Serena Williams Joins 'Bridgerton' — and It All Started With That Viral Super Bowl Dance

From the tennis court to the screen, Serena Williams is once again showcasing her versatility. After going viral for her Super Bowl dance performance in 'Not Like Us', Williams will appear in Netflix's most-watched period drama, 'Bridgerton'.

For most actors, an audition happens in casting offices, doing test acting and more, but the tennis legend is not like the rest as she landed her Bridgerton role in a very unconventional way—by being a back-up dancer to Executive Producer Shonda Rhimes' Instagram reel.

The playful dance reel was shared by the Grey's Anatomy creator, who simply wanted to take part in the 'Stephanie Mills challenge'—and managed to convince Williams to join her in dancing to 'Never Knew Love Like This Before'.

Rhimes wrote in the caption, 'My girl @serenawilliams don't play about @bridgertonnetflix !!' adding that it was 'SO fun.'

As the writer lip-synced in the song with her 2015 book, 'Year of Yes,' as the microphone, Williams gave her all as the back-up dancer, and just having fun.

Over the video, a caption that reads 'I told Serena she could be an extra in Bridgerton if she was my backup dancer' can be seen, making the role official for Williams.

Fans are thrilled with this news, and even longtime Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo commented, saying, 'She understands the assignment.'

The official 'Shondaland' account also commented, 'We MUST make haste...to casting!'

Fans are saying that Williams' dance deserves a speaking line in the series, 'Oh, that dance deserves at least three dialogue lines. The Duchess of Serve-Shire.'

Some are saying that they would also dance to land a part, 'Dang I would have danced for a part on Bridgerton, splits and all😂.'

Bridgerton Fans Await Serena Williams' Appearance

Fans of Netflix's period drama are eagerly waiting for its fourth season, premiering in January next year. However, they might need to lower their expectations for Williams' Bridgerton debut, as reports suggest she's more likely to appear in Season 5 to give the team enough time to develop and integrate her character into the story properly.

Not Her First Time

Williams has appeared in multiple TV shows and series, films, and has even had her own documentary.

Some of the TV shows and series she appeared in include Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2004), where she played Chloe Spivey. In ER (2005), where she appeared as a patient, and Drop Dead Diva (2012), in which she portrayed a lawyer named Kelly Stevens. She also did voice cameos in The Simpsons (2001) and Higglytown Heroes (2005), and made appearances in The Bernie Mac Show (2003), My Wife and Kids (2004), and Keeping Up With the Kardashians (2011).

For films, she appeared in Ocean's 8 (2018) at the Met Gala scene, appearing as herself on the red carpet, also doing a cameo in Pixels (2015) and The Legend of Tarzan (2016).

She has also been featured in several documentaries about her life and career. Being Serena (2018, HBO) is a five-part series that follows her journey back to tennis after pregnancy, while Venus and Serena (2012) offers an intimate look at the sisters' lives both on and off the court.

In addition, she served as an executive producer for King Richard (2021), a film that tells the story of her and Venus' upbringing through the eyes of their father.

Living Her Best Life Outside the Court

Williams is living her best life after leaving her professional tennis career on 22 September 2022, after competing in the US Open—focusing on her family, motherhood, and other ventures.

She announced her retirement in a Vogue article, saying, 'I have never liked the word "retirement",' adding 'Maybe the best word to describe what I'm up to is "evolution." I'm here to tell you that I'm evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.'

After her retirement, Williams has then captured the world's attention with her 'c-walking' dance during Super Bowl LIX. Dancing in Kendrick Lamar's provocative track 'Not Like Us', which is targeted towards Drake, whom Williams has allegedly dated on and off between 2011 and 2025.