- POPSUGAR Australia
- Celebrity
- 10 Facts You Should Know About Bridgerton Fan Fave Nicola Coughlan
10 Facts You Should Know About Bridgerton Fan Fave Nicola Coughlan
Getty / Karwai Tang
If you love Bridgerton‘s town gossip Penelope Featherington as much as we do, then you likely want to learn more about the talented actress who plays her. Ireland native Nicola Coughlan, 34, rose to fame playing Clare Devlin on Derry Girls and Hannah Dalton on Harlots, and we have a feeling we’re going to be seeing a whole lot more of her in the coming years. She may be used to playing shy characters on the small screen, but IRL, Nicola is anything but, as she’s proven with her social advocacy and epic Twitter clapbacks. Here’s everything you should know about the Bridgerton fan favorite.
Getty / John Phillips
She Landed a Major Role by Answering an Open Casting Call on Twitter
Due to financial difficulties, Nicola moved home to Galway, Ireland, to work part time at an optician and get back on her feet. During that time, she responded to an open casting call on Twitter for Jess and Joe Forever at The Old Vic in London, and she just so happened to land the role of Jess. “Jess and Joe Forever is so special to me,” she told The Stage during an October 2020 interview. “It is such a beautiful play, and it was my first break into the industry.”
Getty / Jon Kopaloff
She Perfects Different Accents by Watching Instagram Videos
Though born and raised in Galway, Ireland, Nicola has managed to perfect a variety of different accents, including Clare Devlin’s Northern Irish accent and Penelope Featherington’s aristocratic English accent. According to Nicola, she has Instagram to thank for her mastery of accents. “Sometimes I watch videos on Instagram with the sound off and try and guess the accent because people move their mouths in different ways,” she told Bustle.
Getty / Jeff Spicer
She Auctioned Off a Dress After It Was Trolled by a Tabloid
Her response to the British Theatre Guide wasn’t her only epic clapback on Twitter. She also called out the Daily Mirror after they described the pink Alex Perry dress she wore to the 2019 British Academy Film and Television Awards as “not the most flattering.” Soon after the tabloid criticized her look, Nicola retweeted the article, writing, “I mean incorrect. I look smokin, sorry bout it.” Later, in July 2020, she auctioned off the dress to raise money for LauraLynn, Ireland’s only children’s hospice.
Getty / Jeff Spicer
She's Battled Depression
Before landing her breakout role on Derry Girls, Nicola struggled with her mental health as well as her finances. “I couldn’t get out of bed. I felt like I failed at everything. I felt like I had nothing, and I had let my family down,” she told Glamour UK. “You think all these terrible things about yourself and that was made worse because I had taken out a loan and I just kept thinking about being in financial debt.”
According to Nicola, coming out of her depression was a long and difficult process. “There wasn’t one thing that turned it around for me – I got myself out of that stage very slowly,” she continued. “It was my family being amazing and my sister literally pulling me out of bed and making me go for a run. Stuff like that gave me a sense of purpose again and that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Getty / Karwai Tang
She'd Love to Play an Antagonistic Character
When asked about her dream role by Bustle, Nicola gave a surprising answer: she wants to play someone wicked. “I’d love to play someone irredeemably bad,” she admitted. “I love Succession. They’re all so desperately selfish and lacking any self-awareness.” No matter what Nicola does next, we can’t wait to see it!
