Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan: Why I hate on-screen vanity

Nicola Coughlan stars as budding playwright Maggie in Channel 4 dark comedy Big Mood. Bridgerton and Derry Girls star loves getting glammed up for a big event, but is adamant about looking really bad for her latest TV series. In the show, Maggie is joined at the hip with her best friend, bar owner Eddie. Coughlan plays Penelope Featherington in Netflix period drama Bridgerton.

She says it was crucial to look #34;ugly and messy#34: to play Maggie properly. Coughlan and writer Camilla Whitehill have been friends since drama school. Maggie spends a fair bit of time in pyjama bottoms and slogan T-shirts. The pair enjoyed choosing which ones she would wear.

There are a lot of big laughs and deeply cringeworthy moments in the series. We see the huge impact bipolar disorder has not only on Maggie, but those around her. Coughlan spoke in 2019 about her own mental health issues. It used to be known as manic depression, and symptoms include episodes of depression andMania.

She was able to get through this period with strong support from her family and friends. She said at the time: #34;We need to stop the stigma. Coughlan stresses Big Mood is about Maggie#39;s journey, rather than just about her illness. Whitehill says she can’t stand the term mental health, saying it makes no sense.

But she says Big Mood has encouraged conversation around things like depression or anxiety. Maggie and Eddie adore each other, but it#39;s not an easy relationship. We see the love and depth of their relationship, but also that it can get messy at times. Whitehill focuses the show on her age group - millennials, born from the early 1980s through to the turn of the Millennium.

Coughlan recently appeared in the box office smash Barbie. She says its success shows how important it is to put women front and centre in the arts. She calls it #34;a fun area to write about#32; and says a rift in a friendship can be as devastating or exciting as in a romantic relationship. She talks about the success of huge entertainment events like Beyonce#39;s Renaissance tour and Taylor Swift#38;s Eras tour.

Coughlan says one of the best things about co-starring in Big Mood was it presented a fresh challenge after Derry Girls and Bridgerton. I think people will actually take away an awful lot from it. 34;It#39;s the kind of role a lot of actors who have writer friends really wish they wrote for them. 34;“Big Mood is on Channel 4 from 28 March.