Nicola Coughlan has reminded Bridgerton fans that she’s simply “doing acting” after facing criticism over the forthcoming third season.
The next season of Netflix’s period drama will focus on Coughlan’s Penelope Featherington – AKA Lady Whistledown – and her budding romance with Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton).
This will be the first time the show has strayed from the order of Julia Quinn’s romance novels, as the third book is about Benedict (Luke Thompson), while Colin and Penelope’s story takes place in the fourth book.
On Sunday (2 October), Coughlan responded to a fan who claimed it was “ridiculous” that the show was prioritising Penelope’s story, given the character had “ruined everyone’s lives” with her behaviour as the gossip pamphleteer Lady Whistledown.
Transposing herself onto the comment on Instagram Stories, Coughlan 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 then I say the words and do acting.
“Please be nice to me,” she added, with a laugh.
Coughlan continued: “I will never have any say over storylines, what order stories are going in, what’s on posters, who’s on posters, who’s doing what press. That’s way beyond my skill set. I’m there to do the acting and, you know, I don’t have a choice in most things.”
Showing a promotional image of Penelope, she explained: “I wouldn’t be like, ‘Yes, this my best hair look that I will have. I mean, I was meant to look like that and Lou [Bannell] who did this hair and makeup, I love you. But, I was meant to look like a sad poodle, so I looked like a sad poodle.”
Adding that she wasn’t able to share any behind-the-scenes information from the filming of season three yet, Coughlan said: “But when you see what we’re doing… I’m so excited, I cannot wait to share it with you.”
Bridgerton is on Netflix now.
