'Bridgerton' Star Nicola Coughlan Calls Season 2 'Extremely Dramatic' & 'Very Epic': 'It's Got A Whole Lot Spicier'
Though the Bridgerton cast is still in the middle of filming scenes for the second season, actress Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington — the character whose secret alter ego is Lady Whistledown — was eager to share a few exciting details as to what fans can expect to see.
While the first season focused on the love story between Simon Bassett (Regé-Jean Page) and Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor), the upcoming batch of episodes centers on the latter's brother Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and his romantic interest Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley).
"Kate is such a fiery character. She's like this strong, independent woman," Coughlan shared with Entertainment Tonight. "We really wanted to get to that and the fact that we get to tell [it] is a real privilege."
"I think there's also the fun of a second season that you don't have to do the exposition in order to be like,'This is the world of Bridgerton.' People get what Bridgerton is now, and it's become this phenomena, which is bonkers," she noted. "But yeah, people know what they're heading into, but they are not ready."
The Irish actress labeled season 2 as "extremely dramatic," recalling how she and costar Claudia Jessie (who plays Eloise Bridgerton) sat in her trailer the other day as Jessie declared that "'people are going to die when this happens and they're going to die when this happens.' It's very epic this year, I feel like is how I would describe it."
And though her character may not be the lead this season, she promised that fans will get to see Penelope like never before.
"It's got a whole lot spicier I will say. You definitely see more sides to her. We find out at the end of season 1 [that she's Lady Whistledown], that is there but we don't get to explore it. But the world cracks open," she hinted. "I feel like the Bridgerton world has grown and you're going to see a lot more sides to her. She's a sassy chick."
Due to the filming schedule, Coughlan won't be able to attend the September 19 Emmys, where the show is nominated for several awards, including Outstanding Drama Series.
Regardless, she call the nominations "so exciting. It's the biggest awards in television so to be recognized by them is phenomenal."