Anyone who’s watched Bridgerton season three’s cliffhanger carriage scene bore witness to palpable chemistry between Nicola Coughlan‘s Penelope Featherington and Luke Newton‘s Colin Bridgerton.
After three seasons of a slow-burning (initially one-sided) romance, Pen and Colin made up for lost time with Coughlan and Newton delivering a convincingly erotic performance, embodying their characters’ lust for one another.
“[The scenes were] everything we wanted them to be and more,” Coughlan told Extra.
Despite her initial hesitation over watching the episodes back, she shared a feeling that Polin’s sensual connection was befitting of that Bridgerton spark.
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“They’re really romantic. They’re beautifully written. They feel sexy, they’re exciting. I couldn’t be happier, honestly,” she added.
Newton has also described Bridgerton‘s third outing as a “sexy season”.
The co-stars’ chemistry on-screen, and their close friendship off set, sparked rumours that there could have been a real-life shift from friends to lovers right before our very eyes.
Well… has there? Here’s the truth behind the Polin actors’ real-life relationship status.
Are Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton dating?
Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton are not dating. Sorry to throw a spanner in the spokes of that runaway carriage theory, but the Bridgerton co-stars are just very good friends.
Coughlan addressed dating rumours during the aforementioned interview with Extra.
“We think it’s really sweet,” Nicola told the outlet when asked about them dating. “I think because we truly love each other.”
“He is a really special person in my life, and I got to do this experience with him. I’ll never get to do something like this again, on this scale… It’s so nice having such a lovely friend that I can do all this with.”
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According to Newton, their friendship allowed them to connect much more intimately and on a deeper level while filming Penelope and Colin’s romance, perhaps lending to the authenticity of their characters’ feelings.
“Having shot scenes both with Nicola and with actors that I would perhaps meet on the day, I think a lot of people would think it’s better not to know the person, but I actually think having a really solid friendship with someone and trusting someone is a lot easier,” Newton told Teen Vogue.
“We could support each other in whatever way each other needed on set and also just have a laugh about it.
“Ultimately, we’re just on set, and playing around and having fun, and playing these two characters that are just softly in love, and it’s great.
“I’m really glad that we got to share it together. It was like having a really close friend as you’re going through something that’s maybe quite daunting.”
Bridgerton season 3 part 1 is available to stream now on Netflix, with part 2 arriving on June 13.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.