In the series “” the actress plays a character almost 20 years younger than herself. Her Penelope Featherington in the books is from 16 (in the first part of the series) to 18 (in the current film version), which is quite a gap compared to Nicola Coughlan’s 37 years. What does the star herself say about it?
“The Bridgertons”. Nicola Coughlan surprised by sudden popularity
When Nicola Coughlan landed the role of Penelope Featherington, she read Julia Quinn’s entire series of books in preparation. She and Luke Newton realized that for the first two series, their supporting roles were intended to fill screen time without providing excessive romantic emotions. However, time passed quickly, and the scriptwriters accelerated Penelope and Colin’s romance even more – in the books, the couple discovers their feelings only in the fourth part, not in the third.
Luke and I read the books together at the beginning of the first series and it was very funny for us. We said to each other, “Imagine if we had to kiss and stuff like that.” And then suddenly the third season of the series came. “Oh my God”. He’s my friend, I have to kiss my friend! You can’t fake such things, kisses are real. And it’s getting spicy. A lot of things happen in the books that fans expect from us in the series… – said Nicola Coughlan in an interview with “Entertainment Weekly”.
The age difference between the actress and her character also arouses a lot of unhealthy emotions. Penelope should be around 18 years old in the third part of the series. Considering the conditions of the invented reality in Great Britain during the times of “Queen Charlotte”, this is already the age of spinsterhood, at which the chances of getting married are minimal. In reality, Nicola Coughlan is 37 years old, and although she started her career only seven years ago, she already has some thoughts about the “appropriate” age for a woman in the film industry:
“I have some simple advice for women who are thinking about a career in show business. First of all: you must be 22 years old forever. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to age, and if you try to mask wrinkles with Botox or fillers, people will think that you are afraid .It’s best to freeze and thaw only for good roles. Unless you have the mixture that Isabella Rossellini gave to Meryl Streep in “Death Becomes Her”…” wrote Nicola Coughlan in an essay for “Harper’s Bazaar” a few days ago .
The sudden fame and recognition that first “Derry Girls” and now “Bridgertons” brought her surprised her a bit. Coughlan in “Harper’s Bazaar” recalls that she did not expect such popularity, which came suddenly and very recently.
“In 2017, I was working part-time at an optician. I was approaching 30, I was living with my parents and I wasn’t sure if my acting career would take off at all or if I was just kidding myself. Now, in 2024, I’m starting a world tour with one one of Netflix’s greatest hits. It’s hard for me to understand. It’s funny that I don’t feel any different from that girl who called people and reminded them that they were supposed to come in for an eye exam,” she writes.
For many months, she has been patiently explaining to fans of the series that although the character of Penelope Featherington is not crystal, it is only her character in the series.
It’s a script, and I just read the words from the script and act. Please be a little nicer to me. I am not responsible for the order in which the books are screened, for what is on the posters, who is on the posters, or how anyone speaks to the media. This is beyond my reach and skills. I’m here to play. I don’t have a choice in most matters, she explained on social media.
“The Bridgertons” returns with its third season to Netflix
The third season of “Bridgerton” will hit the platform in a month. – the first episodes will be available to watch on May 16, the next ones – on June 13. This will be the fourth series in the “universe” created by Julia Quinn and filmed by Shonda Rhimes.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
