Bridgerton's Original Francesca Was Recast: Find Out Why Hannah Dodd Replaced Ruby Stokes in Season 3

If you’ve been watching the first four episodes of Bridgerton‘s third season, which just dropped this week, you might be wondering why one of the actresses looks different.

The actress portraying Francesca Bridgerton, one of the Bridgerton siblings, was originally played by Ruby Stokes in seasons one and two of the Netflix hit, but in season three, she’s being portrayed by Hannah Dodd. Francesca’s role in season three is much larger than her role in the previous two seasons as now, her character has entered society to find a match.

Keep reading to find out why Ruby Stokes exited the series…

Ruby ended up having scheduling conflicts that forced her to leave Bridgerton. She was cast in another Netflix series, Lockwood & Co., and departed to work on that series.

“It wasn’t an easy decision. But it was incredible being part of a cultural moment like Bridgerton. The versatility in acting is so joyous, and there was something about [Lockwood & Co. character] Lucy that just drew me to her. I found her very exciting and being presented with that opportunity, I wanted to take it and explore it,” Ruby told Variety about why she left Bridgerton to pursue the new series.

Unfortunately, Lockwood & Co. was canceled by Netflix after only 1 season.

Find out which other Bridgerton star exited the series.