Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan says being famous is “like being a dog on the Tube” with people always looking at her.
The actress, who got her big break in the comedy Derry Girls, said she had been surprised by the “surreal” success of Bridgerton with more than 80 million people the hit Netflix show.
She told Elle UK: “Being famous is like being a dog on the Tube. It’s exactly the same energy. When you get on, everyone looks at you. Some people are so smiley, while some are afraid of you and don’t want to go near.
“Some people touch you without asking. I can still do the things I want to do, obviously, but it is different. I went to the pub with my friend a while back and it was like being an animal at the zoo. People just watching and looking.”
The star, who said most people she met were “so, so lovely”, said she also just wanted to work with “considerate and open” people, saying: “I have an allergy to difficult people. I’ve literally had stress rash from them.”
Coughlan said viewers could expect potentially steamy scenes with her co-star Luke Newton in the future, saying: “Oh god, yes, it’s going to happen! We used to joke about it, really inappropriate jokes, like, “Wouldn’t it be funny if we did this when we do it?” And then as time goes on it becomes more real. Now it’s not funny anymore! Everyone’s like, “You’re going to have to kiss Luke! On the lips!”’
But she said she would be sad to say goodbye to her Derry Girls character Clare, saying: “I always find it hard to explain to people about playing characters, that they feel like your friends. I’ve been playing Clare now for five years. So it’s like saying goodbye to a friend I know I’ll never see again.”
:: The March issue of ELLE UK is on sale from February 2 or can be seen online at â¯www.ELLE.com/uk
