Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan And Luke Newton Explain How They Filmed 5-Minute Long Sex Scene

18 June 2024, 17:48 | Updated: 19 June 2024, 20:47

How Bridgerton filmed Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton's Polin mirror sex scene. Picture: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage, Netflix

By Katie Louise Smith

From deciding what they wanted to show to their tiny modesty garments, here's how Bridgerton pulled off Colin and Penelope's mirror sex scene.

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Bridgerton’s ‘mirror scene’ had long been hyped up within the fandom, but it's safe to say that the 5-and-a-half-minute long sex scene that followed that iconic moment was certainly something fans weren't expecting!

In season 3 episode 5, Nicola Coughlan's Penelope and Luke Newton's Colin have sex for the first time after an intimate moment in front of a mirror in their new home.

The co-stars have already spoken about how they supported each other during that initial 'nude' mirror moment but now that Part 2 has been released, they've explained how they filmed Polin's actual sex scene with the guidance of the show's intimacy coordinator.

So, if you wanna know how it all came together – and how they broke that chaise longue while filming it – here's your answer.

Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton wore modesty garments for Penelope and Colin's sex scene. Picture: Netflix

Penelope and Colin's first sex scene arrives after Colin intimately strips Penelope of all her clothing while standing in front of the mirror, admiring her reflection. As a naked Penelope then moves over to the chaise, Colin removes all his clothes.

Speaking the scene, Nicola and Luke told Jimmy Hill on The Capital Evening Show about the first time they saw each other without any clothes on. Of course, they weren't actually nude – they were wearing modesty garments.

Luke had to wear a "cup" to cover himself, which Nicola dubbed the "panini" because it was "so wide".

"I was just in a robe and I said to Nic, 'you need to see this because we'll waste a take because you'll just be laughing'," he added before Nicola shared that her modesty wear was "even less than his."

"Mine was literally just like a triangle, [that] covers the bare essentials," she said.

Eventually, the two got comfortable enough with each other and the situation that they were "like nudists" by the end of the day.

Bridgerton's Luke Newton reveals Colin and Penelope's laugh was kept in after they broke the furniture. Picture: Netflix

The scene itself was filmed over three days and the set was closed, which means only the crew that needed to be there were actually in the room. The first day focused on Nicola's scenes as Penelope, the second day focused on Luke and Colin, and the rest was all about the actual sex scene.

Over the past few seasons, the Bridgerton cast have spoken at length about how the intimate scenes in the show are filmed. Bridgerton’s intimacy coordinator Lizzy Talbot worked with Luke and Nicola to help choreograph the scene, and assist them in deciding what they wanted to show on camera.

"We had a lot of say in the mirror scene in particular, how that was shot and that we wanted that to be front-facing into the mirror and undress in front of it," Nicola told Pay Or Wait. "It was like an amazing moment, and also I was like, when I’m 80, I’m gonna look back and be like, 'My boobs look great! They’re all my own and they’re sitting up there. No regrets.'"

As for the actual sex scene? As is custom for on-screen intimate moments, the actors have to have three layers between them. Nicola and Luke wore modesty garments as previously mentioned, and they also likely used the half-inflated netball technique that Jonathan Bailey spoke about using while filming in season 2.

Nicola Coughlan & Luke Newton laugh at filming that carriage scene | Bridgerton Season 3 interview

While filming the scene, Nicola and Luke were so in character during one particular take that they broke the chaise.

"Our director at the time took a step back and said, 'Right. Let’s just mix it up, this take, and let’s really sort of go for this one. Let’s up the energy basically, and up the stakes.' Then I think we were maybe 20 seconds in, and one of the legs just completely snapped off," Luke told Vanity Fair.

"We both burst into laughter," he continued. "Nicola shrieked and said something in her natural [Irish] accent. I was really hoping that the laugh makes it in, which it does. We do laugh together at the end, which is really beautiful, and just feels really appropriate and sweet to their relationship."

Speaking to Harper's Bazaar, Nicola added: "We were on a wide shot, so the camera was quite high above us, quite far away. There’s no one 'micro-directing,' so we were going through the whole scene, and we were right in the middle of 'the act.'"

As they continued to film the scene, the chaise had to be propped up by apple boxes.

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A post shared by Nicola Coughlan (@nicolacoughlan)

And, if you're wondering, yes... that is the scene in which Penelope and Colin conceived their son who is born at the end of the season. Showrunner Jess Brownell confirmed the timeline in the same Vanity Fair interview.

So there you have it! Another spicy Bridgerton moment for the books!