Bridgerton is making way for the love story of Lady Whistledown writer Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and her long-time crush, Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) in the third season of Shondaland’s hit Netflix series, and there’s a lot of change in store along the way.
Unlike past seasons, this is the first time the leads will be portrayed by characters who have both appeared regularly since the show’s debut. But how do Penelope and Colin, a.k.a. Polin, wind up on a metaphorical collision course to romance? As viewers have seen over the seasons, Penelope has pined for her best friend since the very beginning, but Newton tells TV Insider the roles are about to be reversed.
“In terms of the jealousy, I’d say it’s about time,” the actor reveals in the video interview, above. “It is a really nice moment for the power dynamic between the two to just completely switch, and we almost play versions of our counterparts this season for a small amount of time,” in other words, Colin’s about to be the one pining after his close pal.
Liam Daniel/Netflix
At the end of Season 2, Penelope overheard Colin telling a group of other eligible men how he’d never dream of courting her. Resigning herself to the belief that he’ll never return her feelings, Penelope wishes to find a match for herself so she can move on and free herself from the confines of her uncaring family.
When Colin learns about Penelope’s plan, he offers to help teach her the ways of wooing others as an apology for his past comments, but the lessons are about to work a little too well. “I really enjoyed that part of it and for him to finally see the person that’s been in front of him all this time,” Newton continues.
“There’s a revelation moment for Colin and he really struggles with it,” the actor admits. “He’s still a young man growing up and trying to find his way in the world.”
Meanwhile, as Colin endures this emotional turmoil over catching feelings for his best friend, Coughlan reveals that Penelope is going on a journey of her own when it comes to building confidence. “What I really love about the way she grows in confidence is she decides how she’s going to do it in the beginning by getting a whole new look and then instantly she realizes that that’s not how that works,” Coughlan says of Penelope’s transformation.
“It’s not a magical fairy godmother moment. So her confidence actually has to grow in an organic way and it grows through her learning to love and accept herself and see herself viable and as a woman and as a desirable being, all of those things,” Coughlan continues. “And… that’s how it should work in real life. It’s not an easy journey, but I think you’ve got to let yourself do that. I wish a new dress could fix it, don’t we all?” Coughlan adds with a laugh.
See Newton and Coughlan’s full interview, above, and stay tuned for more Bridgerton content as we approach the Part 1 premiere of Season 3 on Netflix.
Bridgerton, Season 3, Part 1 Premiere, Thursday, May 16, Netflix
Bridgerton, Season 3, Part 2 Premiere, Thursday, June 13, Netflix