TV & Movies
The Irish actor onDerry Girlsheart-wrenching ending and her friendship withBridgertonsuperfan Kim Kardashian.
WhenDerry Girlspremiered in January 2018, lead cast memberNicola Coughlanwas desperate for it to be a success.
Eager to boost the viewership numbers, she took to asking people to promote the series on social media.
None of us were well known actors.
There was no specific reason for me to think people would tune in, you know?
Coughlan has earned high praise for her performance of the studious, but easily led astray, Clare Devlin.
However, Coughlan made it home in time to give Clare the send-off she deserves.
The actor is quick to admit that she cried when reading the final script.
Its definitely the most heart-wrenching storyline that has ever been onDerry Girls, she reveals.
Its sad, but its bittersweet.
You want to end on a high.
You want to step out and say, We did the best job we could do.
And I think we have, Coughlan remarks.
I felt a level of pressure.
I didnt want to feel as though I was speaking for people from Northern Ireland, she reveals.
Im never going to have the level of understanding that someone from Derry is going to have.
[Luckily] we have the script as the bible to always go back to.
But Coughlan neednt have worried, asDerry Girlscontinues to be embraced by locals.
Its really wild, the actor says proudly.
When the episode first aired,same-sex marriage wasnt yet legal in Northern Ireland.
I worried about it a lot, Coughlan says of the coming out scene.
Its a serious moment, but it had to be presented in a really comic way.
You dont want to have some schmaltzy thing, it would have felt really wrong.
Its going to look like were taking the p*ss out of an incredibly serious thing.
Looking back, the actor finds the scenes surrounding Clares coming out experience to be so lovely and sweet.
And much to Coughlans delight, the storyline continues to have an impact on audiences far and wide.
Derry Girls groundbreaking first seasontransformed Coughlans life, making her an instantly recognisable figure.
But Coughlan soon came to realise that her newfound public status came with stresses of its own.
We were hideously ill-prepared, Coughlan explains.
I mean, theres definitely more good than bad.
But its certainly a challenge.
As such, the actor has had to change how she approaches social media.
In the beginning, I really loved interacting with people who were watching the show, she recalls.
Thats hard to deal with.
I was like, What is going on?
I messaged Kim to say, Youre gonna do great!
And she said, Thanks, Im really nervous, the actor explains.
I told her, No, youre gonna kill it.
Praising the Skims founder, Coughlan adds: Shes so nice.
Id heard that about her from lots of different people, and I can attest to it now.
In agreement, Coughlan laughs: Well, now Im, like, best friends with Kim Kardashian.
This article was originally published onApril 28, 2022
