Nicola Mary Coughlan (born 9 January 1987) is an Irish actress best known for her portrayals of Claire Devlin in the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls and Penelope Featherington in the Netflix drama Bridgerton.
Television
- Bridgerton as Penelope Featherington
- Derry Girls as Claire Devlin
- Harlots as Hannah Dalton
- Seize Them! (2024) as Humble Joan
- Taskmaster As Herself (New Year Treat: "The Fastest Duck")
Film
- Barbie as Diplomat Barbie
Tropes that can be found in Nicola Coughlin's work:
- Costume Drama: Harlots and Bridgerton.
- Dawson Casting: Plays teenage characters well into her thirties. Unlike many examples of this trope, she's amazingly believable at it, too.
- Fake Nationality: The West of Ireland-born Coughlan plays a Fake Brit in Bridgerton and Northern Irish in Derry Girls.
- Period Piece: All of her big roles to date have been in period-set historical dramas, Regency England in Bridgerton and The House of Hanover in Harlots, but also The '90s and The Troubles in Derry Girls.
- Pintsized Powerhouse: Her characters tend to be little balls of energy.