“Bridgerton” stars Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton, who play Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton, are two peas in a pod. While the hit Netflix series more or less sparked Coughlan and Newton’s close off-screen friendship, they didn’t meet on the set. In fact, the two actors didn’t even audition together; they first crossed paths on Instagram.

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Coughlan reached out to Newton first after she got cast as Penelope. She immediately picked up a copy of Julia Quinn’s “Romancing Mister Bridgerton” — one of the books the “Bridgerton” TV show is based on — to see how Penelope’s love story plays out. When she learned that her love interest would be Colin Bridgerton, she was understandably eager to find out who the casting directors had chosen for the role. Once she was told that it’d gone to actor Luke Newton, Coughlan, who wanted to get to know him better, slid into his Instagram DMs. 

“We connected from day one,” Newton told Town & Country in 2024. Coughlan admitted that during the early phase of their friendship, she couldn’t help but wonder about what was in store for their characters. “It was weird to think, God, one day I might be doing this really intense romantic season with him,” she said. Coughlan and Newton’s friendship only continued to blossom from there.

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Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton seem to be all about their “Bridgerton” characters’ friends to lovers storyline, but in real life, they have different ideas about falling in love. For Coughlan, Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington’s love story is not unlike how she’d like her own to play out. As the actor explained to Town & Country, she appreciates that there’s no pretense left whatsoever once the platonic relationship turns romantic.

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“Deep, true, abiding love comes from when you love the bones of someone,” she told the outlet. “You love them deeply in their entirety. That’s a thing that you get with friends-to-lovers, because you love them first as a friend.” Newton, meanwhile, is more of a love-at-first-sight kind of guy. “If I meet someone I know immediately,” he told the outlet. “I’ve felt that. I’ve met someone and been immediately infatuated with them. That’s something that’s more me than Colin.” He added that he’d never really experienced a romantic relationship in real life that started off as a friendship.

When “Bridgerton” besties Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton’s friendship first began, they realized they had a lot in common. “We’re a lot more similar than we would have previously thought,” Coughlan told Town & Country. “We both are very sensitive people, and it can be a difficult thing to be a sensitive person.”

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Coughlan noted that she and Newton both need their quiet time, though no one would think it when they see the two joking at press events. Coughlan, however, said she can always tell when her co-star feels drained after a long day of filming. “We would look at each other and nod, and we’d go back to our trailers and just recharge the batteries,” she recalled. “It was quite nice to have someone who got that and felt the same. We didn’t have to explain it to one another.”

The actors being so aligned has served them well over the years. In a 2024 chat with WWD, Newton touched on how special it is to work with someone who is on the same page as him. “Knowing someone and having just an incredible relationship at work, that just means the days just flow and knowing that she’s going through it and finding it as difficult as I am, finding it as joyful as I am, all of it,” he said. 

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Before Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton were set to (finally) film Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton’s love story, they were gearing up for what they knew would be an exciting season of “Bridgerton.” Newton admitted to Town & Country that Coughlan would often send him fan art and TikTok videos featuring their characters. “Nicola has got her finger on the pulse. She’ll see a lot of the stuff and send me anything that’s funny,” he said. By the time it was confirmed that “Bridgerton” Season 3 would focus on fan-favorite characters Penelope and Colin — also known as “Polin” — the two actors couldn’t be more thrilled.

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Speaking to Tudum, Newton said he appreciates how much fans appreciate the characters’ love story. “There’s so much love for that relationship, which brings its pressures because there are people that are really excited about this story to come to the forefront, but also it really warms me,” he said. Coughlan, meanwhile, said that they’d spent the last few years preparing for their characters to get together. “In the beginning, we used to joke about [the relationship turning romantic] all the time,” she shared. “I couldn’t ask for a better partner to go into this with, and I have such trust in Luke, and I hope he has it in me to go forward on it.”

The duo even had a group chat where they suggested songs for their characters’ scenes in Season 3. Newton got very literal with his choices, suggesting Coldplay’s “Yellow,” because of Penelope’s preference for yellow dresses; Coughlan, on the other hand, favored Billie Eilish’s music.

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Spending several months playing love interests only strengthened Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton’s bond. As previously noted, they did indeed establish a friendship long before Season 3, but they became even closer pals in real life after their characters fell for one another. 

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The truth about a show like “Bridgerton” is that a lot of time and effort goes into making each episode, and showrunner and executive producer Jess Brownell told Town & Country how seriously Coughlan and Newton took their roles behind the scenes. The two worked really hard to ensure they gave their very best on-screen, meeting up every day before filming started to have a chat about their upcoming scenes. Sometimes, they would run their lines together one last time before the cameras started rolling. Brownell said the duo’s off-screen relationship is unlike any she’d ever seen. “They’re both very generous people and generous actors,” she said. “They’re people who show up to a scene and want to listen to what their scene partner needs.”

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The two grew closer in other ways during Season 3 as well, with Coughlan inviting Newton over to her house to meet up with her family. On an episode of “This Morning,” Coughlan said she was treated to quite the homecoming while making a stop in Galway, her hometown. “I brought Luke over for dinner with my family,” she shared, adding that they tried to have their way with him. “My brother-in-law tried to get him drunk on pints of Guinness,” she confessed. Luke quipped, “I love Guinness, it’s what I drink, but I can’t keep up with the Irish.” Coughlan also joked that her mother has a bit of a crush on Newton.

The list of the most uncomfortable scenes in TV is quite long, but it might be safe to say that none of Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington’s romantic moments will ever make it onto that list. Filming intimate scenes can be daunting, but Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton’s close friendship made filming racy scenes in front of the cameras far less intimidating — so much so that they would hang out together, practically naked, between takes.

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This started out as a rumor that Coughlan confirmed to Teen Vogue. “Yeah, so it’s really funny, that is true,” she said. “It is a testament to the fact that we just got to a point where we were so comfortable together. We’d just finished the big sex scene, the most intense and involved one…. and we just felt relieved.” For Newton, his friendship with Coughlan made these scenes a whole lot easier. He admitted they can be “quite daunting,” adding, “I actually think having a really solid friendship with someone and trusting someone is a lot easier. We could support each other in whatever way we needed on set, and also just have a laugh about it.”

In fact, the two got so into one scene that they ended up breaking a piece of furniture. As Coughlan shared on “This Morning,”  one of the legs on the chaise lounge they were on broke while they were filming — but they didn’t stop the scene. “I knew that we were both thinking, ‘We’re killing this,'” Coughlan quipped. They both started laughing as they realized what was happening, and Newton suggested that at least part of that genuine laughter made it into the final cut for that episode.

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When it was revealed that Season 3 of “Bridgerton” will focus on fan-favorite characters Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton, pundits were ecstatic, and the chemistry between the two did not disappoint, so much so that many voiced their hope that the actors who play them will end up having their own real-life romance. When Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton showed up at the show’s premiere in Australia holding hands, many fans  desperately hoped a love connection was brewing. These dreams were dashed, however, when rumors made the rounds that Coughlan was dating another actor named Jake Dunn. Newton, meanwhile, is dating dancer and model Antonia Roumelioti.

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Newton and Coughlan have had to dispel rumors of their supposed off-screen romance on multiple occasions. Coughlan told Extra that she thinks fans rooting for them to end up together in real life “is really sweet,” adding, “We truly love each other, you know? He is a really special person in my life… It’s so nice having such a lovely friend that I can do all of this with.”

In a separate chat with Time, Coughlan once again confirmed that their relationship is indeed platonic. “A lot of people really want me to marry Luke,” she said. “We have this gorgeous friendship. We have such a love for one another and this experience that I’ll never have with someone else again. Isn’t it gorgeous that a man and woman can have that sort of relationship with one another?”

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While Luke Newton had a number of screen and stage credits before “Bridgerton,” landing a part on a mega popular Netflix series was an entirely different animal. Before he knew it, he was navigating the ups and downs of becoming a household name — and Nicola Coughlan was right there with him.

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 “She’s a great example of how to cope with the sudden fame,” Newton told WWD, admitting that few things could prepare him for the frenzy of “Bridgerton.” He noted that the overwhelming media coverage and fan attention could be a little much at times. Luckily, Coughlan, whose breakout role was on the sitcom “Derry Girls,” was there to help him through those moments. “Any time that felt difficult or I was struggling with it — whether it was the schedule or the hours or jumping from episode to episode — I just felt reassured in the fact that Nic was going through the same experience and coping with it really well,” Newton told Refinery29.

Coughlan appreciated having her friend and costar along for the ride. “It’s a very rare experience,” she told the outlet. “I think we’re aware of how unique this is.” She added that her friendship with Newton is unlike any other in her life, and that they have the show to thank for that in some capacity. Both experienced a bittersweet moment when filming wrapped for Season 3. “I remember towards the end thinking, we’ll never lead this again,” Newton said. “We’ll never lead the show together again. We’ll never get that opportunity.”

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Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton’s characters’ love story may have played itself out on “Bridgerton,” but the two actors’ real-life friendship isn’t going anywhere. Naturally, the two continue to publicly support each other’s endeavors. Coughlan notably showed up to cheer for Newton as he starred in the theater production of “The Shape of Things” in 2023. Coughlan took to Instagram to post a photo of the two of them, captioning it, “Smashing it up on the London stage and I’m so proud, you’re the best @lukenewtonuk.”

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That same year, Newton stepped in to model a shirt Coughlan designed for the Choose Love charity, which aims to help refugees rebuild their lives. Coughlan took to Instagram (via the Independent) to share a snap of Newton wearing the shirt, captioning it, “Thank you Luke for being the best and supporting this incredible charity who are supporting refugees in great need the world over.”

To the delight of “Bridgerton” fans far and wide, Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan reunited at the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards. That evening, the cast was up for best ensemble, and Coughlan was up for actress in a drama series. It was her first solo SAG Awards nomination. “This is a very lovely early birthday present! I’m absolutely in shock and so honoured thank you @sagawards and so proud of the whole @bridgertonnetflix family,” she wrote on Instagram after news of her nomination broke.

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Before the award show officially began, Newton and Coughlan shared a big hug after spotting one another on the red carpet. Well, technically Newton spotted Coughlan first, thanks to a helpful fan who pointed out that she was standing not too far behind him talking to a reporter. Newton went over to his co-star, surprising her, and the much-talked-about hug followed moments after.

Though “Bridgerton” didn’t take home either of the aforementioned awards, it was still an exciting evening for the show’s stars. “We’re obviously celebrating as an ensemble, also this one here,” Newton told Extra before gesturing to Coughlan. “It’s just amazing that we all get to come and get together.”

It turns out that Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton have a penchant for pranking each other on set. Coughlan had been harboring a secret about her co-star for quite some time — he used to be in a boyband before he became a famous actor. The group was known as South4, and their debut single was titled “Cougar Town.” This little gem has been living on YouTube since 2012, and after Coughlan got ahold of it, she planned an elaborate prank on her co-star.

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On a 2024 episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Newton quipped that his boyband days were his “best-kept secret.” Alas, that secret was put on blast when the song suddenly started playing for all the actors to hear while they were filming a ballroom scene. (Funny enough, Newton has said these dancing scenes are hard enough to film as is.) Coughlan and the other actors began dancing to “Cougar Town,” while Newton laughed in disbelief. “I think it was a year in the making,” Newton said of Coughlan’s prank. It would appear he got back at his friend the first chance he got.

In the lead-up to Season 3, Newton posted a clip of him pranking Coughlan on Instagram. He can be seen hiding underneath a makeup table as Coughlan enters. Then he jumps out at her with a loud yell. Coughlan screams and bolts for the door, bursting into a fit of giggles halfway. Meanwhile, Newton can be heard yelling, “Payback!”

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