HOW LENANA KARIBA LANDED HIS ROLE ON BRIDGERTON

Kenyan actor Lenana Kariba has stepped into the opulent world of Regency-era London, landing a role as a Royal Footman in the fourth season of Netflix’s global series, Bridgerton. 

The appearance is Kariba’s his first major role since relocating to the United Kingdom. After moving to the UK, the actor took proactive steps to establish himself in a new market. “Because I live in the UK now, I can live and work there, and I just signed up to some agencies,” Kariba explained.

What he didn’t know was that one of his first auditions through these new channels would be for one of the biggest shows on television. The production’s legendary secrecy meant Kariba was completely in the dark about the project’s true identity. “When I auditioned for that role, I didn’t even know it was Bridgerton,” he revealed. “They tried to keep it very quiet. Even the name of the project has a code name. They don’t tell you that you’re shooting for Bridgerton.”

The mystery continued through multiple stages of the hiring process. Kariba recalled a moment during his costume fitting. “I remember they were trying to, like, measure my head and my hair. And I was like, ‘Okay,’ I still didn’t know what I was doing. And then the hair lady comes in, she starts patting my hair down all the way, and then she pulled out this wig,” he said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘What is this thing? What is happening?‘” .

It wasn’t until he left the fitting and did his own research that the pieces fell into place. After seeing the elaborate period costume, he looked up the role of a Royal Footman online. It was his wife who made the final, thrilling connection. “I told my wife, and my wife was like, ‘Babe, that’s Bridgerton.’ I was like, ‘No.’ She’s like, ‘There’s no other show that’s doing a period piece that’s shooting season four, and you’re dressing like this. It’s Bridgerton’” .

The actor was bound by a strict confidentiality agreement for nearly a year before he could share the news publicly . Following the show’s premiere on January 29, 2026, Kariba was finally able to share his excitement on social media, posting, “I’m in Bridgerton. So happy to finally be able to say those words after a year of having to stay quiet” .

For Kariba, who has built his acting career for over 15 years in Kenyan television and film with credits in Selina, Auntie Boss, Plan B and Kash Money.