Nicola Coughlan Revealed The One Person Who Was "So Mad" At Her Over The Steamy "Bridgerton" Sex Scenes

Mychal Thompson
·2-min read

Not everybody's a fan of Nicola Coughlan's steamy Bridgerton scenes, which is a complete shock to me.

Person in a stylish trench coat with a gold buckle and geometric earrings, smiling at the camera
Person in a stylish trench coat with a gold buckle and geometric earrings, smiling at the camera
Scene of women in historical costumes, one being dressed, suggesting a period drama setting with elaborate hairstyles and outfits
Scene of women in historical costumes, one being dressed, suggesting a period drama setting with elaborate hairstyles and outfits

Lia Toby / Getty Images for MUBI, Liam Daniel / ©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

I'm a proud member of the fandom who's madly in love with Penelope and the desirable romance of Bridgerton. For the past few months, I've been full of confounding feelings. Feelings like a total inability to stop thinking about Bridgerton. A feeling that is like torture. But one which I cannot, will not, do not want to give up.

Two people in elegant period attire share a close, intimate moment under a canopy

IYKYK.

Netflix

However, one of Nicola's family members is not a fan of those spicy scenes — at all. On a Dec. 13 episode of The Graham Norton Show, Nicola talked about acting in those "sexy" moments in Bridgerton, realizing it was the first time she played a more mature character.

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If you remember, Nicola also portrayed Clare Devlin in Netflix's Derry Girls. A character at a much different place in her life than Season 3 Penelope.

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Netflix/Sky TV / Courtesy Everett Collection

"I realized I was 35 when I was filming the season, and I'd never played an adult. I was like, 'How do I do this?'" Nicola explained.

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"[On] the first two [Bridgerton] series, I looked a lot like SpongeBob SquarePants, very curly, ginger [hair], yellow dress, sort a of a tent situation going on."

A woman in a Victorian-style dress holds a fan, looking off-camera. She has styled red hair with floral detail
A woman in a Victorian-style dress holds a fan, looking off-camera. She has styled red hair with floral detail
Two women in Regency-era dresses walk arm in arm, engaging in conversation. Both dresses have intricate patterns and elegant accessories
Two women in Regency-era dresses walk arm in arm, engaging in conversation. Both dresses have intricate patterns and elegant accessories

/ ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection

Alright. SpongeBob SquarePants is a bit of a reach, but I understand the perspective. She was younger, and that dress was very yellow.

"But then it was weird having to play the romantic lead and then knowing it was all because — it's a sexy show," she added. "A lot of sexy things happen in it, and then I realized I was going to have to do the sexy things and I was like, 'Right.'"

Liam Daniel / ©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
Liam Daniel / ©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

And, apparently, her mother saw those scenes in Bridgerton and was reasonably perturbed. According to the London Evening Standard, Nicola said in the interview, "My mother was so mad at me about those scenes — as if they were my fault, so I didn't go to the screening with her."

Person in an off-the-shoulder dress smiling on a talk show set
Isabel Infantes - Pa Images / PA Images via Getty Images

It's a fair response from her mother, but now I'm thinking about all the celebrity parents who probably had to watch their kids do some NSFW scenes in TV shows and movies. What were their reactions?

For example, Netflix's other popular romance series, Heartstopper. I wonder what Kit Connor and Joe Locke's parents were thinking in that one scene in Season 3.

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Netflix

BuzzFeed Community, what other "sexy" scenes from TV and movies might give some celeb parents a bit of pause? Let's have some fun in the comments.

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