It was obvious from the beginning.

From the very first season of Bridgerton, viewers have tried to guess Benedict’s sexuality. Though he didn’t explicitly show any interest in men, he was introduced to the concept of queerness by Sir Henry Granville, a famous London artist, and then went on a series of unserious flings.

In season 3, however, his journey of self-exploration took a turn. Invited to join his romantic interest Lady Tilley Arnold and her good friend Paul in bed, Benedict found himself in a position he had never been in before. Many would find this scene out of the blue, but Luke Thompson, who portrays Benedict, says otherwise.

Is Benedict Bridgerton Bisexual?

Speaking to Bustle, Thompson opened up about how he saw his character’s journey throughout the year. While viewers had their ideas of what he might want or enjoy, the writers were very careful to keep him as open-minded as possible, while the actor kept his portrayal very vague.

Compared to the spectrum we use today to describe people’s preferences, Thompson believes Benedict would have identified as pansexual. However, in the Regency era, even as fictionalized as it is in Bridgerton, he is simply open to any person he feels attracted to.

While many fans were unhappy with how Benedict was portrayed in the first part of the season, simply running away from young debutantes and making silly faces, the actor reveals that there’s more to Benedict’s story. The clues were small, but that is exactly why you need to pay close attention to every scene you see on screen.

“This is me advocating for people to watch it slowly — there’s a lot more than meets the eye. One of the moments I really like is when, during the dance, Tilley and Benedict switch positions, Tilley then does the male partner’s steps. Little moments like that are really revealing,” Thompson said.

Even though Netflix dropped Bridgerton season 3 in two parts, 4 episodes at a time, the actor believes the best way to watch Bridgerton is to do it slowly, savoring one episode at a time. Perhaps if more viewers had done that, they would have noticed this shift in dynamic.

For better or worse, Bridgerton fans will now have plenty of time to rewatch the season and catch all the missing clues and references, as it has been confirmed that the next season may take up to two years to make as well. So get ready for another long wait and get your Netflix account ready for another rewatch of Bridgerton season 3.