Netflix’s Bridgerton season three has finally arrived and with it the much anticipated, long-awaited Polin romance. Fans have been anxiously awaiting the Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) relationship to blossom beyond friendship. With season three, based on Romancing Mister Bridgerton, our patience has paid off.

Just days before season three debuted, Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton teamed up for a press conference hosted by Netflix to discuss all things Polin. The charming and talented duo talked about the evolution of Penelope and Colin’s relationship, their new looks, and life in the Ton.

Bridgerton season three part one debuted on May 16, 2024. The four-episode part two will premiere on June 13th.

Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton Bridgerton Season 3 Press Conference Highlights:

Were there any elements after reading Romancing Mister Bridgerton that you felt were essential in the development of these characters?

Luke Newton: “I think what’s really beautifully done this year is the moments of intimacy between them that are hand-picked, which we know are fan-favorite moments. But yeah, they’re hand-picked for the show, and they feel really important to their love story because it sort of exposes them not only physically but emotionally. And it really breaks these characters down and they see each other in a completely different light.

So, yeah, to have those elements from the books and you know there’s a fan base of like so many years now that have been waiting for this to happen. So, to sort of play those scenes out and then to see little moments … like even in the premiere last night, being able to see the spark between them and how people resonate with that. And they were screaming!”

After working on these characters for years, and finally letting Pen and Colin give in to their feelings, what is the biggest factor that makes friends to lovers, that romance, so electric?

Nicola Coughlan: “I think we had a big privilege in getting to play these characters for two seasons already because a lot of the time as an actor, you’re imagining a lot of the backstory. And especially with television, we don’t have the luxury of time to rehearse, which is something you get in theatre. But we sort of just have to just go in and hope for the best on the day.

But we’ve had two years of developing these characters and having time to think about them because it’s an eight-month filming stint each time, which is long. So, we live in them. And we also, thankfully, together really love to talk about the characters. We’re very invested in their journey and who they are as people and what they mean to one another and all of that stuff.

I think it’s the richness of the history between them. And, also, I think because they’re real underdogs, I think that’s something that the audience really relates and connects to. You know, they’re not the coolest people in the Ton. They’re sort of awkward, and when they find each other, it’s a beautiful thing.”

Penelope has never been one to shy away from acknowledging her inexperience. This season, she’s very confident in that, and it’s a beautiful thing to watch. What did it mean to you to portray that honesty?

Nicola Coughlan: “It was really lovely because I think that’s one of the biggest, not flaws in her, but I can’t think of the right word. It’s something that she struggles with, to be honest. I think because she feels like she’s not good enough and she doesn’t have enough to offer the world. And you know, she really is part of the Whistledown part of herself but she can’t be honest with her closest friends and family and loved ones to say, ‘Yeah, this is me.’ So, I think her accepting honesty into her life is a very transformative thing.

And also, it makes her realize who she is and her worth. And it’s a really beautiful journey to get to go on as an actor.”

Luke, would you say that that’s part of the appeal of Pen is seeing her confident and owning who she is?

Luke Newton: “Absolutely. Yeah, completely. Yeah, there was a real sense of that. Because, obviously, there’s always been this spark and connection between them, but Colin sort of sees her in a different light. And I think that’s a massive factor of it this season, is that she’s been sort of put down and put in this place from everything that surrounds her – from society and from her family, particularly her family. They sort of put her into a box, and that’s where you’re supposed to be. But she’s got bigger dreams than that and aspirations.

And then that’s what’s really sort of attractive to Colin, is that when he starts to see those qualities in her and her confidence comes out. He’s like, ‘Oh, no.’ Like, ‘You’re the person that I’ve always really connected with and always shared something special with, but now I’m really starting to get to the root of all that.’

So, yeah. It’s really a beautiful thing.”

This season explores love through added layers of friendship and power dynamics because Penelope is not the typical ingénue. She also has the power of being Lady Whistledown. Did that dynamic help or hinder you when playing Penelope this season?

Nicola Coughlan: “I think ultimately it helps because as an actor, I think the more interesting subject matter you’re given and the more complexity there is, there’s more to dive into. There’s nothing more difficult, I think, than being handed a script with a two-dimensional character on it. Because then you’re filling in so many of the blanks and trying to add stuff. But a well-written script, a well-told story, means that it’s way better for you.

It can be challenging. There were certainly scenes that we were given that I thought, you know, the intimacy scenes are their own challenge. But then, any of the scenes in which there’s tension between the two characters and they argue, those are challenging.

You know, it’s a beautiful show because we get to run the gamut of emotions and the whole human experience. Because there’s love and friendship and tragedy, comedy … all of it. So, yeah, I think it helped, ultimately. It was a challenge, but I relished the challenge.”

Luke Newton: “And it’s so real, isn’t it? Because every conversation that’s had is filled with different emotions and themes, like in real life. You don’t have a conversation with someone that is just wholly romantic or wholly confrontational. It’s like there are layers to everything. I guess that’s the challenge, particularly like the scene in act four where we go through so many different themes and emotions in the space of five minutes. And as an actor, it’s kind of like a gift to be able to try and explore something [like that]. It was a massive challenge. So, yeah, it was great fun to dive into.”

Luke, can you talk about Colin’s struggles to find his place in the Ton as the third Bridgerton brother?

Luke Newton: “I think it’s really interesting because it feels like everyone but the eldest son sort of has that. I was watching back recently, and you really see that Benedict even has kind of this lack of purpose and trying to discover who he is. I think all of the siblings have that, and it’s something that’s just inherently in these very wealthy, powerful families in society. They don’t need to work. They have no responsibility, so what do they do? There’s no ambition or drive, so they’re constantly looking for something.

I think what was interesting this year is Colin comes back feeling like he owns something that no one else does. He feels like he’s had a real experience, and it’s helped him sort of grow up and become an adult, slightly. I mean, there’s still a lot of insecurity there, and he’s hiding a lot, and he’s trying to portray this version of himself, which is not really real. But he definitely feels more on a level with his older brothers now, in feeling like he can slightly compete.

Whereas I feel like in previous seasons, he was kind of just looking up to them, being like, ‘Will I ever catch up with the life experience that they’ve had?’ So, that was fun to shift the dynamic with that and have those brotherly scenes and be like he’s one of the bros now. He’s not like the little boy looking up. I’m sure we’ll have that eventually with young Gregory.”

This season, we see sexier, more mature versions of Colin and Penelope. How did that inform your performances to be in these new looks?

Luke Newton: “I think one of the most important stages of like prep work is when you go into your fittings and they start to dress you in whatever you’re going to wear throughout the season and it gives you so much of the story before you even got the scripts. […] Colin kind of comes back with a significant change. But then Penelope makes the conscious effort to change things whilst we’re in the first episode. I really love that.

It’s like that it’s her choice and she’s going against all the opinions. Again, it’s like we talked about earlier about being put in a box, and she’s like, ‘No, I don’t want to wear the yellow.’ Like, ‘I’m going to take what I love and explore that.’

[…] It changed everything. The first fitting was like I really got a sense of his journey and where he’d been. And it told a thousand stories before I even got to read the first script.”

Nicola Coughlan: “Yeah. He sent me a picture of himself in the fitting, and he was just so obviously transformed. Like even the way you were standing was so different. And it was a beautiful thing. As I said, being on this show for this being our third season, the whole team was very excited to do this transformation.”

Luke Newton: “Yeah, it’s like they’ve been waiting the whole time.”

Nicola Coughlan: “They’ve been waiting and then they were like, ‘Here, we’ve got all this good stuff.’ It’s the scene in Pretty Woman when they finally let her shop. It felt like that for us.

[…] It’s fun. I love the hilarious juxtaposition of Penelope trying this cool new glam look with her emerald dress and the Rita Hayworth hair and then she’s so deeply awkward.”

Luke Newton: (Laughing) “Yeah, trying to flirt.”

Nicola Coughlan: “Yeah, and she can’t inhabit it whatsoever. It’s just like a beautiful piece of writing because I think we’re so used to the transformation happening, and then, ‘Oh, they’re all cool.’ But even Colin also coming back and you think he’s slick. And Pen so quickly is like, ‘No, you’re not slick.’

Luke Newton: “Which is a testament, again, like she sees straight through all that and no one else does. Everyone else is like, you know, everyone’s seen him for years. He’s grown up in society and all of a sudden, they’re like, ‘Oh, hello!’ And she’s like absolutely not. ‘What are you doing [with] those sleazy chat up lines? Come on, bro. Get back to the biscuit tin.’”

How was your first day on set back in 2019? Did you have any inkling that it would become so successful all over the world?

Luke Newton: “I think it was strange because I certainly never worked on anything of that scale. So, I was already overwhelmed with that. I think you can never predict the reaction that we had on Christmas Day in 2020. I mean, there was definitely an element of excitement on set, particularly as we started to get towards the end […] because we were working episode by episode. You know, they were being written as we were going.

But then getting a sense of the whole story and seeing this new world created and how different it felt to previous versions of period dramas, there was definitely an excitement and a buzz. But I never, ever expected it to blow up the way that it did. I never knew that we would get to our season.”

Nicola Coughlan: “No, we didn’t know that at all.”

Luke Newton: “Yeah. I knew that it would potentially be three or four years in. And I just thought if we get there, it’ll be a dream come true. But if we don’t, I’ve had an amazing time and it’s been wild anyway.”

This season we see the Featherington family dynamic really evolve. What human elements will viewers get to see with those characters?

Nicola Coughlan: “Absolutely. I mean, I think it was a pivotal moment at the end of season two when you saw Portia Featherington, you know, kind of take down Cousin Jack, and you realize she’s just like a mama bear. She does it all to protect her girls. She’s not doing it for self-interest. But she realizes the realities of what it means to be a woman in society and how they just have to find suitable matches for marriage and it’s an economic prospect and all of these things. I think that Penelope certainly doesn’t understand that. She feels really misunderstood and like she’s the black sheep of the family and nobody gets me and blah blah blah.

But what I adore about this season is, I’ve always felt it, is that Penelope is a lot like Portia in many ways. You know, I think that’s a huge part of what Whistledown is, is Portia’s sassiness and sort of acerbic tongue. So, I love the moments that I’ve had with Polly Walker because we’ve been waiting to do those scenes where you sort of humanize Portia, and then Penelope starts to go, and it is a real moment in young adulthood when you start to realize that your parents are just people and they’re not just parents. They have flaws and hopes and dreams and all of the things.”

Luke Newton: “Yeah. And you’re way more like them than you ever thought.”

Nicola Coughlan: “Hundred percent. So, I love that that has gotten to develop the way it is. And then such beautiful comedy moments as well, with Portia hanging out with the Bridgertons. And I love it.”

Did you at any point have a “wow” moment on the Bridgerton set?

Luke Newton: “I think I did, and I’m gonna have to choose my words carefully so I don’t spoil anything. But I think it was a moment of realization of how much had been put behind these two characters and how important the story was to people. Like, yeah, a moment where the focus was completely shifted on these two characters, which we have — you know, in previous seasons, they were outside of a ball and they would gossip and they’d talk about other people, and they were kind of like the playful younger friends that just gossiped together. And to have a moment of them both being center stage, really all eyes on them and feeling… It was a really special moment of just like, ‘Oh, wow.’ Like, that’s what this show does.

I think that’s one of my favorite things about the show is that we focus on a different couple and a different love story every season. And it means that people can relate to different ones. I’m sure there are people, there are many, many people I know that love the Anthony and Kate story and really resonate with their story and are huge fans of them. And I’m sure that’ll happen with Colin and Pen, and we’ve had it with Daphne and Simon. There’s so many characters to relate to.”

Nicola Coughlan: “I think you get a lot of wow moments on this set. I mean, it’s like every time we go into a ballroom for the first time, because a lot of them are practically built, which is outrageous. You have all the cornicing done, you have chandeliers hung from the ceilings. You have 25 dancers and 200 supporting artists. And there’s always just something happening and it’s just like, ‘Whoa! We get to do this,’ because it’s so incredibly immersive. As an actor, you can really feel like you’re within that world.

I think how much of a profound experience this was, was like a wow moment for me. Because you wouldn’t expect it. This show is so beautiful in its levity and its romance, but I think what makes it special – and I hope it’s why a lot of people connect to it so much – is because there’s real human emotions there. It celebrates human connection in a very beautiful way. And then in so many ways, that’s the most precious thing we have in the world, is the connections that we share with one another.

And I just think doing this process with Luke and us both committing really hardcore to it and making it our worlds, and watching it back, I’m so grateful that we did that, because you end up … I’m very self-critical, but I often watch myself back and I could have done this and this differently, but I didn’t feel that way.”

Luke Newton: “We just gave everything. You know, nothing else left to give. And we were like, that’s what it’s going to be. And then looking back, I’m just so proud of it.”

• Part 2 Trailer and First Photos
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