Bridgerton season 4 star Katie Leung has explained why her casting makes sense for the Regency Era, despite online backlash about her upcoming role. It was previously announced that Leung would be joining the cast of Bridgerton season 4 as Lady Araminta Gun, step-mother to Benedict’s (Luke Thompson) love interest and co-lead Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha). However, her casting resulted in online backlash because of Leung’s age. The actor is 37 years old in real life, but Araminta is supposed to be the biological mother of two teenage daughters.

Speaking with Refinery29, Leung addressed the backlash against her Bridgerton character’s young age, claiming it aligns with the Regency Era because of how young women were when they got married in that time period. The actor also posited it had something to do with the racial stereotype that Asian people look younger than they are. Beyond the controversy, she also teased Araminta’s role in the story, including Benedict’s connection to her daughter Rosamund (Michelle Mao) and the costumes to expect. Check out what Leung had to say below:

In the Regency Era, [women] would have been married off in their teens so it’s perfectly plausible that I would have teens. Maybe it’s to do with ‘Asian don’t raisin,’ which is kind of partly true, but at the same time, it’s still a Western perspective, right? I don’t get my Asian mates coming to me saying I look 12.

I would never call her evil because I adore her — I think she’s absolutely fabulous. She’s just heavily misunderstood.

But if there’s anything that I can say, I mean, the costumes. They’re always brilliant on that show, but hers are something else.

What Leung’s Statement Says About Araminta’s Role In Bridgerton Season 4

The Age Of Her Character Isn’t A Concern For The Actor

Although controversy is bound to continue surrounding her character’s age, Leung’s lack of concern goes beyond positing her character got married while she was a teenager. If Araminta was the same age as Leung and had her first child at 18 years old, her oldest daughter could be 19 years old, making the age of her character far less controversial. Since all of Bridgerton‘s many weddings have featured young characters, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that she was married and had children before she turned 20.

Even though her age has been the subject of controversy, it could indicate Araminta is wise beyond her years, forced to mature quicker because of the position her early marriage put her in. However, Bridgerton season 3 ended with a year-long time jump revealing Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton) had a son together, meaning Regal families can happen quite quickly after marriage. This makes her age fit while having her still marry as an adult, despite how comparatively early her marriage would have been in contrast to many other characters in the series.

Our Take On Leung’s Reaction To Her Bridgerton Controversy

Her Perspective Also Makes Sense

Leung’s perspective makes sense, considering her character easily could have been in her late teens and still been the mother of two teenage children in Bridgerton season 4. While it may be debated how old her character truly is to have children so young, her real-life age lining up means we don’t believe the show will be tackling any controversial marriages within its storyline. Instead, the show’s focus on Benedict and Sophie will likely be the largest element of the series, with her step-mother’s closeness in age potentially a factor in their relationship.