Nicola Coughlan Says She’s ‘Absolutely in Shock’ After Earning First SAG Award Nomination: ‘Lovely Early Birthday Present’
Lady Whistledown can’t believe the news!
On Wednesday, Jan. 8, Nicola Coughlan received her first solo Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination for playing Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton. The cast earned a nod in 2021 for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series, which they picked up again this year as well.
“This is a very lovely early birthday present!” Coughlan — who turns 38 on Thursday, Jan. 9 — wrote on Instagram Jan. 8 of her outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series nomination. “I’m absolutely in shock and so honoured thank you @sagawards and so proud of the whole @bridgertonnetflix family 🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵”
Kathy Bates (Matlock), Allison Janney (The Diplomat), Keri Russell (The Diplomat) and Anna Sawai (Shōgun) also received nomination in SAG’s outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series category.
Sawai, 32, took home the Golden Globe for her role in the Hulu series on Sunday, Jan. 5, making her the second actress to win for playing Mariko in Shōgun; the late Yoko Shimada did so in 1981, making her the first Asian actress to win a Golden Globe.
The third season of Bridgerton followed Penelope as she fell in love with and married Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton). It also saw Penelope rekindle her friendship with Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) and get outed as society gossip Lady Whistledown, which Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) surprisingly accepts.
Coughlan described the season to PEOPLE as “so romantic.”
“There were a lot of moments on set where we filmed something and we’d turn around and everyone was sort of clutching their chest being like, ‘Oh my God,’” she said in June 2023. “It was that kind of love.”
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While rumors swirled about a possible off-screen romance between Coughlan and Newton, 31, the Irish star was spotted cozying up to actor Jake Dunn in October. They’ve been linked since August 2024.
Coughlan described what she has with Newton as a “gorgeous friendship” to TIME. “We have such a love for one another and this experience that I’ll never have with someone else again,” she said. “Isn’t it gorgeous that a man and woman can have that sort of relationship with one another?”