Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan auditioned for a major part in Stranger Things

11 April 2022, 11:48

Listen to new Stranger Things 4 '907-206-7700' voicemail from new character

By Jazmin Duribe

"You're just right for some things, and you're not right for other things."

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Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan has revealed that she once auditioned for a huge part in Stranger Things.

Now, we all know and love Nicola for her role as Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton or Clare in Derry Girls, which will commence its third and final season on Tuesday (Apr 12). Bridgerton is Nicola's first role in a Netflix show, but she's actually tried out for a role on another Netflix hit series: Stranger Things.

In an interview with Buzzfeed, Nicola revealed that she auditioned for the role of Robin Buckley. Robin was introduced in season 3 as Steve Harrington's (Joe Keery) friend and co-worker at Scoops Ahoy ice cream parlour. The part eventually went to Maya Hawke, who was recommended to casting director Carmen Cuba by another actor for a different project.

Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan auditioned for a major part in Stranger Things. Picture: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Longchamp, Netflix

"I auditioned for Stranger Things a number of years ago. I auditioned to play Robin, Maya Hawke got it. She was far better than I ever would have been," Nicola told the publication.

As we know, Nicola didn't get the part but she hasn't let that get to her. She added: "It's a good lesson to actors: Watch the stuff you didn't get, because you'll totally understand how it's not personal. You're just right for some things, and you're not right for other things."

The part eventually went to Maya Hawke. Picture: Netflix via Alamy

It all worked out in the end anyway and Nicola is now gearing up for her first sex scene as Penelope. If it ends up following Julia Quinn's book series order, Penelope and Colin Bridgerton's romance could be included in Bridgerton season 3 or season 4, something that Nicola says is "exciting and terrifying".

"I think because when I signed on to this show, because it's based on the books, I knew that her love story was coming at some point, but it felt like a moment in the very distant future. And I know her love interest already, it's Colin Bridgerton," Nicola told Digital Spy.

"Luke and I, we used to joke about it all the time, and then it becomes progressively less funny and more intimidating as time goes on [...] I'm really interested in how it's gonna play out because she's quite modern a lot of ways in that she, she's a businesswoman. She's super serious about her career, but she also wants the love, she also wants the marriage."

She continued: "I think I'm genuinely – and I'm not kidding – going to ask Shondaland for a special family-friendly cut. Because I just think it's embarrassing enough watching the scenes that I am not in there like that."