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Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan opens up about the downsides of fame

Nicola Coughlan has opened up about the downsides of being a celebrity, after she shot to fame in Netflix’s hit period drama Bridgerton.

The Irish actress plays Penelope Featherington in the series, which will return for a second season on March 25.

During a new interview with ELLE, the 35-year-old said: “Being famous is like being a dog on the Tube. It’s exactly the same energy. When you get on, everyone looks at you.”

“Some people are so smiley, while some are afraid of you and don’t want to go near. Some people touch you without asking.”

“I can still do the things I want to do, obviously, but it is different,” she explained.

“I went to the pub with my friend a while back and it was like being an animal at the zoo. People just watching and looking.”

Bridgerton became Netflix’s most-watched series ever last year, before Squid Game claimed the top spot.

Just four weeks after it premiered in December 2020, a total of 82 million accounts tuned into the title.

Speaking about the phenomenal success of the show, Nicola admitted she didn’t expect it.

“I was like, ‘OK, great. People are watching.’ And then it was like, ‘It’s number one in Turkey. It’s number one in Canada. Number one in the US,'” she explained.

“I started compiling a list just to try to make it real in my head.”

“And then it was like, ‘It’s the biggest show that’s ever been on Netflix, 80 million people,’ and it’s like, ‘What?’ It just was surreal.”

Despite her incredible success, the Galway native admitted she struggled as an actress for years, and confessed she was “so broke” in her 20s.

“Whenever people say they want to get into this industry, I’m like, you’ve got to want it so badly. Because if you don’t, you’d be mad to do it, absolutely mad,” she said.

“I barely saw my family last year because of filming. There’s a lot of sacrifices to be made. In my twenties, I never went on holiday. I was so broke.”

“So I never want to sell people this ideal that it’s all wonderful and fun. It’s hard work.”

“But it’s amazing. I wouldn’t do anything else,” she added.

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