Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton formed a close friendship while bringing Penelope and Colin’s love story to life on Bridgerton.
The Netflix series, which debuted in December 2020, is based on a book series written by Julia Quinn which follows each Bridgerton sibling’s journey to find love. Coughlan and Newton were in a unique situation since their characters appear on the show for several years before being promoted to leads.
Coughlan and Newton were able to build a close connection over the years as they eased fans into Penelope and Colin’s friends to lovers story line. Despite being self-proclaimed captains of the “Polin” relationship, however, Coughlan admitted ahead of season 3 how “terrifying” it felt filming the romantic scenes with Newton.
“Luke and I read the books at the beginning of season 1, and it was funny to us. We were like, ‘Imagine if we have to kiss and do this,’” she recalled to Entertainment Tonight in June 2023. “And then season 3 came on and we were like, ‘Oh god.’ And then it’s like, it’s my friend. I have to kiss my friend. And you can’t pretend to kiss someone, you have to really kiss them. It’s a spicy one. It’s a lot of the stuff from the books that the fans expect has made it into the show.”
Newton, meanwhile, said having Coughlan as a friend made his job easier.
“I feel like there’s always that question being asked of, ‘Is it easier to do the intimacy scenes or the more romantic scenes with someone who is your friend of four years or someone you just met for one day?’ I can safely say it’s easier with a friend,” he told ET in February 2024. “There really is that sort of support.”
Season 3, which premieres in March 2024, takes inspiration from Quinn’s novel Romancing Mister Bridgerton. Fans were pleasantly surprised to find out that they would see Colin and Penelope fall in love sooner than expected due to the Netflix series choosing not to follow the order of the book series.
Showrunner Jess Brownell praised Coughlan and Newton’s chemistry for allowing the show to move up Penelope and Colin’s season. (Season 3 was originally presumed to be following Luke Thompson‘s character Benedict Bridgerton since the third novel, An Offer From a Gentleman, is about his connection with newcomer Sophie.)
“[We have] really [been] getting to know Pen and Colin. We’ve been watching Pen’s crush and seeing how oblivious Colin is to it. That’s a dynamic that you can only play out for so long before something has to change,” Brownell noted to Entertainment Weekly in December 2023. “This really felt like the right time to lean into what’s been set up with them.”
Keep scrolling to see the sweetest moments from Coughlan and Newton’s friendship:
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