Yerin Ha, the Korean-Australian actress and one of the main stars of Netflix’s Bridgerton Season 4, is facing allegations of racial discrimination after her role in recent promotional events in Spain.
Ha visited Spain with co-stars Luke Thompson and Hannah Dodd to promote the new season. However, fans noticed that she was repeatedly placed at the far end in official photos and fan events, raising concerns that she was being intentionally sidelined.
Netizens criticized that even supporting actress Hannah Dodd appeared more prominently than Ha, despite Ha playing a lead role.
The controversy grew after Netflix Spain shared official photos on social media on February 18, where Ha was placed at the very end.
Interviews also caused criticism, with some local media misspelling her name as “Yern Ha” and a Spanish broadcaster even placing a watermark directly over her face in a video.
Ha, who is also the granddaughter of actress Son Sook, moved to Korea at 14 to study acting at Kaywon Arts High School and later majored in acting at Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art. She previously appeared in the Paramount+ original series Halo.
Bridgerton Season 4 follows Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), a free-spirited character indifferent to marriage, as he navigates love, identity, and social class boundaries alongside the mysterious “woman in the silver dress” and the real-life maid Sophie Baek, played by Ha. Part 2 of the season is set to premiere on February 26.
Fans worldwide are now calling attention to Ha’s treatment, expressing support for the actress and urging more respectful representation for lead stars of color.
Source: [1]
