Nicola Coughlan’s body has never been the subject of more public fascination than now, and although we know her to be queen of a swift body-shaming clapback, the actress has voiced concerns about the direction the discourse is taking.
Following a whirlwind press tour to promote the actress’ leading role in Bridgerton Season 3, it became clear that while her castmates were navigating questions about costumes and romance rumours, Coughlan was fielding comments about nudity, sex scenes and weight – from all angles.
Not one to shy away from the power of her own celebrity, Coughlan spoke about her body – and filming those sex scenes – with a refreshing honestly and genuine excitement, opening up about the power of vulnerability and its effect on her own confidence levels. But it’s been the direction of discourse since, that Coughlan is sick of hearing, and rightly so.
Having just been named one of Time’s ‘Next Generation Leaders’ for her incredible work in advocacy and “leading with empathy, challenging the status quo, and forging solutions for a brighter future” Coughlan sat down with the publication to discuss everything from Luke Newton rumours to career “false starts” and being a recovering people pleaser.
Elsewhere in the interview, Coughlan opened up about the glaring differences between the type of commentary around her and her Bridgerton castmates.
When referring to being called “brave” for agreeing to film nude scenes in Bridgerton, Coughlan was quick to point out her concern for the type of real-world impact a narrative like that could have.
“I’m a few sizes below the average size of a woman in the U.K. and I’m seen as a ‘plus-size heroine.’” Not to mention: “I worked my arse off for that show. I barely saw my family and friends, and people were just going, ‘But your body …’”
And while Coughlan’s body is frequently referred to under the guise of a ‘compliment’, she doesn’t see it that way. “But I don’t take it as nice. Making it about how I look is reductive and boring. What if I was suddenly going to play a ballerina and lose a sh-t ton of weight, are you not going to like me anymore? That’s insane and so insulting.”
Reflecting on how her Bridgerton-fuelled fame has brought with it a public curiosity like never before, it’s clear that Coughlan is still coming to terms with her new reality.
“Nowadays, people have their camera phones pointed at you and they’ll post where you are in real time,” she says. “It’s a real invasion.”
As a self-confessed “people pleaser” Coughlan is still working on setting boundaries and calling people out on their unacceptable behaviour.
“I oscillate between two things as a woman: It costs nothing to be nice, and women don’t owe you niceness. Both of those things are true.”
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
