Bridgerton fans around the world were thrilled to see Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) FINALLY get her happy ending with Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) — and swap her Featherington yellow and green for Bridgerton blue. And no one was happier about the newlywed Polin than Coughlan herself!
“It’s so exciting to play a woman who’s happily married with a really cute baby,” she told Good Morning America at the Time 100 Next Gala in New York City on Oct. 9. “It feels like they’ve been through all the hardships the last time. So they get to go back and just fall in love and have the most wonderful time together.”
Both Phoebe Dynevor and Simone Ashley saw their screen time decrease after their characters got married and had their first child, but Penelope has been a prominent part of the series from the start. It looks like the show could make a surprise exception and continue to feature her (and her baby!) despite her love story being over. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for!
While Penelope and Colin will be busy enjoying their happily ever after, Coughlan said Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha are “working hard to be our leads this time around,” adding that “they’re doing a fantastic, fantastic job.”
Ruth Gemmell as Lady Violet Bridgerton, Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton and Florence Hunt as Hyacinth Bridgerton Liam Daniel/Netflix And while it’s no secret that fans of the show are hoping for a quirky storyline, Coughlan revealed how much the cast are also hoping for it. “I love Bridgerton because it’s a show about all different kinds of love stories,” she said. “I just know that Hannah [Dodd] and Masali [Baduza] will do great,” she added. “Whenever the time comes, they’ll be ready and they’ll do great.”
The Bridgerton season 3 finale introduced us (and Dodd’s Francesca) to Michaela Stirling, a gender-bending version of the book’s love interest, Michael Stirling. “It makes perfect sense that Michael Stirling is Michaela Stirling on the show,” one X user tweeted. “There’s no way a man could deliver what Michael Stirlin did in the books. Only a woman could deliver like that.”
Ahead of the hit show’s children’s season, Nicola Coughlan exclusively revealed to Brit + Co that she loved watching Penelope come out of her shell and become more confident throughout Bridgerton season 3. “It feels really different this time around, I think just because she’s finally grown up and I love coming back to a show and playing a character again, and finding new sides to them,” Coughlan said. “She’s coming into her own as a woman and finding her self-worth—that side of her is something I really enjoy getting to show. It’s great.” And she’s not just finding her confidence—she’s finding the courage to ditch Lady Whistledown once and for all, stepping into the spotlight as her true self. And it doesn’t hurt that she looks great doing it. “Light!” Coughlan’s Big Moodco star Lydia West added. “You look gorgeous. [I like] different wigs.” “When you take the wig off, it’s sad because you look like a little wet rat under a wig and all your hair is just slicked back,” Coughlan joked. Yes, it’s been a summer of Rat Boyfriend — maybe it could be a fall of Rat Girlfriend?
