When it comes to nailing roles, Nicola Coughlan has it down to a science for her different brilliant characters in movies and TV shows. The Irish actress might be best known for her role as the young and bright Penelope Featherington in Netflix’s popular period drama Bridgerton, but her acting career outside the Bridgerton era is just as impressive. While there’s no denying her rise to fame with this breakout role, it is exciting to note that Coughlan has quite an impressive stack of TV and movie credits to her name — she’s even dabbled in voice acting with voice acting roles such as Edda in the 2011 animated film Thor: Legend of The Magical Hammer.
There’s certainly no denying Nicola Coughlan’s impressive performance in Bridgerton as the ever-dynamic Penelope Featherington, an unassuming wallflower longing for love while holding on to a dire secret identity as Lady Whistledown. In fact, her performance in this role is one of the many reasons why the actress is a fan favorite. So if you can’t seem to get enough of Coughlan, you’re not alone! Here are 5 Nicola Coughlan movies and TV shows that are a must-watch!
1. Derry Girls
Derry Girls is a British sitcom on Netflix that centers around the lives of 5 teenagers in Derry, Northern Ireland. This coming-of-age story reflects real-life events in the 1990s while weaving in comedy to its central plot in a way that is formidable, and super interesting to watch. Created by Lisa Mcgee, Coughlan plays the fast-talking role of Clare Devlin, an intelligent yet naive teen girl who is part of a friend group that gets up to all sorts of exciting adventures as they attend a Catholic girl’s school in Derry.
Derry Girls is somewhat of a hidden-gem, while it has a huge fan base, a lot of new fans seem to be discovering it lately. The icing on the cake is the rest of the star-studded cast that brought the eccentric comedy to life, the main cast includes Saoirse Monica Jackson who plays the lead role of Erin Quinn, Louisa Harland as Orla McCool, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell as Michelle Mallon, and Dylan Llewllyn as James Maguire. Although the show ran for only 3 seasons, Coughlan’s performance as Clare remains unforgettable, the actress embodied the role of this anxious teenager in a way that was endearing, lovable, and exciting to watch.
2. Big Mood
Big Mood is a new British dark-comedy drama series starring Nicola Coughlan and created by Camilla Whitehill. This TV drama takes Coughlan farther away from her popular Bridgerton role as it shows an entirely different range of the Irish actor — unlike the regency drama, Big Mood follows a more relatable, and modern storyline. The series follows two best friends as they navigate their love lives, friendships, and careers in the most chaotic way possible.
In Big Mood, Nicola Coughlan brings to life the role of Maggie, a bubbly millennial that’s not afraid to speak her mind or make mistakes. Maggie’s day job is one of an aspiring playwright, but that doesn’t stop her from living her best life, all while being chaotic and funny. One major hiccup is her bipolar disorder which gets in the way, but alongside her BFF Eddie played by Lydia West, she’s still on the lookout for her soulmate in the most unconventional scenarios and the most hilarious ways. Together, Maggie and Eddie juggle life as the comical duo that they are, which makes Big Mood a must-watch for anyone craving that friendship dynamic and a good laugh.
3. Seize Them!
Nicola Coughlan stars alongside Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood in this new feminist, comedy film that centers around the Dark Ages in Britain. In Seize Them! Coughlan breathes life into the role of a rebel upstart known as Humble Joan, a character who leads a revolution against Queen Dagan, played by Lou Wood.
If you fancy a bit of medieval times, Seize Them does a great job of piecing together historical adventure and goofy drama. On the plus side, this brilliant comedy has everything from sword fights, good laughs, friendships, family, and a couple of scenes that are sure to tug on your heartstrings. Paired with Nicola Coughlan’s performance, this film works perfectly for anyone who’s looking for a lighthearted watch.
4. Harlots
As far as differences and similarities go, Harlots offers a similar regency era feel to that of Bridgerton despite being entirely different in terms of storyline. Harlots is an extra saucy period drama set in 18th-century London. The Hulu original ran for 3 seasons, and it follows the life of a brothel owner, Margaret Wells, played by Samantha Morton, as she strives to raise her daughters and give them a better life.
Coughlan joined the cast of Harlots in Season 2 as Hannah Dalton, an employee of Wells. As you can tell already, Bridgerton wasn’t her first rodeo as a corset-wearing character. Nonetheless, the actress put her best foot forward in portraying Hannah, one of Well’s ladies — giving her a full circle moment for other regency-era roles.
5. The Velveteen Rabbit
The Velveteen Rabbit is yet another voice-acting role Nicola Coughlan executed perfectly. The Christmas TV special is based on Margery William’s children’s book of the same name, it tells the magical story of seven-year-old William, played by Phoenix Laroche, and his new toy rabbit.
In this 40-minute Christmas special, Coughlan voices the pivotal role of the Playroom Fairy, a fairy that takes the velveteen rabbit under her wings and offers comfort and words of wisdom as he goes on a journey of his own. Nicola Coughlan stars alongside House of Dragon’s Bethany Antonia as Female Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland’s Helena Bonham Carter as Wise Horse, and other renowned cast members — making this Christmas special, extra-special and definitely worth a watch! Also, check out these 10 things that you probably didn’t know about Nicola Coughlan.
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