Bridgerton star Yerin Ha has reflected on a whirlwind few months – revealing she’s been struggling with “imposter syndrome” after being thrown into the spotlight thanks to Netflix’s racy drama.
The 28-year-old takes centre stage in the recently-released fourth series of Bridgerton, starring as Sophie Baek, a maid who disguises herself at a masquerade ball and attracts the attention of the rebellious Benedict Bridgerton, played by Luke Thompson.
While the Australian actor was no stranger to the small screen before landing the role – her other credits include Dune: Prophecy and a Halo adaptation for Paramount+ – Bridgerton has catapulted her onto the red carpets and into the limelight, with Ha spending much of the past few months on the promo trail.
At last weekend’s Actor Awards (formerly known as the SAG Awards), she not only attended but presented an award and served as an ambassador, hosting an exclusive party for rising talent.
Speaking to Vanity Fair after the bash, Ha admitted: “It is super anxiety-inducing. My imposter syndrome was flaring up again last night.”
She has found some coping mechanisms, though – including popping her headphones on and blasting out some Beyoncé.
“She has her alter ego, Sasha Fierce, and sometimes I have to bring her out to make me feel confident in these environments,” she said.
The fourth season of Bridgerton was met with mixed reviews from critics with The Independent’s Nick Hilton awarding it three stars, though he praised Ha for delivering a solid performance as “an engaging heroine, even if her character is impossibly perfect”.
Ha previously described landing her role in Bridgerton as a “real gift”, telling the Press Association: “It was like a Cinderella story for me and it was amazing. I think it really taught me that maybe I had actually limited myself in terms of what I could have dreamed, in terms of the roles that I could play.”
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“Through Sophie, I learned that actually you can dream big and I learned so much from playing her, and took a lot away from her,” she continued.
Ha has also revealed what it was like filming some of the drama’s racier scenes – explaining how she ended up with a skin condition after spending one six-hour shoot in a bathtub.
“Basically, I put baby powder all on me because I was told it would help dry my skin to put the intimacy wear on with my tape,” she said during a recent appearance on Capital Breakfast, alongside co-star Luke Thompson. “And then basically the next day after the bathtub, I got hives all over my body.”
