Nicola Coughlan is all about Penelope Featherington finding a partner in Bridgerton, but she doesn't want to put the horse before the carriage.
The actress, 35, spoke to E! News exclusively about season three of Bridgerton, sharing that she's excited for Penelope and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) to fall in love but going into filming, she thinks "it's gonna be such an important thing for her to put value in herself."
"She has Colin on such a pedestal and she thinks he's perfect," Nicola reflected. "He's not. He's just a human being. So she needs to stop thinking he's perfect and appreciate herself more."
She added, "It's like that old adage, 'If you don't love yourself, how are you gonna love anybody else?'"
It's especially important to Nicola that this message is conveyed in the Netflix series, as she understands many viewers relate to the shy Penelope: "We've all been that girl."
But Nicola is excited for Penelope to experience this romance and embrace her sexuality. "I feel like she's such an innocent still in so many ways and she's loved Colin for so, so long and she desires him but I don't think she even understands really what that means," she shared. "So I'm interested to see that development of her."
To learn more about what's to come in season three, as well as how soon viewers can expect new episodes, continue reading!
Like seasons one and two, which featured Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) as leads, season three thrusts a different Bridgerton sibling into the spotlight: Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton).
Colin's other half for season three? Longtime friend Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). Season three will follow the events of Julia Quinn's novel, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, which follows Colin as he finally realizes that Penelope is worth courting and falling in love with.
Nicola confirmed this to be true on May 15, telling the crowd at Netflix's ATAS panel, "Like Lady Whistledown, I have been keeping a secret for quite some time and I can confirm to you all that season three is Colin and Penelope's love story. I have kept that secret since two weeks into season two. This is the first time I am saying it here."
No, Simone Ashley will not be pulling a Regé-Jean Page, as she confirmed to E! News that her character Kate Bridgerton (née Sharma) will be in season three.
"Yes, there will be a post-marriage Kanthony story for sure," she said in March. "And I'm super excited for the world to see Nicola and Luke rock it, but also to just play with the Anthony and Kate story now that they're loved up and they've kind of sorted themselves out."
After leaving Anthony Bridgerton at the altar and giving her sister Kate her blessing to marry the Viscount, many wondered about what would be next for Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran). So, E! News asked Charithra for an update on her character, to which she replied:
"Well, what we always say is the Bridgerton world is ever expanding. And I think one of the brilliant things about the series is that the focus changes every season. And so you know, Edwina exists in the Bridgerverse, and she'll always be sort of associated with the Ton but I'm really just excited to see Colin and Penelope story."
Perhaps an Edwina-centric spin-off is in the works? Only time Lady Whistledown will tell.
Netflix has re-cast the character of Francesca Bridgerton following the departure of Ruby Stokes. Actress Hannah Dodd will replace Stokes, who left the series to star in Netflix's upcoming show Lockwood & Co.
The official Bridgerton Twitter account confirmed the news on May 12, writing, "The only thing the Ton loves more than a scandal is a celebration. Do joyously welcome the newest member to the Bridgerton family."
In May, Nicola Coughlan teased that a new suitor would be joining the season three cast. "I've heard there's a new man entering into the Ton, as we call it," she told E! News. "Into London society."
Jonathan Bailey previously shared that the cast will return to the Ton for filming in June.
Daniel Francis, Sam Philips and James Phoon are joining the cast of Bridgerton season three, which is currently filming. The actors will play three new eligible bachelors, who come onto the scene just as Penelope Featherington gets over her long held crush on Colin Bridgerton.
Hannah New, who starred on Starz series Black Sails, will play Lady Tilley Arnold, a young widow who "enjoys the privileges and power that come with being at the helm of her former husband's estate, living life on her own terms with financial independence and sexual freedom," per Deadline.
In Jan. 2023, Phoebe Dynevor revealed that she would not appear as Daphne Bridgerton in season three of Bridgerton. She told Screen Rant, "Sadly not in season three. Potentially in the future. But season three, I'm just excited to watch as a viewer."