Julia Quinn Unveils Surprising Gender Swap in Bridgerton Show; Author Jess Brownell Approved Changes
Bridgerton Season 3 has caused quite a stir online following its debut on Netflix. One of the major surprises at the end of the season was the introduction of a queer character, deviating from the source material where Francesca falls in love with a man.
The twist in the show is that Francesca’s love interest is now a woman. Showrunner Jess Brownell shared that author Julia Quinn approved the change and gave her blessing for the narrative shift.
How will fans react to the altered plot of Bridgerton?
The Julia Quinn books have a large following, and while the author agreed to the inclusion of a queer character, both Quinn and Brownell acknowledged potential backlash from readers. Brownell mentioned that she wouldn’t have made such changes to any other book but was drawn to Francesca’s story and the opportunity for a major narrative shift.
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Jess Brownell shares her thoughts on introducing a queer character
In an interview with Teen Vogue, Brownell explained that she wanted to represent the queer community authentically without tokenism. She expressed, “I didn’t want to just insert a queer character for the sake of it. I want to tell a story that accurately reflects a queer experience, and when I read Francesca’s book, I identified with it as a queer woman, albeit not in the way Julia Quinn intended.”
Bridgerton Season 3, part 2 focuses on Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington. Fans have been loving the chemistry between Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton since its release.
Bridgerton Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.
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