Nicola Coughlan was so exhausted while shooting Bridgerton and Big Mood simultaneously that she would sometimes cry on set.
Coughlan returns as Penelope Featherington in the upcoming third season of Netflix’s regency romance, which she shot at the same time as Channel 4 comedy Big Mood. Filming both shows at the same time took its toll on Coughlan, who would sometimes burst into tears on set.
“I remember that I was so tired,” she during a conversation with AP Entertainment, “I would just start crying randomly.”
The star would film one show during the week, before returning to the other show on weekends, learning her lines on set and in makeup chairs. “I had no other time to do it,” she explained, “I needed more hours in the day.”
She put her emotions down to exhaustion. “I would be saying, ‘There’s nothing actually wrong with me,'” she remembered, “‘I am just very tired.'”
Coughlan will take on a leading role in the third instalment of Bridgerton, as the season turns to focus on the love story between Penelope and Colin Bridgerton, played by Luke Newton. The pair have been staples on the show since it first aired in 2020, with viewers hoping to see a relationship between them blososm.
The plot for season three seems set to fulfil those wishes. An official trailer sees Colin promising to help Penelope to find a suitor, while coming to terms with his own feelings for her. He can be seen watching enviously as she dances with another man and, in the climax of the trailer, storming towards her as he says her name desperately.
Since the show first aired, it has also become known for its explicit sex scenes. The new season seems set to follow in this direction, as Coughlan has already requested a PG version of the series to show to her parents.
Meanwhile, Big Mood aired earlier this year on Channel 4. Directed by Rebecca Asher, it follows Coughlan and Lydia West as Maggie and Eddie, best friends navigating Maggie’s bipolar disorder.
Watch Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton in the official trailer for season three of Bridgerton below. Part one will hit Netflix on May 16th.
