Nicola Coughlan‘s post-Derry Girls career went stratospheric when her character Penelope Featherington took center stage as the romantic interest in Bridgerton season 3.
Her star rising has led to more opportunities and a reevaluation of the typical love stories seen in the likes of the aesthetics-based Netflix show. However, one particular question has riled her up. Coughlan was repeatedly asked about her body while promoting the show.
She told Time she was called “brave” for taking on the role because her body didn’t conform to the usual thin standard. “Don’t call me brave. I have a cracking pair of boobs. There’s nothing brave about that, that’s actually just me showing them off.”
While Coughlan understands Hollywood favors specific body types, she expressed concern for the narrative the word “brave” implies. “I’m a few sizes below the average size of a woman in the U.K. and I’m seen as a ‘plus-size heroine.’” She added, “I worked my arse off for that show. I barely saw my family and friends, and people were just going, ‘But your body.’”
The actor knows it’s coming from a place of trying to further body positivity, but said “I don’t take it as nice. Making it about how I look is reductive and boring. What if I was suddenly going to play a ballerina and lose a sh*t ton of weight, are you not going to like me anymore? That’s insane and so insulting.”
Body diversity has improved across Hollywood in the past decade, but it’s a tricky subject to navigate without being condescending to those who represent that change. If we’re still pointing out someone’s differences, they have not yet been fully accepted.
Just as we have to be careful not to use tokenizing language when discussing other forms of diversity, such as LGBTQ+ representation, the conversation requires nuance and the media must listen to stars like Coughlan when they say some of the headlines are hurtful rather than helpful.
While some elements of the months-long press tour were grating, Coughlan very much enjoyed other parts of the chatter surrounding Penelope and Colin Bridgerton’s steamy relationship. In a 2024 interview with Vanity Fair, she said, “It’s so important for her to see herself as desirable. She cannot fathom herself through Debling’s eyes. When he first speaks to her and he’s like, ‘You could make one wither,’ she’s like, Me? This is crazy.”
Talking about the beloved carriage scene, where Colin confesses his feelings, she recalled, “That scene encapsulates everything that’s wonderful about Bridgerton. It’s got the suspense, it’s got the miscommunication, the heartfelt longing for one another, the profession of love, and then it’s got the sexiness. It’s got this brilliant pace.”
Colin is not the only one head over heels if Coughlan’s social media around the time of season 3 is anything to go by. And while there were some negative Nancys, the outpour of love for her character and performance in the show speaks for itself.
She reportedly requested that her season 3 scenes be spicier, so we can all feel free to take a step back from telling her she’s brave — she’s got plenty of confidence as it is.