Bridgerton’s Hannah Dodd Details the Cast's NSFW Table Reads

Hannah Dodd experienced the pinnacle of awkwardness while prepping for Bridgerton.

The actress—who plays Francesca Bridgerton on the Netflix drama—shared what it's really like when the cast gets together for a table read of the steamy scripts, including those season four scenes in which Francesca uncomfortably asks her family about orgasms.  

"The table read for some of those scenes, I was red in the cheeks—like, so embarrassed," she told E! News' Will Marfuggi in an exclusive interview. "I definitely had secondhand embarrassment, but I think they're written in a way that's so clever as well, that they were so much fun to do, and her innocence is so fun to play with."

Dodd, 30, knew right away that it was "going to be hilarious" to see Francesca awkwardly talk to mom Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell), sister-in-law Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and husband John Stirling (Victor Alli) about what to expect during her sexual "pinnacle."

And while nothing may sound more embarrassing than a mother-daughter sex talk, Dodd noted that her scenes with Gemmell were actually the opposite, "because she's too funny that I just was literally in hysterics."

But aside from adding some humor to the show, Dodd explained how Francesca's confusion serves a powerful purpose.

"It's really important that Bridgerton shows that it's not perfect on the first time, every single time," she said. "These women are sent into marriages so unprepared and so innocent, and that men are allowed to have this experience, and it's not something that's, in that time, spoken about."

As Dodd put it, her character has a particularly hard time discussing these topics since she "anatomically" doesn't understand what should happen or what she should feel while being intimate with John Stirling. 

"It's quite difficult, especially for an introvert, to broach that subject," she shared. "It's really important to close that gap between them. There's so much love and respect in their relationship already, but they just need to learn to communicate some of the difficult things. And in going through that, that story represents so much more within their relationship."

See what climactic moment is in store for Francesca and John when part two of Bridgerton season four drops on Feb. 26.

For more tea on the behind-the-scenes moments from season four, read on.