Nicola Coughlan. Robert Okine/Getty Images
Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan is setting the record straight on speculation about her appearance on the Netflix series.
“I saw some trolls. They were like, ‘They photoshopped your waist,’ and I was like, ‘No, they did not,’” Coughlan, 37, told People in an interview published on Wednesday, June 12.
Season 3 of the period romance, which premiered last month, sees Coughlan’s character, Penelope Featherington, gain newfound confidence after trading in her family’s over-the-top and colorful wardrobe for a new, sophisticated look. One thing all of Penelope’s outfits throughout the series include are corsets, something Coughlan said her body has grown used to over time.
“I think if you wear corsetry for long enough, your body really molds to it,” she explained. “Sometimes they come in a fitting for a fashion designer and they put a corset on me and I’m like, ‘Oh, you can go tight,’ and they go, ‘What do you mean?’ I’m like, ‘My body now will go whew.’”
Penelope Featherington comes into her own in Bridgerton season 3, much like actress Nicola Coughlan’s own style transformation. “I think I used to be quite intimidated by [the industry], it sort of robbed me of confidence,” Coughlan told Vogue in May 2022, referring to her past struggles with body insecurity. “I thought, I really enjoy this, so why am […]
Coughlan has stood up against body-shamers several times since taking over as Bridgerton’s leading lady for season 3, which follows the love story between Penelope and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton). Earlier this month, she gave a hilarious response to someone stating that she’s “very brave” for baring it all in some of the show’s steamier scenes.
“You know, it is hard, ’cause I think women with my body type — women with perfect breasts — we do not get to see ourselves onscreen enough,” she quipped at a June 6 Bridgerton season 3 part 2 fan screening in Dublin. “I am very proud as a member of the perfect breasts community, and I hope you enjoy seeing them.”
Last month, the actress told Stylist magazine that she “specifically asked for certain lines and moments to be included” in season 3’s NSFW scenes, adding, “There’s one scene where I’m very naked on camera, and that was my idea, my choice.”
She described the “empowering” decision as being “the biggest ‘f–k you’ to all the conversation surrounding my body,” noting, “I felt beautiful in the moment, and I thought: ‘When I’m 80, I want to look back on this and remember how f–king hot I looked!’”
That being said, Coughlan revealed back in February that she did request a “PG version” of season 3 for her mom to watch in order to avoid awkward moments. “If you want to watch it with your mum and dad, go for it, [but] having seen bits …” she told Australia’s Today FM.
Bridgerton fans enjoy many aspects of the show but there’s just something about those sex scenes. While some viewers fell in love with the Netflix show’s chaste courtship traditions, many couldn’t stop talking about those steamy moments — including the cast. “I love [Daphne’s] coming-of-age story and her sexual awakening. … My first-ever scene was […]
Newton, 31, added: “I don’t think I can do episode 2 with my mum let alone … I’m not gonna say it.”
The second half of season 3 is sure to include more sexy scenes between Penelope and Colin, as part 1 ended with the two getting engaged. The onscreen couple previously teased that they broke a piece of furniture while filming an upcoming episode.
“It’s not a bed,” Coughlan clarified to BuzzFeed UK last month. “Someone [previously guessed] a candlestick. I [was] like, ‘What do you think we’re doing?’ I would say it’s like a piece of furniture you would more see in the past than in the present.”
