If Masali Baduza’s dazzling showing at the Bridgerton Season 4 Premiere Masquerade: A Live Stream Event didn’t already illustrate this, the actor wants fans “to see that Michaela is so much fun to be around.”

And now that Baduza has been announced as the Bridgerton Season 5 co-lead alongside Francesca actor Hannah Dodd, we’ll be able to bask in just how much fun Michaela is to spend time with over the course of the new season.

Michaela Stirling is the cousin of Earl John Stirling (Victor Alli), Francesca Stirling’s (Hannah Dodd) husband. Michaela and John grew up together in Scotland. “She’s so well-traveled and well-read,” Baduza says. “She’s just the life of the party, but [she] has a really sensitive center to her as well.”

Baduza, whom fans first met as Michaela in the Bridgerton Season 3 finale, teased her Season 4 arc at the Parisian premiere on Jan. 14, looking positively radiant in a strapless black dress and diamond accessories. See how Baduza’s preview holds up by watching Season 4, now streaming — or keep reading for a look inside her Bridgerton journey.

PHOTO BY CYRIL MASSON

Cousins Michaela and John were extremely close despite being total opposites. “Michaela is very extroverted, and John is quite introverted, so she draws out his playful side, which she’s known ever since she was a kid,” says Baduza. From what the actor shared on the premiere live event’s red carpet, the actors’ vibe on set is similarly merry. “Victor is the best person to work with because when we aren’t filming, he’s just cracking us up,” says Baduza. “There was a day when he had chai lattes for the first time, and he had five of them. He was just buzzing.”

Michaela and John may have known each other forever, but Francesca and Michaela are still getting acquainted in Season 4. In real life, Baduza says the actors have a glowing rapport. “Hannah’s [been] the most supportive person during this whole experience,” she says. “She’s written me so many lovely letters just welcoming me into this crazy world. They’re just real people, which is really nice.”

In Season 4, Episode 4, Michaela makes a dramatic return to Mayfair, lifting an ornate hood over her head to reveal that signature grin. As an orchestral version of Adele’s “Rumor Has It” sets an intense tone, Francesca stands in shock, barely managing a polite “What a wonderful surprise.” 

In the subsequent episode of Season 4, Baduza finds a balance between Michaela’s revelry and sensitivity. In Episode 6, after complaining of a headache, John unexpectedly and tragically dies. In the days that follow, Michaela takes care to offset the solemn mourning ceremonies with celebrations of her beloved cousin’s vibrant life. In Episode 7, Stirlings and Bridgertons alike trade fond memories of John, ranging from jokes about his love of brandy to verklempt declarations of what he meant to them. With Michaela leading the charge, the group then launches into a traditional Scottish Highland dance that she and John learned as children. Michaela’s verve and warmth buoy Francesca as the two mourn the man they both loved dearly. 

But just as Francesca admits how fond of Michaela she’s grown, Michaela suddenly departs in the middle of the night, leaving Fran confused and hurt. What does Michaela’s departure from Mayfair mean for the two leading ladies in John’s life? Keep checking back to Tudum to find out what’s next in Season 5.

See Michaela’s entire emotional journey now, by (re)watching Season 4— and keep checking back with Tudum for all your Bridgerton Season 5 news. 

Watch the Trailer for Bridgerton: The Official PodcastDive deep into romances, scandals, and familial ties of Mayfair