They’re back for the highly anticipated fourth season of Netflix’s period drama Bridgerton.
But everything will change for Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton when their respective characters Lady Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton finally turn their friendship into something more intimate.
Penelope’s longing, unrequited love for the handsome Colin has been one of the show’s key storylines throughout season three, and fans can expect plenty of unbridled passion when it returns on June 13.
Speaking in the May digital edition of Town CountryFormer Derry Girls star Coughlan, 37, admitted they pre-planned the intimate scenes by comparing their favorite sex scenes from film and TV.
She said: “Having a united front was very important to us… I really loved the Atonement one, and it’s amazing when you look at it, how little you actually see and how much is in your imagination.”
They return for the fourth Bridgerton series, but everything will change for Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton when Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton turn friendship into romance.
Penelope’s longing and unrequited love for the handsome Colin has been one of the show’s key storylines throughout season three, and the corsets will be removed in season four.
Speaking to Town & Country’s May digital edition, former Derry Girls star Coughlan admitted they pre-planned the intimate scenes by comparing their favorite sex scenes.
Her co-star Newton, 31, added: “I never thought about, ‘Oh, let’s make this look really sexy,’ or ‘Let’s make this a really romantic scene.’ It was just, ‘Let’s be true to these characters.'”
After spending much of her screen time in an on-again, off-again friendship full of unexpressed emotions, she admits that the sex scenes will reflect their chemistry by being “awkward and quirky.”
“There’s humor in it, they laugh at each other and it’s very genuine,” he added. ‘It really has the feeling of showing their friendship from the beginning. “Nic and I wanted to honor that and keep it on the show.”
Despite the protracted nature of her characters’ developing romance, Coughlan insists that the on-screen transition from friends to lovers felt completely natural.
‘I don’t want to say (we did) anything. We worked hard together, but we didn’t have to do anything complicated,” she explained.
‘We’ve been holding back for two seasons! He was playing a character who was in love with him and he shouldn’t have realized it.
“For me, finally having reciprocal attention between the characters meant that they unlocked something new for us.
“And thank God we’ve had that foundation of friendship and trust with each other, because I really can’t imagine doing it with anyone else.”
“Having a united front was very important to us… I really loved Atonement, and it’s amazing when you look at that, how little you actually see and how much is in your imagination.”
Coughlan has become a household name thanks to her starring role in Bridgerton.
Despite the protracted nature of her characters’ developing romance, Coughlan insists that the on-screen transition from friends to lovers felt completely natural.
After spending much of her screen time in an on-again, off-again friendship filled with unexpressed emotions, Newton admits the sex scenes will reflect their chemistry by being “awkward.”
Coughlan also believes her close off-screen friendship with Newton was the key to unlocking Penelope and Colin’s friends-lovers romance.
“The things that Penelope loves about Colin are, interestingly, the things that I love about Luke: his kindness, what a good and caring person he is, his respect for women,” he added.
Returning the compliment, Newton added: ‘You sit at work for so long that you can never imagine anyone else playing (Penelope). It’s not even something I can describe. She’s that character for me.’
Bridgerton returns to Netflix on June 13. The May digital edition of Town & Country is now available.
Coughlan also believes her close off-screen friendship with Newton was the key to unlocking Penelope and Colin’s friends-lovers romance.
The May digital edition of Town & Country with Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton is now available
