Nicola Coughlan Has People On The Internet Doing A Double Take After They Realized She's Not In Her 20s
Nicola Coughlan has people on the internet in a frenzy after learning just how old she really is.
Nicola is widely known for her role as Penelope Featherington/Lady Whistledown on the popular historical romance series Bridgerton. Penelope is the youngest Featherington daughter.
Nicola's character was between the ages of 17 and 18 when Bridgerton debuted on Netflix in 2020. The show is entering its third season and will focus on Penelope. It's set to release this May.
Fans may also recognize Nicola from the raunchy, coming-of-age British series Derry Girls (2018), where she plays 15-year-old Clare Devlin, also known as the voice of reason in her friend group.
Nicola's currently gearing up to play a slightly more mature role in Big Mood, a millennial drama-comedy set to be released on Tubi later this month. She portrays a woman named Maggie learning to navigate life — as a soon-to-be 30-year-old — with her best friend while also managing her bipolar disorder.
Well, what if I told you none of those characters were in Nicola's real age range. While she is a millennial, the Irish actor is actually 37.
With these new projects on everyone's radar, including a British comedy called Seize Them! she stars in alongside Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education) and Lolly Adefope (Shrill) which was released in early April, and a fabulous cover shoot she did with Harper's Bazaar UK, no wonder fans were curious to learn more about Nicola.
But let's just say people were a little shocked to learn that the person who often plays a teen on screen is actually closer to her 40s:
im watching derry girls and what do you mean nicola coughlan is almost 40?!? 😮
— cat (@sapphirescat) April 3, 2024
i can tell the new bridgerton viral tweet genre is going to be “nicola coughlan is 37!!!”
— milfthani x dilfthony truther (VERY REAL) (@kathanisanthony) April 10, 2024
#Bridgertonseason3 📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺Nicola Coughlan is a brilliant actress - so hilarious in The Derry Girls. 🤣I was flabbergasted to learn that she is 37. I thought she was in her 20s !!😮📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺
— Kathryn Evans (@Kathryn52160597) April 8, 2024
Nicola Coughlan is 37?!?! What the hele 😂😂😂😂 I honestly thought she was one of those baby actors like Millie Bobby Brown
— maz (@marinerfagaiava) April 10, 2024
i still cant believe she’s older than 23 like what omg https://t.co/VGevG5zQCJ
— karina 🍂 / from the river to the sea (@basedhutao) March 29, 2024
Netflix / Twitter: @basedhutao
And it seems this "discovery" has been happening for a few years now:
Just started season 2 of Bridgerton and let me reiterate that Nicola Coughlan is 35 years old and convincingly playing a teenager. The power of using sunscreen and not constantly chasing thinness
— Louisa 🌈👭 (@LouisatheLast) March 27, 2022
"i'm so tired of 30 year olds playing teenagers 😒" well obviously you don't watch derry girls, i want nicola coughlan to play a stressed out 16 year old until she's 40!
— feral (@ncrmalpeople) April 27, 2022
Nicola Coughlan who plays Clare on Derry Girls is 32 years old. I repeat 32 years old. She's supposed to be like 15 or 16 years old on the show. What kind of witchcraft is that? pic.twitter.com/SuoiPcLGci
— Michelle C (@ElleMCo) April 10, 2019
Lionsgate / Twitter: @ElleMCo
Bravo to Nicola and her age-defying performances that kept people talking for years and will continue to do so for years to come!
Be sure to catch Nicola in Season 3 of Bridgerton when it hits Netflix in two parts on May 16 and June 13. You can also watch her in Big Mood on Tubi on April 19.
