Bridgerton star admits ‘a lot of regret’ over role - The Independent

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Nicola Coughlan has expressed “regret” over her star-making role in Bridgerton.

The Irish actor, 39, rose to fame playing goodie-two-shoes schoolgirl Claire on the hit comedy series Derry Girls in 2018, but it was her part on Netflix’s steamy period drama Bridgerton that cemented her status in Hollywood.

While Coughlan’s character Penelope Featherington featured in the show from the first season onwards, it wasn’t until the third season in 2024 that she took centre stage as the romantic lead alongside Luke Newton’s Colin Bridgerton.

The role introduced Coughlan to an international audience, and saw her fanbase balloon rapidly – in a way that shocked the actor and has caused some regret in the years since.

“I didn’t think about it making me famous, which sounds really thick,” she told The Observer in a recent interview. “I had a lot of regret, actually, after that, about how recognisable it made me, and I definitely went to ground for a bit.”

Coughlan went on to speak about the intrusions of privacy she has faced as a result, describing how she had been asked for a photograph at a funeral and during “very vulnerable medical situations”.

“I think that you assume, because you would never do that, then other people wouldn’t do that,” she said. “But people will do it.”

The actor said that her fame had happily died down a little since then, but noted that her experience has put her off seeking out blockbusters.

“I see people who have success, and they say they want to go and do every blockbuster movie, and I’m like, no,” Coughlan said, acknowledging that she did star in Barbie, one of the biggest box office smashes in recent memory, but only “for a second”.

The actor was one of several to make a fleeting cameo in the 2023 Greta Gerwig film. She played Diplomat Barbie.

“I wouldn’t want to chase that level,” she said. “If it happens again, I’d be like, OK. But going after it – that’s not for me.”

Coughlan drew a distinction between the immense fame she gained from Bridgerton and the recognition she had already received for Derry Girls. “It gave me a false sense of security,” she said. “Because it’s very different, being in a show that’s popular and being in a show with fandom. They’re not the same.”

It is unsurprising, then, that Coughlan will have a reduced role in Bridgerton’s forthcoming fifth season next year. Fans, however, will be able to see her in the comedy series Only Murders in the Building opposite Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.

Coughlan will also star in the Channel Four two-part British drama I Am Helen, a continuation of Dominic Savage’s BAFTA-winning anthology series. The first part will debut on Monday night (16 November).