Nicola Coughlan knew just what to say when told she was “brave” for starring in the newest season of “Bridgerton.”
During an event in Dublin, the actor did not hesitate with her response about her starring role in the third season of the hit Netflix series when told she was "very brave" for taking it on.
“You know, it is hard, because I think women with my body type — women with perfect breasts,” she said in video shared on social media, which drew a large applause from the audience, “we don’t get to see ourselves on screen enough.”
She continued, “I’m very proud as a member of the perfect breasts community. I hope you enjoy seeing them.”
Social media users quickly praised the actor for her response.
"I'm obsessed with this woman," wrote one person on X.
"I LOVE HER so much, never seen anyone with my body type f---ing slay on the screen like she does," wrote another.
Coughlan and her co-star Luke Newton are at the center of the third season of “Bridgerton,” which follows the romance between their characters Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton. Part One was released on May 16, with the second part dropping on June 13.
The actor previously shared how she secures herself a slightly edited version of “Bridgerton” for her family, sans some of the show’s signature spicy scenes.
“It’s literally written into my contract,” the actor said of the edited version during an April appearance on the radio show SiriusXM Hits 1. “People think I’m saying it as a joke.”
“I grew up Irish Catholic,” she added. “That’s just not how we vibe.”
Coughlan’s choice to shield her family from her more risqué scenes as an actor isn’t always the standard in Hollywood. Sydney Sweeney has been open about how her family, including her dad and grandpa, watched her nude scenes in “Euphoria” with little to no warning.
Coughlan’s preference extends beyond “Bridgerton” and to her new show “Big Mood.” She explained that in the first episode of the Tubi show, there’s a “saucy scene” that she tried to avoid showing to her mom.
“I did a talk show in Ireland in which she was in the audience and they showed it on that,” she said. “I was like, ‘Well I can’t control that anymore.’”
When she was asked if her mom had any reaction to the scene, Coughlan explained, “When she first saw ‘Bridgerton,’ she didn’t know it was going to be so saucy.”
“And then you get a bottom — Jonathan Bailey’s lovely bottom — about two minutes into the first episode ever. And she was like, ‘What is this?’” she added. “But then now she thinks it’s fantastic and really funny and she keeps talking about bottoms and Luke Newton’s bottom.”
When asked about what happens on set when filming the sex scenes, she shared the difference in dynamic between herself and Newton and Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley, who starred in the show’s second season as Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma.
“I feel like Johnny and Simone were so professional with it, whereas Luke and I just text about it all the time and found it really funny,” she explained. “In between scenes and they’re like ‘Do you want to get up and put your clothes on?’ And we’re like, ‘Oh, we’ll just chill here under the blankets.’”
Coughlan noted that she and Newton, who have appeared on the show since Season One, had “the advantage of knowing each other for years.”
However, Coughlan did reveal that while filming one of the season’s spicier scenes, she and Newton had a bit of a fumble, revealing, “We did break a piece of furniture while doing one of those.”
Showrunner Jess Brownell said during a panel on Feb. 14 that Coughlan and Newton’s characters represent “underdogs” to root for. Executive producer Shonda Rhimes added that they are already fan-favorite characters.
“Usually we’re meeting a new person who’s falling in love with one of our regulars,” Rhimes said during the panel. “This time, we know the people who are falling in love. We were already rooting for them because we already know them and I’m excited for that.”
