Nicola Coughlan: “I'm the weird girl who took center stage. In Bridgerton and in life”

“I still can’t believe it, I’m the protagonist of a romantic series!”: with words that exude sincere amazement but also a certain pride, Nicola Coughlan reflects on what it means for a woman like her, with a physicality outside the cinematic standard, to become the main character of a successful series come Bridgerton.

The Irish actress, 37, wrote an article for the British version of Harper’s Bazaar (drafted in the form of a letter, in pure style Bridgerton) in which he comments on the success achieved, underlining how unexpected it was. Because despite her many years in the world of acting, between theater and television, Nicola Coughlan doesn’t exactly have the physics of the role of the ‘classic’ protagonist, and therefore until now she had always been hired only to play the “weird girl standing aside”.

The actress elaborates a series of reflections on new perception of self, and on how his physical appearance outside the traditional canons of cinema and television was a obstacle to conquer leading roles. Despite not having completely overcome the fear of judgment, Penelope Featherington of Bridgerton she shows a whole new confidence, probably also fueled by the numerous stylists who court her today, and invite her to social events, dressing her from head to toe.

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The third season of Bridgerton, the Netflix series that narrates the human and love affairs of the aristocracy of the Regency age, will see Penelope become the protagonist of the main plot, which follows her love story with Colin Bridgerton (played by Luke Newton). The first rumors about the sex scenes are already circulating, so hot that the actress reportedly asked to create a censored version so she could show it to Catholic parents. Expressing disbelief at the importance of her role this season, Nicola writes: “It’s not because I think I’m awful, as some say. But because it’s something I never even dreamed of. In fact, honestly with the right lights I consider myself a full seven”, he says, referring to an imaginary scale, from one to ten, often used on social media to evaluate aesthetics.

“I never thought I would be the naive one,” continues the actress, referring to the literary, cinematographic and theatrical archetype of the young, beautiful, inexperienced, naïve girl, who opens up, often at her own risk and peril, to love experiences. “In the first two seasons of Bridgerton Penelope Featherington was a supporting character, the weirdo who stays on the sidelines, but in this one she’s at the center of the scene. Yet the ‘oddball on the sidelines’ is a niche I’m very happy with. The strange girl who no one pays attention to… where do I sign?” jokes Coughlan.

In the new season of Bridgerton, arriving on May 16, Penelope steps out of the shadows, as does Nicola Coughlan: “I was presented with this great opportunity, but I was assailed by doubts about whether I could do it.” It’s part of the job, she admits, to expose yourself and shout to the whole world your pride at having come to play such an important role (Bridgerton 2 was the most watched English-language series ever on Netflix), but this success doesn’t come for free . In reverse, being visible subjects one to continuous scrutiny: “I’m terrified of judgments, opinions, eyes focused on me”.

Industry critics and the public in general are particularly ferocious towards women whose physicality goes beyond the canon to which cinema and fashion have accustomed us. Already in 2018 Nicola Coughlan wrote an article for the Guardian asking to be judged for her acting and not for her size, while a few years ago she closed her Twitter account exasperated by the tons of hatred that was poured on her daily: “I respect and am grateful to the fans, but It’s really hard to navigate the web when people are throwing opinions at you like grenades”.

Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton at the premiere of Bridgerton season 3

The actress, who is currently also the protagonist of another television series, Big Moodand landed a cameo in last year’s most talked about movie, Barbielist three ways to be a successful woman and not be overwhelmed by constant judgement: “Always be 22 years old, be a size zero, have a brilliant personality, but not too much”, he lists, ironically about the well-known obstacles faced by women who advance in their careers, and not just in the cinematographic one. She has overcome these obstacles: she is 37 years old, she is not a size zero and has a crackling personality, which she brings out during interviews but sips on social media, aware of having to keep part of her life private to protect her mental health. Privacy is important to her, as is the need to keep celebrity-Nicola separate (including from Vogue in the list of the best dressed women in the world) from the everyday Nicola (who wears a sweatshirt and worn leggings at home and in the presence of friends). Once a part-time employee at an optical store, Coughlan says she still feels like “The girl who called to remind you of your eye exam appointment.”

“Celebrity doesn’t come with an instruction manual,” concludes the actress. “Even though it terrifies me to step out of the shadowsI’m proud of the work I’ve done so far… I hope I can prove to the world, and to myself, that the ‘oddball on the sidelines’ can take center stage.”.

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