Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan had no time for body shaming at a recent fan event, delivering an empowering and body positive response when told she was “brave” for doing nude scenes on the hit Netflix series.
While promoting the upcoming second half of Bridgerton Season 3 at a screening in Dublin, Coughlan and co-star Luke Newton participated in a Q&A session. It was there that one fan’s backhanded compliment about the actress’ nudity prompted her iconic clapback.
“You know it is hard because I think women with my body type — women with perfect breasts, we don’t get to see ourselves on screen enough,” Coughlan boldly stated after being labeled “brave.” “And I’m very proud as a member of the perfect breast community. I hope you enjoy seeing them.”
The rousing reply drew loud cheers and applause from the audience as Coughlan deftly shut down the subtle body shaming by unabashedly embracing her figure. Her defiant words celebrated representing people of her body type engaging in on-screen intimacy often reserved for conventional beauty standards.
Coughlan has been open about her decision to include nudity as Penelope Featherington, the secretly salacious Lady Whistledown. She previously revealed requesting an intimate carriage scene in Season 3 as an empowering rebuke to societal judgment of her looks.
“There’s one scene where I’m very naked on camera, and that was my idea, my choice,” the actress explained. “It just felt like the biggest ‘f*ck you’ to all the conversation surrounding my body; it was amazingly empowering. I felt beautiful in the moment.”
With the second batch of Season 3 episodes arriving June 13, fans can expect to see Penelope and her new love interest Colin Bridgerton, played by Luke Newton, take their romance to daring new levels. And just as Coughlan requested, the storyline will allow her to look back on how “f*cking hot” she was rather than be shamed for it.
Through her powerful reclamation of the “brave” label, Coughlan reminds that representing body diversity and self-love on screen requires true bravery – the kind she embodied so eloquently.
