“Bridgerton”'s Michelle Mao Reveals How She Manifested Her Role and Handled Fan Reaction to Her ‘Antagonist’ Character (Exclusive)

Julia MooreSat, February 28, 2026 at 8:00 PM UTC

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Michelle Mao as Rosamund Li, Katie Leung as Lady Araminta Gun, Isabella Wei as Posy Li in "Bridgerton" season 4Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix -

Michelle Mao joined Bridgerton season 4 as Rosamund Li, stepsister to Sophie (Yerin Ha)

Mao tells PEOPLE how "manifesting" helped her land the role and opens up about how she's handled the fan response to her character

"[Playing] one of the main antagonists of the season comes with its own territory of navigating the online discourse," she says

Joining Bridgerton season 4 was both a dream come true and a product of manifestation for Michelle Mao.

The 27-year-old actress plays Rosamund Li in the latest installment of the hit Netflix series, a mean stepsister to Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), and the apple of the eye to her mother, Lady Araminta Gun's (Katie Leung).

In part 1, which premiered on Jan. 29, fans were introduced to the season's heroine, Sophie, who caught the eye of Benedict Bridgerton's (Luke Thompson) when she snuck into a ball uninvited. Sophie worked as a maid in Araminta's household despite her birthright as the Earl of Penwood's daughter.

For Mao, the response to her debut has been two-fold. "It's been mostly positive," she tells PEOPLE. "I've been having such a good time being a part of this hype train and getting to see all of the memes and the videos and the jokes." But playing "one of the main antagonists of the season comes with its own territory of navigating the online discourse and bearing the brunt, I guess, of the very real and very valid frustrations that the viewers have."

"It's the first time people are meeting me, and so navigating that has been its own little journey," she says. "And I’m getting better at not letting it get to me and just holding onto the idea that it just means you did a good job as an actor, which is a good thing. I played my part really well."

Michelle Mao as Rosamund Li, Isabella Wei as Posy Li in "Bridgerton" season 4Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix

She says that Netflix prepared her for what was to come. "They're super aware of that whole wider phenomenon that happens with the show, and they offer support to all the actors, and especially characters that are a little bit more susceptible to that."

During her first Zoom with showrunner Jess Brownell, Mao remembers that Brownell said, "I've been the target before," and "she did mention we have resources."

"We're all so familiar with how it works. [Fans] love really passionately, but then also when they get frustrated with things, it can also make itself known in a very overwhelming way," Mao says. "And I remember at the time, thinking, 'It's not going to happen to me. I was like, 'No, I'm sure I'll be fine.' "

She's been leaning on her costar, Leung, 38, who has her own experience with fierce fandom (Leung first appeared the Harry Potter franchise in the 2005 movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). "I did talk to Katie. She gave me a lot of advice, and she, also being one of the main antagonists of the season, also got her fair share of passionate responses, so I feel really blessed that I'm not going through it alone."

"Honestly, I think it's been great for me, because I think growing up, I was always such a people-pleaser, almost to an extent that was anxious for me," Mao continues. "And having Rosamund be kind of the first role that I'm in that breaks into public discourse a little bit, I think, was kind of like baptism by fire. It's like exposure therapy for me, where I'm like, 'Wow, I feel so free portraying this character that is unlikable, and she's meant to be unlikable.' "

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Regardless of the complicated fan response, the Zi star says joining the cast of the hit regency series is "such a fairy tale thing for me."

"I was such a fan of Bridgerton from COVID, when it came out — it's all we had. And I remember watching it and just thinking, 'Whoa.' It honestly, quite literally, was the first time I realized, maybe there is a chance that I could do a period piece." It inspired her so much that she "rented out a period dress and I shot a little video for my [audition] reel, because I was like, 'You never know when that will come in handy.'"

"I have this thing about manifesting," Mao says.

Michelle MaoCredit: Lauren Nieves

The show not only fulfilled her dream of starring in a period piece, but she was also part of a new wave of cultural conversations that Bridgerton introduced this season, as Rosamund, Araminta and Posy (Isabella Wei) speak Cantonese on the show. "It was everything for me," Mao says. "To speak Cantonese on the show and see all the little details in the interior decor that they have for the Penwoods reflect my culture, it was kind of surreal."

"If I could go back in time to COVID and be like, 'By the way, you're going to be on this show,' she would have lost her mind."

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With part 2 now streaming on Netflix, Mao says it's "bittersweet that whole era is coming to an end," but she's ready for what's next. "I feel really acutely, I think, what Bridgerton has done for me, because ever since booking Bridgerton, I've been working at a frequency that has never happened before in my entire career, and really it feels like such a blessing and it's so exciting."

"I really just have to keep in mind that what's happening right now is the momentum that Bridgerton gives you. It's not something to be taken for granted. And it is such a blessing to be working — and it is also such a blessing for Bridgerton to not be your end point, but be your launching pad."

Bridgerton season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”