Why Francesca Bridgerton Was Recast In Season 3 & Who Plays Her Now

Summary Francesca Bridgerton was recast due to actress Ruby Stokes' scheduling conflicts with other series.

Stokes left Bridgerton because she was starring in Lockwood & Co., leading to her character's absence in season 2.

New actress Hannah Dodd joins Bridgerton as Francesca in season 3, offering a fresh take on the character.

Bridgerton season 3 has got a new Francesca Bridgerton, with the role being recast after two seasons. Ruby Stokes played Francesca, the sixth child and third daughter in the Bridgerton family, in season 1 and season 2. However, Bridgerton hasn’t really focused at all on Francesca as a character because Stokes disappeared onscreen each season. Francesca returned from Bath at the end of season 1, where she was visiting with her Aunt Winnie for most of the year. Bridgerton season 2’s ending didn’t explain where Francesca was at all, she merely stopped appearing after a certain point with no explanation.

It became a bit easier to ignore Francesca’s absence in Bridgerton because she wasn’t as developed a character as the rest of her siblings, and there were more than enough storylines to contend with already. However, Bridgerton needed time to explore Francesca before establishing her romance. And if Stokes could no longer commit to the role, a Francesca recast for Bridgerton season 3 was the best option. A recast also meant that Stokes had to leave the Netflix series permanently, though it allowed her character to finally move forward and receive a full storyline.

Ruby Stokes Left The Role Of Francesca Bridgerton For Another Show

The actress had other acting commitments besides Bridgerton

Ruby Stokes left the role of Francesca Bridgerton because she had a leading role in another series, the supernatural mystery thriller Lockwood & Co., in which she portrayed the character of Lucy Carlyle. In fact, Stokes’ absence in Bridgerton season 2 was primarily due to scheduling conflicts between the two shows. By May 2023, however, Lockwood & Co. was canceled, but the role of Francesca Bridgerton had already been recast and filming for Bridgerton season 3 had already concluded.

Ruby Stokes appears as Francesca Bridgerton in the first two episodes of Bridgerton season 1 and the first three episodes of season 2. That's 5 episodes in total throughout the first two seasons.

But it wasn’t only Lockwood & Co.’s filming schedule that was in conflict with Bridgerton’s. Stokes was also cast in the series The Burning Girls, which filmed at the same time as Bridgerton season 3 in late 2022. Stokes couldn’t commit to the romance series, unfortunately, so she had to exit. If Stokes had not left Bridgerton ahead of season 3, who knows what may have happened to Francesca’s character and story. Replacing Stokes in the role of Francesca is Hannah Dodds, who brings the overlooked Bridgerton front and center in season 3.

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Who Is Hannah Dodd? Where You Know Bridgerton's New Francesca Actress From

Hannah Dodd has had a handful of interesting roles before starring in Bridgerton

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Hannah Dodd was cast as Francesca Bridgerton in May 2022, a couple of months before filming on Bridgerton season 3 began. Dodd’s Francesca is more than Daphne’s Bridgerton replacement, and season 3 showcases just how different she is from the rest of her talkative and headstrong siblings. Dodd joins the rest of the Bridgerton season 3 cast and makes her own mark. But Bridgerton is not Dodd’s first acting gig, though she did begin as a model before becoming an actress. Dodd has appeared in plenty of movies and TV shows that are familiar to readers, including Hulu’s Harlots.

Movie/TV Show Hannah Dodd Appeared In Role She Played Find Me in Paris (2018) Dorothea Raphael Harlots (2018) Sophia Fitzwilliam Fighting with My Family (2019) Townie Pandora (2020) Jennifer Eternals (2021) Sandra Anatomy of a Scandal (2022) Young Sophie Whitehouse Enola Holmes 2 (2022) Sarah Chapman Flowers in the Attic: The Origin (2022) Corinne Foxworth Bridgerton (2024) Francesca Bridgerton

That includes playing Sarah Chapman in the Millie Bobby Brown vehicle Enola Holmes 2. Dodd’s character was a matchstick factory worker who is based on a real person. The actress also portrayed a young Sophie in the series Anatomy of a Scandal. Additionally, Dodd played Sandra in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Eternals, a woman Sprite emulated. Besides these projects, Dodd was also a series regular in the first two seasons of Find Me in Paris, and had a recurring role in season 3. Starring as Francesca in Bridgerton season 3 will likely be Dodd’s most popular role to date.