Nicola Coughlan is revealing the prank she pulled on her Bridgerton co-star Luke Newton after learning he was once in a boy band.
During a recent interview with People magazine, the actress, who plays Penelope Featherington, was asked about her favorite behind-the-scenes moments while filming, to which she responded, “We had a fun one in one of the balls where Luke is meant to come in and interrupt a dance.”
She continued, “I had found out a few years previous that Luke used to be in a boy band, and I just thought it was the best thing ever. I had for years wanted to do this prank on him where he comes in to do a dance and instead of the music for the show playing, it would be his song from his boy band, but it took so much planning, it was insane.”
In the joint interview, Newton, who plays Colin Bridgerton, chimed in, describing the moment as “amazing,” while Coughlan recalled being “really nervous” as the prank got underway.
“I remember we knew what take it was going to happen on, the cameras were set up to turn to be on him, but it was so cute because you come up onto the dance floor and you interrupt this dance, and then we stand together to start dancing, and then your little face you went,” she explained to Newton while displaying a confused look. “Yeah, that’s all been filmed, so I’ve not seen it full. I’ve only seen a little bit back, but I’m really excited to watch.”
Newton added that he suspected something was going on, as he could feel an energy shift in the room just moments before the prank took place.
“It was so strange because I could feel it like a weird energy,” he said. “I could feel that there was like, people were looking at me over their shoulder and I was like, are people nervous about me doing this dance? Because I’m absolutely fine, we’ll get through it.”
The actor continued, “And then all of a sudden I hear it because I had a piece in my ear first, I just had the tick, tick, tick, and I was like, it really sounds like… And then it was blasting on the speakers and all the dancers…” Coughlan added, “All the dancers started going, everyone’s there cheering.”
While the prank went off just how Coughlan hoped it would, she admitted that she’s “never been more nervous on set, not even for a sex scene. I was like, if this goes wrong…”
But the duo both agree that the particular dance scene in the hit Netflix show “will always remind” them of that prank.
Check out all of The Hollywood Reporter‘s Bridgerton season three coverage here. Part one is currently streaming on Netflix, and part two drops on the streamer June 13.
