As Hannah Dodd Portrays Francesca in Bridgerton, She Opens Up About Filming Emotional Grief Scenes: ‘I Had to Hold Back Tears’

Acting is not easy in different emotional scenes. Hannah Dodd recalls auditioning “quite intensely” when she was shooting for the first season of “Bridgerton.” The English actress was working on the role of Daphne Bridgerton. It is one of the protagonists in Season 1 of the period romance series. However, it was fated that Dodd lost the role to Phoebe Dynevor as a few years later Dodd was invited to film a self-tape for a “very secretive” project.

She described filming specific scenes as “overwhelming,” noting that she had to break between takes to regain composure. It is all about connecting the feeling with the character meant to draw on the real feeling. The inner feelings make the performance even special.

Speaking in a recent interview, Dodd shared that stepping into Francesca’s ride required deep emotional preparation, mainly as the character experiences deep grief and personal loss. The actress explained that while the show is popular for romance, glamour, and fulsome Regency-era settings, Francesca’s storyline shares a quieter, highly introspective emotional arc. Francesca Bridgerton's character is about exploring love, heartbreak, and resilience.

According to showrunner Jess Brownell, speaking later over Zoom from Los Angeles, “We had seen hundreds of people and no one had felt quite right,”.

He also added “We saw Hannah really late in the process and we instantly knew. She is such a subtle actor. She’s able to play shyness without seeming weak and you sense she has an inner strength that's waiting to blossom, which was really necessary for a character that starts out in Season 3 as quite shy and reserved. But from this season and beyond, she's a character who goes through quite a bit and is going to have fierceness to her to survive it.”