Masali Baduza (born 12 March 1996) is a South African actress. On television, she is known for her roles as Sephy Hadley in the BBC drama Noughts + Crosses (2020–2022) and as Michaela Stirling in the Netflix period drama Bridgerton (2024–).
Early life Baduza was born in East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa. She's the youngest of five children; her father worked as a journalist and her mother as a government employee. After high school, Baduza moved to the United States to study at the New York Film Academy in the Los Angeles campus, graduating in 2016 with an Associate of Fine Arts in Acting for Film. After graduation, she returned to South Africa, where she worked primarily in theatre. Baduza is bilingual in Xhosa and English.
Career Baduza began her career primarily in theatre in South Africa, including an all-female production of The Taming of the Shrew at the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre. She later appeared in the South African crime thriller Trackers, which was M-Net's top performing show for 2019. In 2019, she was named a rising star and one to watch by the Royal Television Society. In 2020 she landed her first work outside of South Africa, playing the character Sephy Hadley in the BBC One drama Noughts + Crosses.
Her film work includes Slumber Party Massacre (2021) and The Woman King (2022).
In 2024, she guest-starred in the third season of Bridgerton as Michaela Stirling, a genderflipped version of the book character Michael Stirling. She appeared as a regular cast member in the fourth season and was later confirmed as one of the leads for the fifth season playing the love interest of Francesca Bridgerton, portrayed by Hannah Dodd, making them the first same-gender central romance of the series.
Filmography Film Year Title Character Notes 2019 Bhai's Cafe Thandi The Fighter Lerato Short film 2021 Slumber Party Massacre Young Trish Deveraux 2022 The Woman King Fumbe 2025 Love and Wine Amahle
Television Year Title Character Notes 2019 Trackers Thandi Makebe 3 episodes 2020–2022 Noughts + Crosses Sephy Hadley Main role 2024–present Bridgerton Michaela Stirling Main role (season 5); recurring (seasons 3–4) 2024 The Morning After Winnie 6 episodes
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