Lady Whistledown is ready for her happily ever after.
Nicola Coughlan's Penelope Featherington is officially the leading lady of Bridgerton season three, and the actress got to celebrate the news with co-star Charithra Chandran on the May 16 episode of E! News' Daily Pop.
Calling her character's upgrade "terrifying," Coughlan revealed that she's known for "a really long time" that Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope's love story would be the focus of the new season.
"I've known for, like, two weeks into filming season two, so I had a lot of time to adjust to it," she exclusively told hosts Justin Sylvester and Loni Love. "But then, you know, last night when they were like, ‘The news is coming out. You can talk about it,' I was like, ‘I don't want to. I'm too scared.' When I say it out, it makes it real."
As for whether she's ready to take on the Shonda Rhimes Netflix series' steamier scenes, she joked, "I'm gonna have to be!"
While Colin and Penelope's physical chemistry will continue to grow, Chandran elaborated on how the lack of chemistry between her character, Edwina Sharma, and Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) in season two served a purpose.
"The relationship between Edwina and Anthony and the relationship between Anthony and Kate [Simone Ashley] are so different," Chandran told Daily Pop. "Edwina and Anthony is all about what's on paper. They're perfect for each other by society standards, and in an alternate universe they would have had a fine marriage. But what Kate and Anthony have is a burning love and passion and romance. So, I think for Edwina and Anthony to have any kind of physical intimacy, it would have eliminated that distinction."
Chandran's Edwina was at the center of the latest season's love triangle with Anthony and her sister Kate, but she revealed she has no idea what's to come for her character in season three.
"We always say, the Bridgerton world is so big and expanding obviously with the prequel, as well," the actress said. "So, Edwina exists in the 'Bridgerverse,' as we like to say, and I'm so excited to watch Colin and Penelope's story in season 3." Early this year, a prequel spin-off about the young Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) was announced.
Outside of the series, Coughlan currently stars in the third and final season of Derry Girls, and she made her Met Gala debut this year along with cast members Ashley, Phoebe Dynevor, and Regé-Jean Page. She shared that the show's Regency-era setting lent itself to her look by designer Richard Quinn, which was put together in just three days.
"The most surreal thing in the world, ever," Coughlan said about the experience. "I've watched it for years—love sitting at home in sweatpants, like, judging the hell out of everyone's outfits. So, I was like, ‘If I have to go, I've gotta like show up and show out and be ready.'"
Chandran told Daily Pop, "I think she was one of the best dressed."
Check out their full interview in the clip above.
Bridgerton seasons one and two are now streaming on Netflix.