to suitors with Ariana Grande there going on in the background with a string quartet… Like I just remember that.”

Since Bridgerton‘s debut on Netflix all the way back on Christmas Day 2020, Luke Thompson has been known world-wide as Benedict Bridgerton, the second-born Bridgerton sibling. Benedict is the bohemian brother, the artist, the free spirit who can’t be tamed. While half of his eight siblings have fallen in love and gotten married, Benedict has resisted being tied down in any way whatsoever. Past seasons have seen him pursuing his dreams of being a painter and exploring his bisexuality. Now, though, a certain “Lady in Silver” is about to enter his life, making him this season’s new leading man.

Bridgerton Season 4 tackles the events of Julia Quinn’s third Bridgerton book, An Offer from a Gentleman. In that book, Benedict meets a beguiling lady at his mother’s masquerade ball. He and the mystery woman hit it off and even share a scandalous kiss before she rushes away when the clock strikes midnight. If you weren’t already picking up on the Cinderella tropes, it turns out that Benedict’s beloved “Lady in Silver” is actually Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), a deceased nobleman’s daughter forced to work in service by her villainous stepmother, Lady Araminta Gun (Katie Leung).

Benedict might throw himself into the search for his dream girl, but when he does finally meet Sophie, he sees her only as a maid. The two become close without him ever making the connection! This leads to some of the most playful (and funny) flirtatious banter in all of Bridgerton, allowing Luke Thompson to show off his mettle as a classic rom-com hero.

“I was really pleased, actually, when I first read the scripts,” Thompson said, “because I think when you read the book, it’s quite funny.”

“Obviously he doesn’t know that she’s the ‘Lady in Silver’ and all of that, so they have this really slightly teasing relationship. Which is a really nice thing to play.”

When Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 (Episodes 1-4) debuts on Netflix on Thursday, January 29, the whole world will get to know Benedict Bridgerton — and Luke Thompson — a whole lot better. Every season of Bridgerton so far has catapulted its lead couple into the global zeitgeist, sparking viral memes, countless crushes, and intense interest in the new stars of the season.

Bridgerton Season 2 star Jonathan Bailey (aka PEOPLE‘s currently reigning Sexiest Man Alive) famously sent Season 3 male lead Luke Newton secret advice for navigating the intensity of taking center stage in the Shondaland hit. While both actors vowed to pass this “code” on to the next Bridgerton at bat, Luke Thompson revealed that he decided to do things his own way.

“I mean, I knew that the advice would be there should I want it, I think. But I guess they didn’t need to give me advice, as well, because I’d watched them for three seasons,” Thompson said. “I’ve seen how amazingly they’ve done it in their own way. So to be able to just sort of soak it up like that, but then also just do it my own way and see how I think.”

“I knew they would have been they would absolutely have offered advice — and it was nice to know it was a possibility — but I think I like to work it out on my own.”

Luke Thompson revealing if he got the Bridgerton “code” from Jonathan Bailey and Luke Newton.

Thompson went on to explain that what’s so great about Bridgerton is that “every time it’s a slightly different romantic hero.”

“That’s what’s so great about the show, is that it alters slightly every time,” he said. “So yeah, yeah, I mean, I knew they would have been they would absolutely have offered advice — and it was nice to know it was a possibility — but I think I like to work it out on my own.”

When DECIDER pointed out this was very “Benedict” of Thompson, choosing his own way to tackle being a Bridgerton, he simply smiled and shrugged.

Luke Thompson wasn’t the only Bridgerton star to visit DECIDER last month. Hannah Dodd, who took over the role of Francesca in Season 3 joined him.

Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell divided fans last season by introducing same sex love interests for both Benedict and Francesca in Season 3. While Benedict confirmed his bisexuality in a threesome with fabulous widow Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) and her queer lover Paul Suarez (Lucas Aurelio), Francesca seemingly panicked to realize she was attracted to her new husband Lord Kilmartin’s (Victor Alli) stunning cousin Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza).

When DECIDER asked the actors if they had bonded over the fact that they are the first two Bridgerton siblings to explore queer romances, they realized they hadn’t — but would love their characters to do so.

“I mean, we’re funny sort of grouping, in terms of our characters because we don’t have many scenes together. And I think in a strange kind of way, we are tiptoeing around each other as siblings, I think, in the show,” Thompson said. “Which is interesting because I think it is partly like there’s a little bit of uncertainty about the other, maybe.”

While Thompson confirmed that there isn’t a scene where the two siblings bond in the show (yet), Dodd hoped it would happen down the line on screen.

“I think it’ll be interesting because even doing these interviews, we’re like, ‘We’re really similar. We like really have like a lot in common.’ So it would be nice to explore that together,” Dodd said. “But I think it’s just unfortunately within the time period, as well. It’s something that is kept so quiet. So that’s probably an element of why I don’t think Francesca is fully understanding yet.”

Thompson might not have needed his Bridgerton siblings’ advice in real life, but he immediately saw how Francesca could benefit from Benedict’s encouragement in the show.

“In a way, Benedict would be quite a good person to talk to,” Thompson said. “It’s sort of this slightly striking element about the character is that [his bisexuality] doesn’t feel something that gives him a lot of angst. Like his sexuality isn’t necessarily really tied to his identity in a way that I find quite interesting.”

“So actually, he’d be quite a good person [for Francesca to confide in],” he said.

“He’d be great…really great,” Dodd said.

“He’d be like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know, either. It doesn’t matter,” Thompson said, imagining his free-thinking, kind-hearted character’s thoughts.

When Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 debuts on Netflix in two weeks, the world will finally get to see Benedict Bridgerton meet the love of his life at a masquerade. They’ll also get to see Benedict shed his own mask for the first time. Not just the one he wears to the party to look mysterious and dashing, but the one he’s kept firmly in place these past three seasons so no one truly can see his pure, open heart.

Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 is coming to Netflix on January 29.