BRIDGERTON’s next breakout star Yerin Ha graces the latest cover of ISTYLE, where she opens up about stepping into Netflix’s most anticipated rom-drama as the hit series’ new leading lady. Her character Sophie Baek is the romantic interest of Benedict Bridgerton, played by Luke Thompson and in her InStyle interview, Ha and Thompson open up about navigating vulnerable intimacy scenes. Ha also discusses embracing self-acceptance while breaking barriers as the show’s first East Asian lead, her journey as a Korean-Australian actress, and the support and camaraderie she found among her castmates while filming one of Netflix’s most anticipated rom-dramas.
On intimacy scenes with Luke Thompson: “The biggest hurdle was my own mental challenge… It’s 9:00 a.m., and they’re like, ‘All right, robes off. Action.’ It’s a lot. And you’re like, What? What am I doing? What is my career and occupation? This is so weird.”
“I wanted to prove to myself that I’m more than just how I look… And actually, it’s more than just about what’s in my head. I want to express something people desire: human connection. And sometimes you have to put your own little fears aside to feel like you’re servicing something bigger.”
On her journey with body image and self-acceptance: “Being a woman in this industry, it’s a massive thing. People think that they have the right to talk about your body, how you look, and your external appearance.”
“I’ve dealt with body image and that shame for a very, very long time—and I’m still working through it… But what’s been really nice about Sophie is she’s taught me a lot about self-love and self-acceptance. I’m still working on accepting myself for my entirety and being happy with who I am. In a world where we strive for perfection, what does that look like?”
On being the first East Asian lead in the franchise, including suggesting her character’s name change from Beckett to Baek:
“For me, the reason why it means so much is that it’s just an acknowledgement and it’s just saying, ‘Yeah, she’s Korean, she would have a Korean surname.’ It’s nothing complicated.”
“There are certain similarities in the way that I live my life… It’s like you’re constantly having to prove yourself, and you do have to sometimes work hard or voice yourself louder to be seen or heard. And in terms of that frustration, I think it’s maybe those similarities that I tried to bring to Sophie, rather than just a cultural thing.”
On creating a Spotify playlist for her character ‘Sophie’ before her role was publicly announced:
“I didn’t realize Spotify playlists weren’t private.”
“I freaked out thinking that I was going to get fired… My account handle was literally just ‘Yerin.’ How many Yerins are there in the world? And then how many playlists does it say ‘Sophie’?”
On managing expectations and protecting herself early in her career:
“I’ve been on a job previously where they’ve told me, ‘Oh, your life’s going to change.’ And it didn’t. And I think that’s why my expectations are so low,”
“Maybe some parts of my career have made me a little bit cynical, but maybe that’s also a way to have protected myself and not get hurt again. I’m a little bit [of an] I’ll believe it when I see it kind-of-girl.”
[Photo Credit: Charlotte Hadden/InStyle Magazine]
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