Bridgerton showrunner talks approaching Benedict’s "beautiful" queer storyline

Over the course of previous Bridgerton seasons, fans have come to know Benedict (Luke Thompson) as the bohemian brother marching to the beat of his own drum.

Last season saw the exploration of Benedict's queer storyline with Paul Suarez (Lucas Aurelio), and this season sees Benedict fall deeply in love with maid Sophie (Yerin Ha).

All doe-eyed and in love, it's hard to believe that Benedict was once having to be woken from his slumber (alongside his bedfellow) by his mother and forced to uphold his familial and societal duties.

Well, fans get a heartwarming look into Benedict's thoughts about sexuality and society's parameters in the new batch of Bridgerton episodes – and it's an important scene for the show's queer fans, as well as showrunner Jess Brownell.

The scene in question sees Benedict tell Sophie: "Society should not be allowed to dictate the rules of how one lives life. Or who one loves... I am capable of caring for you, just as I have cared for women I have known who are of the ton. Just as I have cared for some men whom I have known intimately. And I refuse to be at all ashamed about that."

While Sophie looks away and takes a moment to collect her thoughts, she simply smiles at Benedict and says: "Love is always a thing to be proud of. The world needs more of it."

It's clearly something that Benedict is relieved to hear as he takes a deep breath and confesses his love for Sophie, saying it's greater than anything he's ever felt before.

Speaking exclusively to Radio Times about the scene and why it was an important one to nail, Brownell said: "I think for those of us who identify as queer and are attracted to multiple genders, no matter who we end up with, we will always identify as queer, it’s a part of our identity.

"For Benedict to tell Sophie every part of himself and be completely embraced and loved for who he is, that’s the only form of true love. Any version of love where you are hiding a part of yourself or not being accepted for a part of yourself, that wouldn’t be the happily ever after that we wanted for Ben and Sophie."

She added: "And I think there’s reciprocity with Benedict knowing about Sophie’s past and being like, ‘I don’t care, you know, I love you and accept you’. So, I felt like it was a beautiful moment for the two of them to see, acknowledge and accept each other.”

Read more:

• Adjoa Andoh details how Bridgerton’s diversity in front of and behind the camera is "really wonderful"
• Bridgerton’s Yerin Ha explains how surprise end credits scene is touching nod to Sophie’s story

Although Benedict wasn't the focus of season 3, his storyline was explored as he developed a relationship with Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) and then, with Paul as well.

Previously speaking about having the opportunity to explore his character's sexuality in season 3 part 2, Thompson told Bustle: "He seems to approach his feelings in a spirit of curiosity. There’s very little angst about it. It’s refreshing to see someone tackle that side of themselves without anxiety about who they are and what it means."

He added: "By our modern terms, the closest [descriptor] would be something along the lines of pansexuality — being attracted to the way that someone thinks and feels, regardless of gender. That’s a word that could be used. But what’s refreshing about it, certainly in the way that it’s being discovered at the moment, is that there is a sense of labelless-ness about it."

Bridgerton season 1-4 are available to watch on Netflix now. You can buy the Bridgerton book series on Amazon.

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