Hannah Dodd plays Francesca Bridgerton from season 3 of Netflix’s Bridgerton, replacing Ruby Stokes, who played the character in the first two seasons. Netflix announced the change on May 12, 2022, and said Stokes had left to lead another Netflix series, Lockwood & Co.
What changed in the casting
The recast is official, and it is a change of actor rather than of character. Francesca is the same Bridgerton sister in both versions of the show. Netflix’s own description of the change is the only stated reason on record: Stokes moved on to Lockwood & Co. No dispute between the production and either actor has been reported in the official announcements or the interviews cited here.
Netflix Tudum notes that Stokes appeared as Francesca in five episodes across seasons 1 and 2. Dodd’s work as the character begins with season 3. The table below sets the two performances side by side on the points the sources support.
| Point | Ruby Stokes | Hannah Dodd |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons as Francesca | Seasons 1 and 2 (five episodes across both, per Netflix Tudum) | Season 3 onward (announced by Netflix on May 12, 2022) |
| Reason for the change | Left to lead Lockwood & Co., according to Netflix | Cast as Francesca after the change was announced |
| Prior work named by Netflix | Not stated in the sources reviewed | Find Me in Paris, Harlots, Anatomy of a Scandal, Flowers in the Attic: The Origin |
Who Hannah Dodd is
Netflix’s 2022 biography says Dodd moved straight from school into her first professional acting job, as one of the leads in Find Me in Paris, and stayed with that series for two more seasons. Her other credits named in the same biography include recurring work across two seasons of Harlots, a role as the younger version of Sienna Miller’s character in Anatomy of a Scandal, and a lead role in Flowers in the Attic: The Origin. Netflix Tudum also lists Enola Holmes 2.
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These credits are a selection drawn from official Netflix material, not a complete filmography. For a full list, check a current database such as IMDb, since the sources available here do not establish one.
How Dodd joined the show
Dodd’s account of her casting appears in ELLE’s May 2024 interview. She says she had previously been in the running for Daphne, the role Nicola Coughlan played in the first season. Dodd says she responded in spring 2022 to a confidential casting call without knowing which character it was for. She learned she was a frontrunner for Francesca during a Zoom meeting with producers.
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She describes the process as intimidating but freeing, because she came to the role without preconceived ideas. Her account is first-person testimony, not independently verified production history, and it is presented here as her own recollection.
How Dodd approaches Francesca
Netflix describes Francesca as reserved, pragmatic and dry-witted, in a family of chattier siblings. Netflix Tudum’s 2024 feature says season 3 opens with Francesca making her debut in society, and that her relationship with Lord John Stirling is quieter than the romances of her siblings. These details describe season 3 and do not speak to later plot developments.
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In the ELLE interview, Dodd says she read Julia Quinn’s novels while preparing and wanted to keep recognisable details of the character: Francesca’s half-smile, her sarcasm, her wit and her upward glance. She also reminded herself that the screen version is younger than the character Quinn wrote later in the books. Julia Quinn’s When He Was Wicked is the novel most closely tied to Francesca’s story, and Dodd names it as part of her reading.
She also said she learned the piano passages by memorising hand movements, because she cannot read sheet music. This describes her own preparation. It does not establish who performed every sound in the final mix.
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Dodd on John Stirling
Netflix Tudum quotes Dodd on her character’s relationship with John: “John doesn’t try and change Francesca. There’s a really beautiful thing about being comfortable with someone.”
Dodd on sharing the role
In ELLE, Dodd addressed the recast directly: “Francesca is such a gorgeous character that it takes two people to get to tell her story, but I’m not trying to erase the fact that Ruby played her first.”
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Dodd on joining the show
In a 2022 interview with TVLine, shortly after the casting was announced, Dodd said: “I’m so excited. Everybody’s been so lovely. I just want to do a good job.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to take from the recast
- Hannah Dodd plays Francesca from season 3. Ruby Stokes played her in seasons 1 and 2.
- Netflix’s stated reason for the change is that Stokes left to lead Lockwood & Co.
- Netflix frames Francesca as reserved and pragmatic; Dodd emphasises her wit and inner life.
- Streaming availability varies by country and changes over time, so check Netflix in your region before watching.
When comparing the two performances, the fair axes are the actors themselves and the character’s temperament against her family’s more extroverted dynamic. Neither actor’s version is presented here as the definitive one.
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