Nicola Coughlan Responds To Those Rumors She And Luke Newton Just Hung Out Naked Together On The Bridgerton Set

Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton in Bridgerton, Season 3.
(Image credit: Netflix)

I don’t know if anyone has ever been more excited for anything than those with a Netflix subscription and #Polin fans are for Bridgerton Season 3 to get here. Along with having to wait for the full romantic story of Penelope and Colin since the first season, the trailer showed how thrilling Pen and Colin’s dynamic will be, and we’ve gotten lots of teases for the upcoming episodes being so sexy that star Nicola Coughlan asked for a “PG version” to watch with her mom. Speaking of how hot things are going to get, dear readers, prepare your fainting couches and smelling salts, because Coughlan has responded to the rumors that she and co-star Luke Newton just hung out naked on set, and her answer is certain to intrigue.

What Did Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan Say About Rumors That She And Luke Newton Hung Out Naked On Set?

Ever since viewers found out that the series was going to skip over the Bridgerton books in order and deliver the love story of Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington in Season 3 (instead of the fourth season), not only have we been over the moon, but we’ve been told more than once that the romance will be hot, hot, HOT. Well, after an interview with stars Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton hit Reddit, which saw them imply that they were eventually so comfortable being naked on set that they just stayed that way between takes to hang out, it set the fandom ablaze anew. Recently, Coughland responded to the rumors, telling Teen Vogue:

Yeah, so it’s really funny. That is true. It is a testament to the fact that we just got to a point where we were so comfortable together. We’d just finished the big sex scene, the most intense and involved one…. and we just felt relieved.

Alright…has everyone recovered now? Listen, there are a few things to take away from what the Big Mood star said, but I know I can’t be the only one whose brain kinda stopped on there being an “intense and involved” sex scene for #Polin. Sounds like we will definitely be getting some new entries for Bridgerton’s sexiest sex scenes, and I say, if this season is going to end up being as hotsy totsy as the most sexually explicit Netflix movies, BRING IT.

We’ve heard other stars on the show talk about what it was like to film the Regency drama’s steamier scenes. Anthony actor Jonathan Bailey really likes using an intimacy coordinator (as pretty much all productions do now), and even admitted that they use some “silly” methods to get the sexy stuff to look real on screen. But, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say that they were so chill being basically fully naked that they just stayed that way whenever the scene didn’t call for their usual costumes.

As Coughlan added, they were covered in teensy bits of “not even real clothes,” and also didn’t want to get up and move about to dress, so as not to expose themselves even further. That makes some sense, but also, I’m inclined to think that someone would have brought robes over if they asked. Not everyone can think of obvious answers when naked and/or in the middle of a long work day, though, so what do I know? 

In a separate interview with the outlet, Newton revealed how already being friends with his leading lady helped the whole process along, and said:

Having shot [romance] scenes with Nicola and with actors that I would perhaps meet on the same day, I think a lot of people think it’s better not to know the person. But I actually think having a really solid friendship with someone and trusting someone is a lot easier. We could support each other in whatever way we needed on set, and also just have a laugh about it. I’m really glad we got to share it together. It was like having a really close friend as you’re going through something that’s maybe quite daunting.

He added, in that video that can be seen on Reddit, that they would “relax” about “half-way through the day” and lose any concerns they may have had about being naked, to which Coughlan concurred:

We were having the best time. They were like, ‘Do you wanna get up?” We were like, ‘No. I’m fine; I’m comfy.’

If, somehow, you’ve gotten through all of the stars’ thoughts on being so at ease with one another that they chatted casually while nude without you now having increased excitement for Bridgerton’s Season 3 debut on May 16, please go to a doctor. You may be dead inside.

Adrienne Jones
Senior Content Creator

Covering The Witcher, Outlander, Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias and a slew of other streaming shows, Adrienne Jones is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend, and started in the fall of 2015. In addition to writing and editing stories on a variety of different topics, she also spends her work days trying to find new ways to write about the many romantic entanglements that fictional characters find themselves in on TV shows. She graduated from Mizzou with a degree in Photojournalism.