‘Bridgerton’ Star Nicola Coughlan Said Fans Get Mad at Her For Things Penelope Did: ‘Please Be Nice to Me’
Bridgerton‘s absolutely stunning success has given its stars a massive platform and new fans, but it hasn’t always been a pleasant experience. People are obsessed with the show because of the complex interpersonal dynamics between the characters in a Regency-era exploration of alternative history. That kind of emotional investment from fans, however, is a double-edged sword.
Some viewers seem to be having trouble separating their feelings for the fictional characters from their responses to the real-life actors who portray them. At least one star is begging fans to recognize the divide between fiction and reality.
Nicola Coughlan’s character Penelope has upset ‘Bridgerton’ fans
While the serial nature of Bridgerton and its source material leaves fans with a rotating cast of new characters to meet and love (or hate), there is a core set of characters around whom the drama revolves from season to season.
Nicola Coughlan portrays Penelope Featherington, a character whose development over the first two seasons has been one of the most complex and surprising.
While much of the “will-they-or-won’t-they” romantic plot between each season’s primary leads has delightful predictability, the Season 1 big reveal that unassuming and mousy Penelope was actually the Lady Whistledown who was keeping the “Ton” in a tizzy was uniquely exciting.
However, the character arc continued into Season 2, and Penelope (who had been a fan favorite) made some choices that had viewers feeling much less charitable toward her character. In particular, Penelope’s betrayal of her close friend Eloise has left fans angry.
Nicola Coughlan wants fans to remember she is not Penelope
While Penelope may well deserve the spite Bridgerton fans are throwing her way, Coughlan does not, and the actor wants to remind fans that she’s playing a part — not assuming an actual identity.
As news broke that the Season 3 plot would likely revolve around Penelope and her blossoming love with Colin, fans were quick to lash out with opinions. Many of them were quite hurtful. Taking to Instagram, Coughlan reminded fans that she’s just doing her job, as Metro reports. “I’m there to do the acting and, you know, I don’t have a choice in most things,” the star explained.
“Loads of people get mad at me for things Penelope did, but I really didn’t do them because it’s a script, and I see the words and do acting.”
She laughed before imploring the angry mob to change their behavior: “Please be nice to me.”
Nicola Coughlan is finding her acting groove
While fans might be angry at Penelope and taking it out on Coughlan, the star is definitely seeing a rise in her star power thanks to Bridgerton. The role has brought renewed attention to her other work, including a starring role in Derry Girls, a Netflix comedy set during the Troubles in 1990s Ireland.
While we can imagine that her increasingly visible role in Bridgerton will be keeping her busy for the immediate future, there are already hints at a broadening career path for Coughlan in the years to come. Upcoming projects include a rumored role in the 2023 Barbie film and a starring part in the upcoming comedy film Seize Them!
Whether the star will make a more permanent leap from the small-screen to the big one remains to be seen, but she’s definitely someone to keep an eye on. Perhaps what happens next in Bridgerton will help bring fans around to forgiving Penelope, but no matter our feelings for the fictional gossip queen, Coughlan seems on her way to very big things indeed.
