Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan admits she didn't know if the Regency drama would ... trends now
Nicola Coughlan has admitted she didn't know whether Bridgerton would be popular with viewers when she first joined the cast.
The actress, 37, has taken centre stage as Penelope Featherington in the third series of the racy Regency drama, which follows her romance with Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton).
But Nicola has confessed that she didn't know if Penelope would get her turn in the spotlight as she was unsure if the Netflix hit would be renewed past its first series.
Nicola went on to admit that it felt 'daunting' when she finally found out she would be season three's leading lady and feature in a string of racy sex scenes.
Posing for a stunning magazine photoshoot, she told Marie Claire Australia: 'I remember reading the books and thinking, "Geez, these are really steamy, that's gonna be a lot," but we didn't know if the show would get picked up after the first season.
Nicola Coughlan has admitted she didn't know whether Bridgerton would be renewed for a second series when she first joined the cast in an interview with Marie Claire Australia
'Once we found it was going ahead, it was definitely daunting.'
Despite her uncertainty, Bridgerton has become one of Netflix's most-popular shows since its 2020 debut and its second series broke single-week viewing records.
Nicola has taken centre stage in series three as Penelope's blossoming romance with Colin is followed, with the pair going from friends to lovers in a much-awaited story.
Nicola recently teased that series three of Bridgerton will be even raunchier than the previous two, and hinted that fans can expect one 'very naked' sex scene.
The Derry Girls star said filming sex scenes were her favourite part of the season and said she would have struggled to do them with anyone but Luke, who plays Colin.
Posing up a storm for a glamorous photoshoot, Nicola admitted it felt 'daunting' when she found out she would be season three's leading lady and feature in a string of racy sex scenes
'Luke and I are really good partners and we had a lot of trust in one another,' she told Marie Claire Australia.
'I would have struggled to do it with someone else, because we could talk about it and text about it and we had a lot of say in how those scenes were done.'
Her character Penelope is also the woman behind Lady Whistledown's infamous gossip column, unbeknownst to all apart from Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie).
But Nicola wasn't aware of Penelope's secret identity when she first landed the part and only found out upon reading fan forums about the books, written by Julia Quinn.
In the wide-ranging interview, Nicola also spoke about her rise to fame and insisted she wasn't an overnight success but worked hard throughout all of her 20s.
In the wide-ranging interview, Nicola also spoke about her rise to fame and insisted she wasn't an overnight wonder but worked hard throughout all of her 20s to secure her huge success
The actress, 37, has taken centre stage as Penelope Featherington in the third series of the racy Regency drama, which follows her romance with Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton)
She finally got her big break at the age of 31 in comedy hit Derry Girls, but before that, had been working full-time in retail jobs while auditioning for theatre gigs and small film roles.
Nicola was even an extra in the reality TV series Made In Chelsea and was paid £100 for a day working in the background on an episode of the E4 show.
Nicola said she is glad wasn't in the public eye in her 20s and appreciated her anonymity, confessing that she has never seen overnight fame as a good thing but favours hard work instead.
Her efforts have paid off as she is now the face of Bridgerton season three and the instalment has already
