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Nicola Coughlan

Nicola Coughlan

Actor · Born January 9, 1987 (39) · Galway, Ireland

BAFTA Award nominee · Screen Actors Guild Award nominee

Nicola Mary Coughlan is an Irish actress. She is known for her roles as Clare Devlin in the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls and Penelope Featherington in the Netflix period drama Bridgerton. She earned a Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination for playing the lead role of Penelope Featherington in the third season of Bridgerton. Coughlan earned a British Academy Television Awards nomination for her role as Maggie Donovan in Big Mood (2024–present). Coughlan was born on 9 January 1987 in Galway, Ireland, and grew up in Oranmore. The youngest of three siblings, her father served in the Irish Army before passing away in 2016, and her mother was a stay-at-home parent. At the age of five, while watching her sister perform in a school play, Coughlan decided she wanted to become an actress. She attended Scoil Mhuire Primary School and Calasanctius College. She graduated with a degree in English and Classical Civilisation from the National University of Ireland, Galway. She then went on to train in England at the Oxford School of Drama and Birmingham School of Acting.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 9, 1987 (39)
From
Galway, Ireland
Works as
Actor
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 6% in 30 days

What are Nicola Coughlan's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
44%
Self
37%
Morality
8%
Society
8%
Power
4%
Family bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

4 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 4 of 4 analyzed roles.

Ally
4 of 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
5
Joyful
4
Contemplative
2
Melancholic
2
Absurd
1
Other
4

How their films linger

Feel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCozy2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet2
  • Ambiguous1
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Nicola Coughlan's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Nicola Coughlan's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

23 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 14 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    as (voice)

  • National Theatre Live: The Playboy of the Western World(2026)

    as Pegeen Mike

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Magic Faraway Tree(2026)

    as Silky

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • GOAT(2026)

    as Olivia Burke (voice)

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Seize Them! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Humble Joan

  • Big Mood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Show 6 episodes · as Maggie

  • Dodger Special: Coronation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Queen Victoria

  • The Velveteen Rabbit(2023)

    as Playroom Fairy (voice)

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Barbie(2023)

    as Barbie

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Rhod Gilbert's Growing Pains (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Show 1 episode · as Guest

  • Bridgerton(2020)

    Show 24 episodes · as Penelope Bridgerton · as Penelope Featherington

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • I Am...(2019)

    Show as Helen

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • Derry Girls(2018)

    Show 19 episodes · as Clare Devlin

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Harlots(2017)

    Show 7 episodes · as Hannah Dalton

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Svengali (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Club Girl

  • Ivan the Incredible(2012)

    as Lottie -English (voice)

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Thor: Legend of the Magical Hammer(2011)

    as Edda

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Summer of the Flying Saucer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Janis Voice

  • The Fairytaler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 31 episodes · as voice

  • The Phantom Cnut (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Katie

  • Doctors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Marie Callaghan

  • My Brother's War(1997)

    as Little Girl

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Untitled Roald Dahl Series (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 91st percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 21 titles, 19 of them dated from 1997 to 2026; peak year 2024.

Biggest box office

The Magic Faraway Tree (2026)

$35M worldwide

Highest rated

Derry Girls (2018)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Bridgerton (2020)

Film career

MilestoneNomination
19972026

Peak 2024 · their film career is on the way up. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 2012Screen debut· Ivan the Incredible
  • 2020Screen Actors Guild Award nomination· Bridgerton

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting21 of 21: 21 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score76th

By decade

1990s1 · acting2000s4 · acting2010s4 · acting2020s10 · acting

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 0% of 6 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

Awards

4 major nominations and no wins, 2021–2025.

  1. 2025
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Female Performance in a Comedy
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  2. 2021
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Nicola Coughlan's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 8; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 59th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

Ivan the Incredible (2012)

78th percentile spread · 51% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Derry Girls (2018)

Midcredits 98th · 94% liked

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Nicola Coughlan work with?

People who share at least 2 of Nicola Coughlan's MovieCove titles; Siobhán McSweeney shares the most, 2.