Nicola Coughlan has admitted she was “in debt” before landing her breakout role in Derry Girls.
Before she was cast as Clare in the popular sitcom, the actress has revealed she struggled financially.
During a candid interview with the RTÉ Guide, the 35-year-old said: “The fear of having nothing is still there.”
“I was in debt with student loans, I was working minimum wage and the rent was so high,” she explained.
“I only got Derry Girls five years ago so it’s not that long since I’ve been able to go and buy a coffee and not have a panic attack.”
“So I reckon I’ll have a few more years of thinking ‘I hope I have some money in my bank account’.”
Nicola also confessed she was grateful for her past money issues, because it means she now appreciates her stable income.
“You know what it’s like not to have all those things and you know how hard you’ve worked to get there,” she said.
“So for me to even be on a set is a privilege, to get an audition is a privilege because for years I couldn’t even get in an audition room.”
Over the past two years, Nicola has shot to fame worldwide thanks to her starring role as Penelope Featherington in the hit Netflix series Bridgerton.
The actress has previously joked that being famous is like being “a dog on the tube”, and admitted she still grapples with it.
Nicola confessed: “I still wonder, ‘How did this happen?’ Even at the BAFTAS, I was wondering ‘Why am I in the room with all these people?’
“So I do feel like I’ve won a competition but that’s something that a lot of people in the industry grapple with, women more than men I believe.”
