Luke Newton, Nicola Coughlan on finding courage, love in ‘Bridgerton’ season 3

(From left) Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton in a scene from “Bridgerton” season three. Image: Liam Daniel courtesy of Netflix

The love story between Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) finally takes center stage in “Bridgerton” season three — after their apparent romantic tension took a dramatic turn when Colin said he would “never dream of courting” his close friend Penelope.

For two seasons, Newton and Coughlan portrayed the friendship between their characters “in the background” of the drama happening in the ton, an old English term refering to its elite society. But taking control as the romantic leads this time puts a lot of pressure for them. After all, the love stories between Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset (Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page) and Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma (Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley) were big shoes to fill.

“But on the flip side of that, what’s really nice is we spent two seasons, majority of our scenes were together and in the background of it all,” Newton told INQUIRER.net in a two-on-one interview. “It felt like we did that, just times a hundred. It felt like we were preparing for it for a while.” Coughlan, on the other hand, was agreeing to his every word, a glimpse of their mutual support and chemistry.

(From left) Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan in a scene from “Bridgerton” season three.

One of the most awaited scenes in the book involved Colin and Penelope getting steamy by the mirror, but neither of them wanted to spoil the fun for the viewers, it seemed.

Touching on Colin and Penelope’s internal struggle playing a role in their love story, the British actor said the “struggle is still happening for the both of them” as the season starts.

“They’re still trying to grow as individuals which I think is the complicated part of their potential romance of this season. It’s about them navigating their way into adulthood but also coming together. They’re getting there. I’m proud of them this year,” said Newton.

Right place, right time

Coughlan, whose character is the identity behind the mysterious Lady Whistledown, said the third season shows how Colin and Penelope “grow up in real time” while taking control of their own journey as themselves.

“You really see them grow. You see them grow up in real-time. When you meet them, Colin comes back from his travels and he’s got this new air about him. Penelope, when you look at her, it seems that she’s still in the same place,” she said. “But when you look and realize that she has indeed matured a lot.”

“They both have very clear ideas of what they’re going to do at the beginning of the season whether or not they would map out,” she continued.

Colin and Penelope’s love story arc came as Colin comes around after being oblivious to Penelope’s feelings for the longest time.

“I think a lot of people resonate with this story. They would have a person in their lives who’s maybe been their best friend for a really long time and neither of them dares to come forward and say there’s something more,” Newton said, agreeing to the writer’s thoughts. “It’s a big thing for their journey during this season. It’s having the courage, to be honest and open, regardless of the risk of being rejected.”

Like its predecessors, season three is based on the bestselling novel “Romancing Mister Bridgerton,” the fourth book of the original book series. And for Coughlan, having “a lot of source material” is brilliant for them to know their characters better.

Newton and Coughlan — who praised the showrunners’ “seamless” way of incorporating the lines from the book into the script — burst into laughter as soon as they were asked if they indeed broke furniture while filming and if it was a memorable experience for them.

(From left) Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan in a scene from “Bridgerton” season three.

But if Coughlan could choose her most memorable scene, it would be “this one dance” that she considered to be a beautiful moment for their characters.

“In the season, we have a lot. I love when we get to dance together. We have this one dance that was so beautiful and we didn’t get to see the season for a really, really long time. I think people assumed we saw it months ago but we didn’t,” she said. “I can’t wait to see how it’s edited.”

When asked what advice they wanted to give their characters, Coughlan’s eyes immediately widened.  “Pen is totally denying that she’s such a romantic at heart but it’s her biggest driving force. Love is her biggest driving force. She tries to go on and be like, ‘I don’t care about that.’ But I’m like, girl, you do. And it’s going to bite you,” she said of her character.

The first part of “Bridgerton” season three will air on May 16 while the second part will be out on June 13.

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