Nicola Coughlan opens up about kissing her friend for new season of Bridgerton + Biography & Photo’s
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Nicola Coughlan: Nicola Mary Coughlan (/ˈkɒklən/; born 9 January 1987) is an Irish actress. She is known for her roles as Clare Devlin in Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls (2018–2022) and Penelope Featherington in Netflix period drama Bridgerton (2020–present).
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Biography of Nicola Coughlan
Nicola Coughlan was born on 9 January 1987 in Galway, Ireland, and grew up in Oranmore. At the age of five, when watching her older sister performing in a school play, she decided to become an actress. She attended Scoil Mhuire for primary school and Calasanctius College for secondary school. She graduated with a degree in English and Classical Civilisation from the National University of Ireland, Galway. She then went on to train in England at the Oxford School of Drama and Birmingham School of Acting
Nicola Coughlan opens up about kissing her friend
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When everyone’s favourite Derry Girl, Nicola Coughlan went to shoot the third season of Bridgerton, she knew it was about to get awkward. After all, she was going to have to get very close to friend and co-star Luke Newton.
“When Luke and I read the books at the beginning of season one, it was funny to us to imagine what it would be like if we have to kiss. Then season three came around and we were like, ‘This is it. I have to kiss my friend!’ And REALLY had to kiss,” she teases.
“It’s a spicy one but Luke made me feel really taken care of. We really had each other’s backs. And then when it was done, we had a good laugh about it. There was one day where we had to do a very romantic scene and we were just peeing ourselves with laughter!”
The third installment of Netflix’s steamy smash hit, which is based on the books by Julia Quinn, will see Nicola as the season’s diamond, and the Galway native is ready to step into the spotlight. With a potential romance between her character, Penelope Featherington, and Colin all teed up, it’s now a matter of when.
“I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone but I can say that when (writer and showrunner) Jess Brownell sat Luke [Luke Newton who plays Colin Bridgerton] and I down and first told us about this season we were like, ‘No! What happens next? So much happens this season. It’s wild!” she says.
The season will be released in two parts, with the first four episodes landing on Netflix on May 16, and the remaining four coming out on June 13. But since filming wrapped, viewers have been spoon-fed the occasional teaser to keep the buzz well and truly alight. One, in particular, had heart rates rising.
It had the same effect on the actors, it seems. “Yeah, when I first watched it I was like, ‘Holy moly!’ I didn’t realise it was that much! There’s no messing around. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If you like that, you’ll be very happy this season,” she says.
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When it comes to shooting steamy scenes, Hollywood hasn’t always had a reputation for being a very safe space, but there’s been an increasing amount of attention paid to making sure actors are comfortable. Enter the intimacy coordinator. Bridgerton’s is Elizabeth Talbot, and she was on hand to ensure the more intimate scenes were not there at the cost of the actor’s dignity.
But if there’s one place dignity must really be preserved, it’s watching sex scenes with a parent in the room. To avoid any really awkward moments, Nicola requested a more PG-13 cut of the show to watch with her mam. “I’ve requested a PG version for my mammy because I am not doing that. No way, no no no” she told Today FM at a sneak peek event last week.
For the uninitiated, in the Bridgerton universe — and the period it is based on — women are valued only for their potential as wives and mothers. The town’s (or ton) eligible ladies are paraded around for eligible bachelors in the hopes of securing a husband and their future. For Penelope, she’s starting to see herself as a bit of a spinster, someone her friend and crush could never love back. While the show’s other central characters have been romanced, she’s firmly on the outside.
“Season three feels almost like a different show to season two so it was weird at first. But then you realise that it’s a case of them trying to be cool. The family has changed but Penelope is still a big nerd underneath it all.”
That narrative of being something of a wallflower, is one Nicola is passionate about turning on its head in the next season. “I hope this season will make people who maybe feel not seen, seen and make everyone realise how deserving and worthy they are of love,” she says.
Source: sundayworld
Filmography of Nicola Coughlan
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Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1997 | My Brother’s War | Little girl feeding swans | Uncredited |
2004 | The Phantom Cnut | Katie | Short film |
2008 | Summer of the Flying Saucer | Janis | Voice |
2011 | Thor: Legend of the Magical Hammer | Edda | Voice |
2012 | Ivan the Incredible | Lottie | Voice (English Version of Gummi T, 2012) |
2013 | Svengali | Club Girl | |
2020 | Her Song | Eve | Voice; Short film |
2023 | Barbie | Diplomat Barbie | |
The Velveteen Rabbit | Playroom Fairy | Voice; Short film | |
Seize Them! | Humble Joan | post-production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2004–2005 | The Fairytaler | Various | Voice; 7 episodes |
2010 | Simsala Grimm II: The Adventures of Yoyo and Doc Croc | Various | Voice; English version; 26 episodes |
2012 | Doctors | Marie Callaghan | Episode: “Every End Has a Start” |
2018–2022 | Derry Girls | Clare Devlin | Main role |
2018 | Harlots | Hannah Dalton | 7 episodes |
2020–present | Bridgerton | Penelope Featherington | Main role |
2023 | Dodger | Queen Victoria | Episode: “Coronation” |
2024 | Big Mood | Maggie | Upcoming series |
Doctor Who | TBA | 2024 Christmas special |