Warning: This article contains spoilers
Actress Nicola Coughlan has said she was devastated when producers had to cut some of her scenes in the new series of Derry Girls because her schedule clashed with her commitments to hit Netflix drama Bridgerton.
The much in demand Galway actress has shot to fame in the past few years, first as Clare Devlin in the anarchic comedy about a group of schoolfriends in 1990s Derry and more recently as the secretive Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton, and her growing success has forced her to make compromises.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment, Nicola said it has been a struggle to juggle the two hit shows over the past two years.
"Last year was really difficult, I won't lie," she said. "At the best of times trying to manage different projects is a push and pull and we were meant to film Derry Girls in January 2021 and I was totally free, but they decided to push it again which caused me insane stress.
"I was on what they call first call with Bridgerton so I said to Derry Girls, `guys, can we just film it?’ and they were no, we’re going to delay it and it meant there had to be compromises in the script to Derry Girls.
"That was devastating for me because I wanted to be in all of it, but compromises had to be made and they had to cut down my role somewhat, which was hard, really, really hard."
"But I think fans of the show will be happy. I think it’s a really nice sign-off to Derry Girls."
Asked if filming the final scenes of the series was emotional, she said, "It was weird because we were filming during Covid, and it was really stressful, so I don’t think we really processed it. It was weird. It’s a show that now really belongs to the fans."
It has been a very busy few years for the 35-year-old. "It felt like a blur," she says. "I wrapped the new season of Bridgerton on a Friday morning. Bridgerton were really kind to me and compacted all my scenes, I shot episode eight in two weeks, and it was heavy going because it was all the heavy stuff for Penelope.
"So, I wrapped on Friday morning, flew in on Saturday for costume and make-up and into Derry Girls on Monday so my head was fried! It was all a blur, but the scripts were great, and I hope the fans are happy."
The second season of period romcom Bridgerton is on Netflix from Friday, March 25 and we will see the new season move on from the story of debutante ingénue Daphne to the eldest Bridgerton son Anthony, a cad and bounder who becomes embroiled in a forbidden love affair with a newcomer to the Ton.
The extravagant and lush Regency romp (without an actual regent), which is based on the book series by Julia Quinn, became one of the biggest hits of the pandemic, and was watched by millions of viewers seduced by a parallel universe London of 200 years ago.
And it's Penelope Featherington who has become the beating and secret heart of one of the most popular shows on television.
She may seem like the shy wallflower of the gaudy sub-Austen piece, but as we saw at the end of season one, Penelope has been revealed as Lady Whistledown, the author of a scandal sheet that intrigues and appals the puffed-up denizens of Grosvenor Square and the courtiers of Queen Charlotte.
She has been living a double life as she brandishes her acid quill and part of her disguise is masquerading as an Irish maid - a nice touch that Galway native Nicola was well up for.
"That was something that was in the script, and it was totally unexpected," she says. "I got the script and it said, `Penelope speaks in a perfect Irish accent’. I spoke to our dialect coach, Jane, about where this accent comes from.
"We talked about how a lot of Irish women at that time were in servitude in the big houses and we said a Dublin accent would make the most sense because it’s that side of the country that would be coming over from.
"And we imagined a kindly Irish house maid who was quite motherly and took Penelope under her wing so that’s how that voice ended up on the show. I call her Bridget Bridgeton, that’s absolutely not sanctioned by Shondaland, but it made sense to me."
Penelope has a massive fanbase from the bestselling books, but Nicola wasn’t aware just how popular her character was before she took the role.
"No, I didn’t know at all. When I auditioned for this show, I had two days and I had a couple of pages of script," she says.
"I knew it was based on a book, but I just didn’t have time to find out more. I got the part after that first audition and completely unexpected to so a lot of my discoveries happened after I got the part, so I started reading the books and going on fan forums because there was this huge fandom that I didn’t know about, and Penelope was very popular.
She adds, "I read on one fan forum that Penelope is revealed as Lady Whistledown, and I was like what!? Not only have they given me a part in a Shonda Rimes show, they’ve given me that part. It’s still mindboggling to me.
"Revealing who she was at the end of season one opened up the world to her In season two and all those other sides to her. She is such a complex character and such fun to play."
Alan Corr @CorrAlan2
Season two of Bridgerton is on Netflix from Friday, March 25th.
