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‘Bridgerton’ Star Masali Baduza Turns Heads at Netflix’s First-Ever UK Upfront Event

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Netflix has spent years building its advertising business in the United States, but the streamer’s push into the UK market reached a major milestone this week. The company hosted its first-ever UK Upfront event in Central London, bringing together executives, advertisers, and a lineup of A-list talent to showcase what’s coming next across its slate of British and international programming.

The event doubled as both a business pitch and a star-studded showcase, with Netflix using the occasion to highlight its growing reach in the region. According to Barb, Netflix’s ad-supported plan now reaches over 14 million viewers in the UK alone, nearly one in four people nationwide, a figure the company leaned on heavily while courting brands and advertisers in the room.

Among the talent representing Netflix’s UK slate was ‘Bridgerton’ star Masali Baduza, who joined a lineup that included Florence Pugh promoting ‘East of Eden,’ Keira Knightley for ‘Black Doves,’ and the cast of ‘The Inbetweeners 3’ reunion. Baduza’s appearance at the event has since drawn attention online, with fans praising her styling for the occasion.

Baduza, a South African actress born in East London, Eastern Cape, first built her career in theatre before breaking into international television with her lead role as Sephy Hadley in the BBC drama ‘Noughts + Crosses,’ which ran from 2020 to 2022. She has since become a familiar face to Netflix audiences through her role as Michaela Stirling in ‘Bridgerton,’ where she appeared in the season three finale and continued into the show’s most recent season.

Beyond television, Baduza has also built film credits, including a role as Fumbe in ‘The Woman King’ alongside Viola Davis, and earlier work in the film ‘Bhai’s Cafe’ and the South African series ‘Trackers.’ That combination of British period drama and international film work has helped position her as one of the more visible rising stars in Netflix’s current talent pool.

The Upfront event itself was framed by Netflix executives as a statement of intent for the company’s advertising ambitions in the region. Ed Couchman, Netflix’s Head of Advertising UK, opened the event by telling brands and advertisers that Netflix is no longer positioning itself as an underdog in the market, pointing to the platform’s growing subscriber engagement as evidence.

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Amy Reinhard, Netflix’s President of Advertising, also spoke at the event about the company’s ability to combine content with data-driven advertising technology, while Anne Mensah, the company’s VP of Content UK, emphasized the importance of standout programming in an increasingly crowded streaming landscape. The presence of stars like Baduza alongside major names such as Pugh and Knightley underscored just how much weight Netflix is putting behind its UK original programming as part of that advertising pitch.

With Netflix continuing to expand its ad-supported tier across the UK and wider EMEA region, appearances like Baduza’s are likely to become more frequent as the streamer leans further into star power to attract both viewers and advertisers alike.

How excited are you for Masali Baduza’s rising Netflix career?

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