The 'awkward' lie Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan told
Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherton in Bridgerton.
She's a Galway girl but she's not THE Galway Girl. Nicola Coughlan, star of and Netflix's Bridgerton, goes back to where it all began in Galway and reveals a little white lie she may have told people about being the inspiration for Ed Sheeran's hit song.
In her episode of Made In Ireland, Nicola also describes how a camcorder gifted to her by her older brother, Ciaran, kicked started her love of the arts. From there we learn how she got her big break, how she made Derry Girl Clare come to life, and what it means to her to be a Featherington.
She brings us to her family home, her primary school, and her university. Along the way, we meet the siblings who encouraged her, the primary school teacher who guided her, and her best friend.
She seamlessly switches from a soft Galway accent and describing her childhood to the excited and breathless monologue of Clare Devlin from Derry when she shows off the 'diary' she created when she was getting ready to film that series.
Fans of a 'certain age' will definitely have a pang of nostalgia when they see her childhood bedroom complete with its Holly Hobbie wallpaper. Currently starring in Bridgerton with Julie Andrews, Nicola has come a long way from the little girl who watched The Wizard of Oz on a loop — even if her sister, Clodagh, laughs that "she's pretty much the same".
In raunchy regency drama, Bridgerton, eight close-knit siblings of the Bridgerton family look for love and happiness in London high society. Inspired by Julia Quinn's bestselling novels, Nicola Coughlan plays Penelope Featherington.
But in her real life the real passion is her work and her home town — her episode of Made in Ireland is definitely a love letter to acting and to Galway.
