Julia Quinn, the author of ‘Bridgerton,’ approved the gender swap of Michael Stirling to Michaela for Season 3, calling the change “beautiful and moving.”
‘Bridgerton’ Author Julia Quinn Approved the ‘Beautiful and Moving’ Gender Swap for Season 3
Julia Quinn wrote on Instagram that turning Michael Stirling into Michaela at the end of the 3rd season of ‘Bridgerton’ was a positive change. This decision came after several conversations with showrunner Jess Brownell.
She explained, “I think we are going to end up with two stories, one on page and one on screen, and they will both be beautiful and moving.” Though some fans have disagreed, Quinn emphasized the potential for the swap to result in “the most emotional and heart-wrenching” season of the show to date.
Quinn began her post, “Many Bridgerton fans have expressed their surprise, and for some, disappointment in the twist at the end of Bridgerton Season 3 – that Michael Stirling, with whom Francesca eventually falls in love in ‘When He Was Wicked,’ would instead be Michaela.”
The author emphasized that she is “deeply committed to the ‘Bridgerton’ world becoming more diverse and inclusive as the stories move from book to screen.” However, she needed to have several conversations with Brownell after being initially approached about swapping Michael’s gender.
“I made it clear that Francesca’s abiding love for John be shown on screen,” Quinn continued. “When I wrote ‘When He Was Wicked’ I actually had to fight to have the first four chapters, which establish that love, included. My publisher was worried that Fran’s love for John would take away from Michael’s role as the eventual romance hero.”
Quinn initially resisted the change, as she felt that if Francesca and John’s love for each other wasn’t properly established, “then their feelings of guilt at falling in love with each other after John’s death made no sense.”
However, the author is now pleased with the adjustments made by the show’s team. She believes Francesca’s season will be “the most emotional and heart-wrenching” of the series to date. “Honestly, it may pack more of a punch” than the book, Quinn added, “since John is getting a lot more time on the screen than he ever did on the page.”
“I ask that you grant me and the Shondaland team some faith as we move forward,” she added. “I think we are going to end up with two stories, one on page and one on screen, and they will both be beautiful and moving.”
In the final episode of season 3 of ‘Bridgerton,’ Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and John Stirling (Victor Alli) were married. The couple also announced their plans to move to Scotland after the wedding, and they made the move along with Francesca’s sister, Eloise Bridgerton, and John’s cousin, Michaela (Masali Baduza). Francesca met Michaela shortly before the move and appeared visibly flustered by her.
