Nicola Coughlan Says Being Called a 'Plus-Size Heroine' AfterBridgertonNudity Scenes Is 'Insulting'

Mar. 15, 2025

Nicola Coughlan arrives for the Time 100 Next event at Current at Chelsea Piers in New York on October 9, 2024.Photo:LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty

LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty

Nicola Coughlanis not here for your body shaming.The actress bared much of her skin as she ledseason 3 ofBridgertonalongsideLuke Newton, and she’s hitting back at people who called her “brave” for being vulnerable.“Don’t call me brave. I have a cracking pair of boobs. There’s nothing brave about that, that’s actually just me showing them off," she toldTIMEof the response to her nude scenes — and her body more generally.“I’m a few sizes below the average size of a woman in the U.K. and I’m seen as a ‘plus-size heroine,'” she said. “Making it about how I look is reductive and boring.“Coughlan, 37, admitted that she “worked my arse off” to makeBridgerton’s third season, so she’s not on board with commentary being so focused on her looks. “I barely saw my family and friends, and people were just going, ‘But your body’ … I don’t take it as nice.““What if I was suddenly going to play a ballerina and lose a s— ton of weight, are you not going to like me anymore?” she questioned, calling the discussion overall “insane and so insulting.”Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton, Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in ‘Bridgerton’ season 3.Liam Daniel/NetflixThe topic of her nudity in the show was coming up even before it premiered. In May, she toldStylistshe had “specifically asked for certain lines and moments” revolving around her nudity “to be included” in the show.“There’s one scene where I’m very naked on camera, and that was my idea, my choice. It just felt like the biggest ‘f— you' to all the conversation surrounding my body; it was amazingly empowering,” she said.Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan hold hands at the Bridgerton season 3 premiere in Australia.James Gourley/Getty"I felt beautiful in the moment, and I thought: ‘When I’m 80, I want to look back on this and remember how f—ing hot I looked!'“Coughlan added that she feels “great” about the nudity inBridgertonseason 3 “because not only did I consent to it, but I drove it.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Seasons 1-3 ofBridgertoncan be streamed in full on Netflix, along with its prequel spinoff,Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.

Nicola Coughlanis not here for your body shaming.

The actress bared much of her skin as she ledseason 3 ofBridgertonalongsideLuke Newton, and she’s hitting back at people who called her “brave” for being vulnerable.

“Don’t call me brave. I have a cracking pair of boobs. There’s nothing brave about that, that’s actually just me showing them off,” she toldTIMEof the response to her nude scenes — and her body more generally.

“I’m a few sizes below the average size of a woman in the U.K. and I’m seen as a ‘plus-size heroine,'” she said. “Making it about how I look is reductive and boring.”

Coughlan, 37, admitted that she “worked my arse off” to makeBridgerton’s third season, so she’s not on board with commentary being so focused on her looks. “I barely saw my family and friends, and people were just going, ‘But your body’ … I don’t take it as nice.”

“What if I was suddenly going to play a ballerina and lose a s— ton of weight, are you not going to like me anymore?” she questioned, calling the discussion overall “insane and so insulting.”

Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton, Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in ‘Bridgerton’ season 3.Liam Daniel/Netflix

Liam Daniel/Netflix

The topic of her nudity in the show was coming up even before it premiered. In May, she toldStylistshe had “specifically asked for certain lines and moments” revolving around her nudity “to be included” in the show.

“There’s one scene where I’m very naked on camera, and that was my idea, my choice. It just felt like the biggest ‘f— you' to all the conversation surrounding my body; it was amazingly empowering,” she said.

Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan hold hands at the Bridgerton season 3 premiere in Australia.James Gourley/Getty

James Gourley/Getty

“I felt beautiful in the moment, and I thought: ‘When I’m 80, I want to look back on this and remember how f—ing hot I looked!'”

Coughlan added that she feels “great” about the nudity inBridgertonseason 3 “because not only did I consent to it, but I drove it.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Seasons 1-3 ofBridgertoncan be streamed in full on Netflix, along with its prequel spinoff,Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.

source: people.com