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Every interview I see or read with Nicola Coughlan, the more I love her and the more I find her incredibly relatable. She was a “late bloomer” as an actress, only finding success in her 30s (with Derry Girls and then Bridgerton). For years, she worked retail and took any job she could get. She knows the value of money and she lived many years without being on anyone’s radar. She also approaches so much of her job as a fan and entertainment-consumer – she wants Bridgerton fans to feel satisfied with the series and she wants to make enjoyable art. Nicola recently chatted with Vanity Fair about Bridgerton and more. Some highlights and SPOILERS if you haven’t seen the first four episodes of Bridgerton Season 3:
She wasn’t a romance-reader before Bridgerton: “I’d never read a romance novel. I was like, ‘Oh, this is really steamy. Like, whoa. I laughed thinking about, Imagine me filming this one day. LOL. Could never be me.”
Now she loves romance: “Realistically, love is the most beautiful thing in the world. I don’t know what it is that it’s seen as something flippant or silly, because it’s not. It’s everything.” Plus, she points out that romance is one of the most-read genres in the world. “The world is a dark and scary place, and I think this show came round and people realized they needed it, but they didn’t know they needed it.”
Nicola has repeatedly revealed that she’s extremely online: “Oh, I outed myself so bad. I started really enjoying TikTok because I wasn’t on my own algorithm. But that has changed because I’ve been doing press for six months. I’m now, like, every second video.”
She wants to know which celebrities watch Bridgerton: “The one thing I want to know is, do we think Beyoncé watches Bridgerton?”
On Lord Debling pursuing Penelope: “It’s so important for her to see herself as desirable. She cannot fathom herself through Debling’s eyes. When he first speaks to her and he’s like, ‘You could make one wither,’ she’s like, Me? This is crazy.”
Penelope’s first kiss with Colin: “This is the most embarrassing thing I could’ve done. I have basically begged this man to kiss me. But she thinks she’s destroyed her life. She sees her future as the spinster. I’m living with my mother who torments me, my sisters who hate me, I’ll never get out of this. What have I got to lose? Nothing. I’ll have that one kiss. It will sustain me forever, and that’s it…. And that’s the moment he finally sees her.”
The impassioned mid-carriage confession from Colin. “It feels crazy, being allowed to talk about it now. But that scene encapsulates everything that’s wonderful about Bridgerton. It’s got the suspense, it’s got the miscommunication, the heartfelt longing for one another, the profession of love, and then it’s got the sexiness. It’s got this brilliant pace.”
Intimate scenes: “We realize later on, she doesn’t know about sex fully, but she’s aware of her body and where she wants him to touch her. It’s lovely because it’s so easy to see virgins on TV portrayed in a way that they’re like terrified and have no agency, but that’s not the case. The consent is managed so beautifully, and that’s down to the writing and the brilliant Lizzy Talbot, the intimacy coordinator, because we want it to seem like it’s not teacher-student anymore. We’re in this together. It’s the first time that they completely see each other and they’re on a level and it’s like, Let’s go.”
Knowing how to handle becoming famous at 31 with Derry Girls: “People say, ‘Was it media training?’ I’m like, No, it was working in retail, where I had to sell face creams and you have to say hi to everyone that came in, giving everyone the freshest version of yourself. I used to get about eight British pounds an hour when I was working.” When you “get this insane job and all of the perks that come with it at a young age, it would seem like that’s normal. And I’m hyperaware that it’s not.” Now 37, Coughlan is glad things unfolded for her in the order they have. “I’m sure if me in my 20s could see me now going, ‘I wouldn’t change a thing,’ I’d be really annoyed, but life experience, yeah, you can’t buy that. You gotta go through it.”
“I’m like, No, it was working in retail, where I had to sell face creams and you have to say hi to everyone that came in, giving everyone the freshest version of yourself.” Like, you can really tell which actors genuinely struggled and worked sh-tty jobs for years before their big break and which actors didn’t. Nicola’s career is wonderful because it feels like she really “deserves” all of the fame, attention and praise coming her way, and even more than that, she actually knows how to handle it and enjoy the ride while still keeping it real. Now I want to know if Beyonce watches Bridgerton too. I bet she does!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
Nicola Coughlan at the 76th EE British Academy Film Awards, Royal Festival Hall, London, UK – 19 Feb 2023,Image: 757418170, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: cpuk / Avalon
Nicola Coughlan beim Modeevent Vogue World 2023: London im Theatre Royal Drury Lane. London, 14.09.2023 *** Nicola Coughlan at the Vogue World 2023 London fashion event at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane London, 14 09 2023 Foto:xS.xVasx/xFuturexImagex vogue_world_3977,Image: 805426813, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Steve Vas / Avalon
Nicola Coughlan at the Renegade Nell World Premiere at Everyman Borough Yards in London Bridge, London, United Kingdom on 26 March 2024.,Image: 859801319, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Cat Morley / Avalon
NEW YORK, NY- APRIL 5: Nicola Coughlan seen at CBS Mornings on April 05, 2024 in New York City. Copyright: xRWx,Image: 862692021, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/RW / Avalon
Cast attend the Milan photocall for Bridgerton season 3
Featuring: Nicola Coughlan
Where: Milan, Italy
When: 09 May 2024
Credit: Alessandro Bremec/IPA/INSTARimages
**UK, USA AND AUSTRALIA RIGHTS ONLY**
New York ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 World Premiere at the Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Centre
Featuring: Nicola Coughlan
Where: New York, United States
When: 13 May 2024
Credit: Roger Wong/INSTARimages
