A Bridgerton season 4 cast update from actor Simone Ashley has definitively settled Kate Sharma’s status in the series following fan backlash over her role in season 3. While the cast of Bridgerton season 3 mostly included characters central to Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), it resulted in some other characters having reduced roles despite their earlier importance. This includes Kate, who only appeared as a series regular in episodes 1, 5, and 7 of season 3, leading to backlash due to how reduced her appearances were despite being a central character in season 2.

Speaking with Glamour, however, Ashley confirmed that Kate will be coming back in Bridgerton season 4, although there’s no word yet on how big her role is going to be. The actor expresses gratitude towards production, however, saying they’ve accommodated her busy acting schedule to allow her to keep appearing in the show. Check out what Ashley had to say below:

I know that I am returning, but that’s all I can say. I absolutely adore the show, and the more I can be a part of it, the better. They’ve been really kind to work around my schedule.

What Kate’s Return Means For Bridgerton Season 4

It’s Still Unclear How Big A Role She’ll Have

Bridgerton season 4 will be focused on Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), adapting from the pages of Julia Quinn’s book An Offer from a Gentleman. While the focus isn’t on Kate and her husband, Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), their appearances make sense given the long-standing importance of the couple since season 2. However, the amount of screentime Ashley’s character will be getting hasn’t been revealed, meaning there could be some disappointment surrounding just how many episodes she actually shows up in.

Kate’s lack of a major role likely has to do with Ashley’s busy filming schedule. While season 4 of the period drama has already started filming, the actor is also set to appear in the Brad Pitt-led F1, which is also in production. Although this won’t prevent her from having a core role in the upcoming season, this and other projects could be core reasons why she didn’t appear as much in season 3. Although Anthony and Kate’s Bridgerton season 3 story was disappointingly lacking, the next episodes could remedy this, even if they have a limited amount of screentime.

Our Take On Kate’s Return In Bridgerton Season 4

We Hope She Gets A Larger Story

While the lack of Kate and Anthony in season 3 could be a worrying sign of events to come, we hope season 4 will feature more of them because of fan backlash over their previous storyline. This could help continue evolving their romance without taking away from Benedict’s own love story, helping to balance Bridgerton with its many character arcs. Although there’s still no clear answers about how much she’ll show up, Ashley’s confirmation means a bigger story for her character could be coming soon.