Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan has recently spoken about her time on the set of season three of the hit Netflix show.
The Irish actor recalled her first costume fitting for the series as she readied herself to play the lead and expressed her feelings of gratitude towards the show and everyone involved. In the earlier series of the show, her character was known for wearing relatively frumpy and bright-coloured dresses.
This style became synonymous with her, but things are set to change. In the new series, she will be wearing much more elegant and tasteful numbers, reflecting the arc her character has been on throughout the programme.
“I got teary-eyed,” she told the New York Times, “It felt like a Pretty Woman moment. They were finally going to let me shine.”
“For the first two seasons, the objective, in the nicest way, was not meant to make me look nice,” she said, “A lot of the Featherington aesthetic was a ‘more is more’ approach.”
Coughlan also spoke about how shock at being cast as the leading role in a romantic series. “And it’s not because I find myself hideous,” she said, “As some people have assumed when I say that. Pen was a supporting character, the oddball in the corner, but this time she’s very much centre stage.”
Despite how excited she is about her developing role, though, Coughlan confirms that it is a change of pace compared to the work she usually does. “The only issue with this is that ‘oddball in the corner’ is actually a niche I do very well,” she said, “I’m comfortable there! Strange girl no one pays attention to? Where do I sign up?”
Though the new season’s plot is being kept relatively hidden, fans know that a driving factor behind the story will be Coughlan’s character, Penelope Featherington, dropping her long-held crush on Colin Bridgerton after hearing how he spoke about her in season two.
The first part of the new series will land on the streaming platform May 16th and the final four episodes are set to arrive on June 13th.
