The Real Reason You Recognize Penelope From Bridgerton

Many of the stars of Netflix's new must-see romantic period drama Bridgerton have been in major productions before, and Nicola Coughlan is no exception. Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington, will be familiar to viewers from other well-loved UK shows such as Derry Girls and Harlots. Set in the 1990s, the British comedy Derry Girls follows a group of five friends during their years at a Catholic girls secondary school. Coughlan played Clare, the anxiety-riddled friend of main character Erin. Clare often served to temper some of the group's more reckless impulses, thanks to her intense fear of disrespecting authority. Meanwhile, Harlots was a period drama about brothel workers in 18th-century London, featuring a talented ensemble cast. Coughlan joined the cast in the second season playing Hannah Dalton, a tough-talking courtesan who fit seamlessly into the show's campy, boundary-pushing feminist dynamic. In her latest role in Bridgerton, which is based on a series of books by Julia Quinn, Coughlan's character is overlooked for much of the first season, but Penelope comes into her own as the show progresses. And with Bridgerton already renewed for season two, Coughlan is excited to see how her character develops. Speaking to Harper's Bazaar, Coughlan said, "I'm excited to see her be a young girl and have fun, and hopefully get a little bit more confident. But having started connecting with her — she's like 28 in book four — I'm fascinated to see where that goes for her, how it develops and changes. [...] Because this is a big world, there's a lot of characters in it. We really just started to scratch the surface. There's a lot more there to kind of dig into." "I am of age. I am out in society. Therefore, I have more important, mature things to worry about." As Bridgerton fans know, Penelope is not a person to mess with. While she may seem like a meek and prim debutante on the surface, Penelope has a keen and witty mind. This may be a case of art imitating life, because Coughlan is also an outspoken woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind. While Bridgerton has received lots of love, it has drawn some criticism from people who don't approve of its diverse casting. Coughlan, however, vehemently disagrees with the detractors. She retweeted a tweet from Netflix at the beginning of January 2021 announcing that Bridgerton is one of its most popular original series ever, adding, "You know the way some people were like 'Diversity in period drama doesn't work'....63 million households thought it did tho so