Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan
She can’t keep a secret
Nicola Coughlan’s character Penelope Featherington leads a double life in Bridgerton.
©Netflix/Liam Daniel
Nicola Coughlan reprises her role as Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton. With the actress, no private secret is safe either.
“Delighted Readers…” It’s time for a new ball season of gossip, glamor and mystery in Regency-era London. Season two of the series “Bridgerton” (since March 25 on Netflix) focuses on Bridgerton’s eldest son, Lord Anthony (Jonathan Bailey). While his search for the right wife leads to a love triangle with two sisters, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) continues to live her double life between wallflowers and gossip columnist Lady Whistledown.
Actress Nicola Coughlan (35) reveals in an interview with the news agency spot on news why she finds it difficult to keep secrets privately and what she learned from the second season of “Bridgerton”.
As “Lady Whistledown” no secret is safe with you. How does that work in real life? Did you find it difficult not to divulge all the secrets from the series?
Nicola Coughlan: When it comes to my own secrets, I can’t keep anything to myself because I’m too excited. I told my family as soon as I got the part that I was Lady Whistledown. Then when they watched the first season on Netflix, they got really mad at me because they couldn’t enjoy the mystery. That’s why I’ve tried to keep the mysteries of the second season to myself as much as possible. I have a lot in common with Penelope when it comes to work ethic, but I could never keep a secret as big as her! (laughs)
Did it make a difference to you in filming Season 2 that audiences now know that you are behind “Lady Whistledown”?
Coughlan: Yes, that was a big difference. In the first season, I sometimes subtly brought in that Penelope is Lady Whistledown. The series makers only decided at the end whether to reveal their identities or not. So I wanted to hide little clues from viewers that aren’t too noticeable. Now that Whistledown’s identity is revealed I was able to bring the audience into her world a lot more, which was a lot of fun.
What can viewers expect from Penelope’s story in season two?
Coughlan: The second season shows in different ways that true love isn’t always a straight line. It comes as it comes. For Penelope, this season is all about finding love in friendships and about trust and honesty being the most important things.
A central theme of the second season is the conflict between the heart and the head. How does this develop with Penelope?
Coughlan: Penelope is someone who always dances at too many weddings at once. That gets in her way sometimes. When she’s in whistledown mode, Penelope is very confident, she knows what she’s doing. On the other hand, she is very emotional, she often gets into situations where she could get hurt.
Which of Penelope’s traits do you like the most?
Coughlan: I like how much she loves other people, like Eloise and Colin. She’s so lovely and incredibly smart. But she is still working on herself. I’d say she’s smart but not wise yet.
Many viewers love the friendship between Penelope and Eloise. Do you and actress Claudia Jessie get along so well in real life?
Coughlan: Definitely, we get along great! She is amazing and I love working with her. When I first met her, that was before “Bridgerton”, I immediately liked her. Claudia is a real sunshine. We were the first cast members to be cast on the show and when I found that out I was overjoyed. She is so talented, so funny and a pleasure to work with.