Bridgerton’s thief Nicola Coughlan reveals how she discovered this twist in her character
She stole the hearts of fans like Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton.
But Nicola Coughlan revealed that she was completely unaware of the biggest turnaround involving her character until she was hired.
The 33-year-old Galway native told Variety that she discovered Penelope’s big secret by reading a fan thread online.
To tell the truth: Nicola Coughlan revealed that he was completely unaware of the biggest upheaval that involved his character until he was hired
At the end of the first season, which hit Netflix on Christmas Day, Penelope is revealed as none other than Lady Whistledown.
Lady Whistledown is the pseudonym of the author of a gossip newsletter that often bothers the Regency England high society.
Nicola, who was also a fan favorite as a gay student from Northern Ireland during the Troubles in Derry Girls, was candid about her audition for Bridgerton for Variety.
‘When I went to the first audition, I only had a few days to prepare; I didn’t have time to read the books or do anything like that. I just thought, “I’m going to give it a try and if I get a second call, I’ll read it all,” she confessed.
As seen in the costumes: the 33-year-old woman, who came from Galway, told Variety that she discovered Penelope’s big secret by reading a fan thread online
– But it didn’t happen, I just got the job. So it was like, ‘I better read these books and find out who this character is.’
By ‘the books’ Nicola was referring to Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series of novels, specializing in period pieces.
Nicola shared: ‘I also went to many online fan forums, because these books have been around for 20 years. People love them and have a great connection with them. Penelope is really close to their hearts. It was on a forum that I realized that she was Lady Whistledown. When I saw it, I thought, “No, no, no, no, that can’t be right.”
She said: ‘I kept rereading, because it didn’t make sense: [I’m] getting this amazing role on a Shondaland-Netflix show, and it’s that role. It’s pretty mind-blowing. ‘
Spoiler alert: at the end of the first season, which crashed on Netflix on Christmas Day, Penelope is revealed as none other than Lady Whistledown
Bridgerton, the series was produced by Shonda Rhimes and created by Chris Van Dusen who worked for her on Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and Scandal.
While talking to Variety, Nicola also said that ‘It was a lot of fun’, filming Penelope’s revelation as Lady Whistledown.
“We had to film this in the middle of COVID. I had to be super, super secret. I had to be brought in from Ireland, and tested and tested and tested, and take the test. ‘
She remembered: ‘It was hyper secret; I couldn’t let anyone know that I was there or what was going on. But it was a lot of fun to shoot that. ‘
Disclosing: Nicola, who was also a fan favorite as a gay student from Northern Ireland during Troubles in Derry Girls, was candid about her audition for Bridgerton for Variety