Bridgerton season 4, part 2 arrives on Netflix on February 26 and the most recent trailer has hinted at some intriguing developments for Francesca (played by Hannah Dodd) and her husband, John Stirling (Victor Alli).

The opening instalment of the new Bridgerton season saw John's cousin, Michaela, make her return and those familiar with the novels will recognise that a romantic entanglement develops between Michaela and the newly married couple.

Michaela, a character who has undergone a gender change for the Shondaland adaptation, is portrayed by Masali Baduza, a 28 year old South African actress.

The performer was born in East London, Eastern Cape, in 1997 and her father was employed as a journalist, whilst her mother worked for the government.

Upon completing secondary education, she relocated to the US to attend the New York Film Academy and completed her studies in 2016.

After obtaining her qualification, Baduza, who speaks both Xhosa and English fluently, returned to South Africa to launch her theatrical career.

Among her most prominent stage appearances was in an all-female staging of The Taming of the Shrew at the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre.

Her early television work included the South African crime thriller Trackers, where she portrayed Thandi Makebe, and that same year she was recognised as an emerging talent and one to watch by the Royal Television Society. In 2020, she secured her first role beyond South Africa, portraying Sephy Hadley in the BBC One drama Noughts + Crosses, which proved to be her breakthrough performance.

Speaking to The Independent about the part and how it prompted reflection on her heritage, she said: "Thinking of what my ancestors have been through before me and how they were treated, for me to be playing a character who is privileged, historically? It's crazy."

Born shortly after Apartheid's end in the early 1990s, she still experienced the lingering effects of discriminatory policies during her school days.

The actress revealed: "We had a rule book of things we could and couldn't do to our hair – including one that said black girls couldn't wear their natural afros because it was unprofessional and it looked unkempt.

"We had to style our hair into something that was more acceptable. Having that as your mindset as a young black girl is just... traumatising."

Regarding her family background, Baduza, who has also appeared in Love and Wine, The Woman King and The Morning After, is the youngest of her siblings.

One brother works in the corporate sector, whilst another serves as an art curator at the University of Pretoria, and one of her sisters is employed in the jewellery industry.

In conversation with Film Cape Town, she shared some sage advice from her mother. When questioned about how her upbringing has influenced her, she responded: "I think we as South Africans are humanitarians.

"We have ubuntu. We care about our people and our environment. Personally, my parents ingrained the collective 'we' in us growing up.

"My mum never wanted to raise selfish people, and I think being an observer of the world around me has helped me in my craft tremendously."

Upon securing her role in Bridgerton, she celebrated with her family, sharing: "I was so excited. I jumped around the house, screaming with my mom and sister after getting the call."

Bridgerton season 4, part 2 airs on Netflix on February 26

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