The Bridgerton Cast Almost Looked Very Different

Bridgerton season four is officially in production, with the highly-anticipated next instalment set for release in 2026.

The show's fourth season will be based on the third novel from Julia Quinn's bestselling collection, An Offer From a Gentleman, starring Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton.

And from new castings and potential royal cameos to first look images, the Netflix Regency drama has been making non-stop headlines.

It was Bridgerton’s casting that got the world talking this week, with news resurfacing that the Shonda Rhimes show almost looked very different.

In fact, most of the core cast actually originally auditioned for different roles, something they have opened up about in the past.

Phoebe Dyvenor was reportedly in line for the role of Cressida Cowper before securing the part of Daphne Bridgerton. While Hannah Dodd who stars as Francesca Bridgerton originally auditioned for Daphne.

Not to mention, Golda Rosheuvel, who has starred as Queen Charlotte in both Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, first auditioned for the role of Lady Danbury. Plus, in a surprise twist, Claudia Jessie actually pursued the role of Penelope Featherington, before landing the part of Eloise Bridgerton.

And despite being the Anthony Bridgerton of our dreams, Jonathan Bailey originally auditioned for the role of Simon Basset. So too did Luke Newton, who later went on to star as Colin Bridgerton.

“It wasn’t until I was talking to the production company and Chris Van Dusen, the showrunner. And at the end of the meeting we’d spoken about family, and men in society, and women in society, and our own personal experiences, and they said, 'Have you thought about Anthony? We’re gonna send you some scripts to read because we think you might be an Anthony,” Bailey recalled to Oprah Daily.

"Ultimately, it’s really exciting when you’re told the character you should be thinking about," he continued. "They saw something in me, and they were like, 'Go on - you can do it.'"

"In the breakdown, there was only a few parts that were going out," Newton previously explained on The Morning Show. "It was really scaled back. It was just one scene you were allowed to look at. So I think everyone kind of auditioned for different bits."

Well, that’s that.