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The stars of Bridgerton season 4 are ready to forge their own path.
At the Netflix series’ “Season of Love” fan event on Friday, Feb. 14, Luke Thompson, who plays Benedict Bridgerton, and Yerin Ha, who will play his love interest Sophie Beckett, revealed to PEOPLE that neither of them have sought out advice from previous leads.
Though the admission may seem surprising, they both have similar reasons as to why.
“I was tempted to ask,” Thompson, 36, tells PEOPLE of his predecessors Regé-Jean Page, Jonathan Bailey and Luke Newton. “I was tempted and then I thought, no, I’m just gonna find out myself — how I want, how I feel, how it feels to me.”
Reflecting on how “personal” it all feels, Thompson says, “I think there could be an amazing book written about how everyone’s done it because it’s so personal. And it says so much about that person.
“That’s the beauty of the show,” he continues. “A different flavor [each season].”
His love interest, newcomer Ha, 27, agrees. “I kind of wanted to just feel this journey for myself and kind of figure out the wars on my own,” she says.
She has been in touch with some of her predecessors, though, including Phoebe Dynevor, Simone Ashley and Nicola Coughlan.
“Basically, [they’ve said], if you want advice, please reach out. But don’t get too scared. The fans are amazing,” she reveals.
“That’s been the biggest thing that they said is like, don’t let them scare you, know they’re so lovely and supportive,” Ha says of the series’ fanbase.
Luckily, the actors seem to be settling into their new roles nicely. “We work so well together, I think,” Ha says. “I think we’ve just bonded. There’s just such an openness with Luke and I think — I like to think I’m quite open with him.”
“We just try to focus on the story and truly accepting each other for who we are — both character-wise and as people — and I think that has helped with the chemistry.”
Thompson, for his part, is excited to see “a lot more sides” to the “happy-go-lucky character” he’s been playing for three seasons now.
“Nothing much bothers him…. But to actually get to see him, you know, the proper cracks — like what makes him angry, what makes him really sad, like all of them… I’m excited to develop all that,” he shares.
He’s also pretty stress-free. “It’s a privilege,” he says when asked if he’s feeling nervous about being the lead. “I feel extremely lucky to be in this position and it’s just a joy. I’m very lucky.”
The concept of Bridgerton stars giving advice to the leads who come after them is nothing new. After season 2 saw Bailey and Ashley’s Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma fall in love, Ashley told PEOPLE that she made sure season 3 leads Coughlan and Newton knew “that they had someone, that they had a friend.”
“Me and Nicola would check in on each other. She is such an inspiration to me and I learned so much from her,” the actress said.
Newton also got some advice from the series’ first leading man, Page, who played the Duke of Hastings, and departed the show after season 1.
“[Page] sort of grabbed me, gave me a big hug and was like, ‘Are you ready for this, bro?’” Newton told InStyle. He also advised Newton to go on a “big holiday before all the madness starts.”
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Seasons 1-3 of Bridgerton — and spin-off Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story — are now streaming on Netflix.
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