‘Bridgerton’ actress Nicola Coughlan wants people to stop talking about her body
Actress says it’s difficult to deal with the pressure of public opinion
Nicola Coughlan, who stars on hit Netflix series ‘Bridgerton’, has asked people to stop sharing their thoughts about her body with her.
The 35-year-old Irish actress wrote on Instagram and Twitter that it has been difficult to deal with the pressure of public opinions.
“Hello! So just a thing- if you have an opinion about my body please, please don’t share it with me,” Coughlan wrote. “Most people are being nice and not trying to be offensive but I am just one real life human being and it’s really hard to take the weight of thousands of opinions on how you look- being sent directly to you every day.”
She added, “If you have an opinion about me that’s ok. I understand I’m on TV and that people will have things to think and say but I beg you not to send it to me directly.”
The actress had turned off comments on the Instagram post, which featured a sweet selfie. “Anyways here’s a pic of me in my hotel in NY about to go to SNL, it’s unrelated to this post but delighted with my hair in it,” she wrote, ending her note.
Coughlan has been popular for her role as Penelope Featherington on the period rom-com ‘Bridgerton’. She’s also know for playing one of the leads on the hilarious series ‘Derry Girls’.
In the past, the actress has addressed the fat shaming she has faced in her career.
In 2018, she wrote a piece for the Guardian titled “Critics, judge me for my work in Derry Girls and on the stage, not on my body.” In it, she lamented reviews of her show that commented on her looks rather than her talent.
“I know I’m not alone; women in my industry are put under constant scrutiny for their looks,” she wrote. “It affects male actors as well — I had messages from them — but the vast majority of feedback was from women. Something in our society tells us that women’s bodies are fair game for scrutiny in a way that men’s simply are not.”
Coughlan reshared her piece in 2021, tweeting: “Every time I’m asked about my body in an interview it makes me deeply uncomfortable and so sad I’m not just allowed to just talk about the job I do that I so love.”