Ruby Stokes

The Netflix and Shondaland series put out a statement describing the character: “Francesca Bridgerton is a bit of a mystery within her chatty, extroverted ...

The popular Netflix series is based on Julia Quinn’s romance novels, which follow the Bridgerton family’s search for love, focusing on one sibling per book. The Netflix and Shondaland series put out a statement describing the character: “Francesca Bridgerton is a bit of a mystery within her chatty, extroverted family. Francesca’s presence on the show has been minimal.

There has been a casting shake-up on Netflix's hit Regency-era drama.

The character will now be able to feature more prominently as Dodd takes over the role. Francesca’s presence across the first two seasons of Bridgerton has been fleeting, only appearing twice in Season 1. As first reported by Deadline, Dodd will play the reserved and mysterious Bridgerton sibling in Season 3.

The role of the sixth Bridgerton sibling was recast for season three: Hannah Dodd will be taking over from Ruby Stokes.

Rhimes told Entertainment Tonight, "We're definitely planning on following each of the [Bridgerton] sibling's romantic stories." Yet, she added, "We're not necessarily going in order—but we are going to be seeing each one of the siblings and their stories." During season two, showrunner Chris Van Dusen had hoped she would be in more of the season, but it wasn't possible.

Dodd will play the sixth Bridgerton sibling in Netflix romantic drama.

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. For the first two seasons, the role was played by Stokes. However, she has now exited the role in order to star in Lockwood and Co, which will also be released by Netflix. Dodd, who recently featured in the Netflix limited series Anatomy of a Scandal as young Sophie, will take on the role of the sixth Bridgerton sibling in the romantic period drama.

British actress-model Hannah Dodd has been tapped to play Francesca in Season 3 of the hit Netflix series Bridgerton, replacing Ruby Stokes.

In a statement, the Netflix and Shondaland series said, "Francesca Bridgerton is a bit of a mystery within her chatty, extroverted family. "We lost her midway through season two," he said. She is the lead character in “When He Was Wicked,” the sixth book in Julia Quinn’s series.