Who is Michaela Stirling in Bridgerton? Michael Stirling’s book change from Francesca…

June 15, 2024, 10:03 p.m.

By Katie Louise Smith

Bridgerton season 3 part 2 introduces Michaela Stirling – but who does Francesca Bridgerton end up with in the books? Is Francesca marrying Michael Stirling? Who is Michaela? Here is your explanation.

So you looked The Bridgerton Chronicles final episode of season 3 and now you’re wondering… Who is Michaela Stirling? Is she in the books? What is his relationship with John and Francesca? Well… here’s your answer.

And be warned: there is MAJOR Bridgerton season 3 and book 6 spoilers ahead!

For many years now, The Bridgerton Chronicles Bosses stressed that the hugely popular Netflix series would not necessarily respect book ordering or book associations. As we’ve seen in recent seasons, new characters have been introduced as potential love couples for our Bridgerton siblings, including Season 3’s Lady Tilley Arnold (with Benedict), Lord Debling (with Penelope) and even Theo from season 2 (with Eloise).

Now it looks like The Bridgerton ChroniclesThe biggest and most important change is upon us thanks to Michaela Stirling. But how does it play into Francesca and John’s love story and why is it different from the books? Here’s everything we know so far based on his brief appearance in the finale episode.

Once again, big spoilers ahead…

Who is Michaela Stirling in The Bridgerton Chronicles? Is she in the books?

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Who does Francesca Bridgerton end up with in the books?

In the last episode of The Bridgerton Chronicles Season 3, a brand new character named Michaela Stirling is introduced by John Stirling, Francesca’s new husband.

Michaela is the cousin of John Stirling, who will travel with John, Francesca and Eloise to Scotland. She introduces herself enthusiastically and Francesca becomes quite flustered by her arrival, stumbling over her words.

Readers of the book will instantly know who Michaela is and understand what Michaela’s introduction means for the future of the series. “Michaela” does not actually exist in the The Bridgerton Chronicles books… but his male counterpart Michael does.

Michaela is actually a reverse version of Michael Stirling’s character. In Francesca’s book, When he was badMichael Stirling is John’s first cousin who eventually becomes Francesca’s second husband after John’s death.

It now appears that Francesca will find love with Michaela after the tragic death of her husband, and The Bridgerton Chronicles will finally include its first major same-sex couple.

To learn more about Francesca’s book and her relationship with Michael, you can find a brief, spoiler-heavy summary here.

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Why did they change Michael Stirling to Michaela Stirling in The Bridgerton Chronicles?

Showrunner Jess Brownell has now explained why they decided to reverse the gender of Francesca’s love interest. Talk to Charmshe explained that it all came from Francesca’s feelings about how she feels different and how members of the queer community — including Jess herself — can relate to that.

“I felt like there was thematically fertile ground in his book to tell a queer story,” Jess adds. “There are also certain elements of her story that allow us to make sure that we can tell a somewhat happy ending for Francesca and Michaela. It was important to me to tell a main queer story so that we could give them a happy ending forever, like we did with all the other couples.

Elaborating on John’s role in Francesca’s love story, she added: “I know people really resonate with that relationship, as do I. We love that relationship in the writer’s room. I just want to say that I don’t think the revelation of Francesca’s future homosexuality negates what she has with John.

“Personally, I don’t believe in a hierarchy of relationships. Every relationship is different and many different types of love are valid,” she continued. “The kind of love she has for John is very real. It is much more based on camaraderie, friendship, respect and shared interests than on passion. But passion is only one element of a relationship. For the future, I’m hopeful about telling a very nuanced story about Francesca having two great loves in her life.”

Alongside Benedict, who formed a romantic relationship with Lady Tilley Arnold And Paul Suarez in season 3, it is clear that Francesca will now be at the forefront of one of the The Bridgerton Chroniclesthe first great queer romances of . (It’s not yet clear whether Season 4 will focus on Benedict or Francesca…or maybe even Eloise.)

Francesca’s love story will now include Michaela Stirling, but we’ll have to wait and see how the show plans to adjust the book’s plot to fit the new character.

Who plays Michaela Stirling in The Bridgerton Chronicles? Meet Masali Baduza

Michaela Stirling is played by South African actress Masali Baduza.

Months ago, fans recorded several The Bridgerton Chronicles Cast members started following Masali on Instagram, which then sparked a huge theory that she might be playing the love interest in Benedict’s book, Sophie. Now we know she’s actually playing Michaela!

Masali is currently best known for her roles in the television series “Noughts + Crosses” and The Woman King, in which she played Fumbe alongside Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch and Ensureo Mbedu.

Speaking about her casting, Jess Brownell told Glamour: “We flew her out the moment we saw her tape to do a chemistry read with Hannah. She absolutely nailed it. I remember the moment Hannah met Masali. After Masali left, she said, “Well, that’s her. Hannah could feel it. »

“She’s an incredible actress, and she and I talked a lot about the weight and importance of her role,” she added. “She really went into it with a wonderful energy. I can’t wait for people to get to know her more. I’m just sad that people only get to meet her for those 10 seconds at the end of season three because “she’s incredible.”

Learn more about The Bridgerton Chronicles here:

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