Nicola Coughlan has said she “can’t fathom” the amount of people who have watched her in Netflix’s new period drama Bridgerton.
The Galway native played Penelope Featherington in the hit series, which has been viewed by 64 million people around the world.
Speaking on The Late Late Show on Friday night, the 34-year-old told host Ryan Tubridy: “I can’t fathom how many people that actually is, it’s very strange.”
“[When] the numbers came through they said it’s the fifth biggest Netflix launch ever, but then it’s all happening during lockdown so you’re sat at home and you’re going, ‘That’s quite nice,’ and carry on about your day.”
Nicola also opened up about the audition process, and admitted she knew the show was going to be a big deal as a Shondaland production.
“I went and I did the audition, but I didn’t put too much thought into it I thought I would give it a go,” she said.
“And then I got the call two weeks later saying they wanted me to do it!”
“I said, ‘What does that mean?’ and they said, ‘They’ve given you the part,’ and I said, ‘Okay but what do you mean they’ve given me the part?’ because I just couldn’t accept it I think.”
.@nicolacoughlan talks about the audition process for @shondaland‘s @Bridgerton.#LateLate pic.twitter.com/E5O0ZSSAnj
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) January 15, 2021
The actress, who is usually based in London, also revealed that they wrapped filming Bridgerton “just in time” – as they shot their final scenes last February, right before the world went into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Derry Girls star is now back in Galway, living with her family.
Nicola joked that she’s now her “mum’s personal assistant”, and that she’s “basically a teenager at home”.
