Penelope Featherington of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” has been writing as an anonymous local gossip spreader for three seasons.
A screening of Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 took place tonight at the Lighthouse Cinema in Dublin.
Appearing on the red carpet tonight, Coughlan said the “local gossip” of her hometown Galway made it easy for her to assume the sinister role of Lady Whistledown.
When learning the Derry Girls accent, Nicola listened to videos of pop star Nadine Coyle to learn the lingo, but Penelope took a different approach.
“Actually, there was no one. I think it’s because it was one of those things I would hear on TV a lot as a kid. So I would listen to it a lot and repeat it to myself.”
“I definitely annoyed my family because I always had a certain voice. Derry Girls was harder.”
The first half of the series, focusing on the love story of Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), was released on May 16, 2024. It recorded the biggest debut in the series’ history, garnering over 41 million views in the first four days.
At the end of season two, Penelope gives up on her longtime crush on Colin after overhearing him say derogatory things about her.
In the new season, Penelope decides it’s time to find a husband, ideally one who will give her the independence to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown away from her mother and sisters. However, lacking self-confidence, Penelope’s attempts to hit the marriage market fail spectacularly.
Meanwhile, Colin returns from his summer trip looking renewed and confident, but is disappointed to find that Penelope, who has always appreciated him for who he is, has started to treat him coldly.
Colin is determined to rekindle his friendship with Penelope this season by offering to help her gain confidence and find a husband, but when his lessons start to work too well, Colin begins to wonder if his feelings for Penelope are really just friendship.
Complicating things for Penelope is a falling out with Eloise (Claudia Jessie), who has found new friends in an unlikely place, while her growing presence around town makes it increasingly difficult to keep her Lady Whistledown alter-ego a secret.
The final four episodes of Bridgerton Season 3 will premiere on Thursday, June 13, 2024.
