"I Just Want to Do a Good Job": Hannah Dodd Opens Up About Joining "Bridgerton"
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Hannah Dodd will replace Ruby Stokes in the forthcoming third season of "Bridgerton," stepping into the shoes of Francesca, the third youngest member of the Bridgerton family. In a July 30 interview with TVLine, the actor shared some of her thoughts about taking on the role. "I'm so excited," Dodd told the outlet. "Everybody's been so lovely. I just want to do a good job," she said, adding that she has read six of Julia Quinn's eight-book "Brigerton" series, beginning with Francesca's. In the series, Francesca's book is titled "When He Was Wicked."
"I didn't know what I'd got myself in for, but I needed to read that as soon as possible," she said. "It's such a beautiful book and she's such a beautiful character. I can't really believe that I get to play her. I know how people feel about her as well, so I'm going to do my best."
Before Dodd has the chance to star in her own season, she'll appear in the third season, which revolves around Nicola Coughlan's character, Penelope. In the interview, Dodd added that she "really enjoyed Colin and Penelope's story" and is "really looking forward to seeing how that pans out in our version."
Pinning down their Francesca has been a challenge for the "Bridgerton" team. Stokes, the original Francesca, only appeared on screen in the role a few times but is exiting the series to star in the Netflix show "Lockwood & Co." "I love Francesca, but we lost her midway through season two," "Bridgerton" creator and showrunner Chris Van Dusen said to TVLine in March of Stokes's departure. "After exhausting all other options, she unfortunately had to come out due to reasons beyond our control." Francesca's recasting signals that her character will hopefully have more screen time in coming seasons.
With Francesca, Dodd certainly has an interesting character to delve into, especially if she'll be able to star in her own season. Francesca is "a bit of a mystery within her chatty, extroverted family," reads a description released by the series. "Despite her reserved nature, she goes along to get along when it comes to society affairs, fortified with a dry wit and pragmatism that confound the fickle ton yet seem to draw attention when she least desires it." Dodd, who will be taking on the role, is a relative mystery as well — at least for now. Read on to learn more about her.
Hannah Dodd Grew Up in the UK
The 26-year-old actor was born on May 17, 1995, in London. She studied at the Ormiston Sudbury Academy in Sudbury, Suffolk, where she starred in many musicals and plays.
Hannah Dodd Is a Professionally Trained Dancer
It seems that like all the onscreen "Bridgerton" sisters, Dodd possesses a wide variety of refined talents — dance chiefly among them.
"I've danced since I was two years old and I trained professionally for four years at professional dance school, I always wanted to be a professional dancer before going into acting. So, I do dance. I love dancing," she told Marie Claire UK in March 2021. Her dancing abilities earned her a part in "Find Me in Paris," for which she had to sharpen up her skills. "Any dancer reading this will understand that there is a difference between being a jazz dancer and an elite Paris Opera ballet dancer [like in "Find Me in Paris"], so I had to work extremely hard!" she said.
Dodd was the principal lead dancer in the 2014 Burberry Christmas Advert, which starred Romeo Beckham. She also studied dance theater in college, finishing a dissertation on dance for the London Studio Centre in 2017.
Hannah Dodd Has Worked as a Professional Model
Dodd was first signed as a model at the age of 16. Her first major modeling gig was a stint alongside Romeo Beckham for Burberry, and she is a top model for Select Model Management. She's also appeared in ads for New Look, Topshop, Babylis, Apricot, and Olay.
Hannah Dodd Was in "Anatomy of a Scandal" and Several Other Shows
Dodd began her acting career as Thea in "Find Me in Paris" and has since gone on to take on an increasingly impressive list of roles. She's been in "Harlots" and "Eternals," and she portrayed a young version of Sophie on"Anatomy of a Scandal." She also appears in "Enola Holmes 2" alongside Millie Bobby Brown. Still, her newest gig is certain to be her biggest one yet, especially if she gets her own season as Francesca.