‘Bridgerton’ actor Nicola Coughlan is taking on the main role for the third season of the successful Netflix series, but she refuses to let her celebrity status interfere with her advocacy work for Palestine and a ceasefire in Gaza.
In a new interview with Teen Vogue, Nicola Coughlan discussed utilising her social media channels to raise awareness of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, despite being told that such campaigning may cost her jobs in the film and television industries.
Not many would know that she’s already collected hundreds of pounds for Gaza aid efforts via Instagram fundraisers.
“I think it’s important to me because firstly, I’m a very privileged person. I’m so lucky I’ve gotten to this point in my career, and I’m privileged as a white woman, first off. Then the fact that I get to do the job I love and travel the world and meet amazing people, I feel a moral responsibility to give back,” said Nicola Coughlan.
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“Even before I was on television, I was involved in different causes. I went campaigning door-to-door for marriage equality in Ireland, I went on marches for abortion rights. I’ve always cared about causes and social justice… To me it always becomes about supporting all innocent people, which sounds oversimplified, but I think you’ve got to look at situations and just think, ‘Are we supporting innocent people no matter where they’re from, who they are?’ That’s my drive,” adds Nicola Coughlan.
But such kind of advocacy can also at times cost someone their position in the world of showbiz. It’s one of the reasons why celebrities try to always stay away from politics and matters related to politics.
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Talking about the ongoing war in Gaza and the Israel-Palestine conflict, Nicola Coughlan said that “You do get told [in Hollywood], ‘You won’t get work,’ ‘You won’t do this.’ But I also think, deep down, if you know that you’re coming from a place of ‘I don’t want any innocent people to suffer,’ then I’m not worried about people’s reactions.”
If you check thoroughly, Nicola Coughlan has been seen sporting an Artists4Ceasefire pin at numerous press events. Her campaigning has even prompted legions of ‘Bridgerton’ fans on social media to form Polins x Care for Gaza. The term ‘Polin’ refers to the romantic relationship that develops between her ‘Bridgerton’ character Penelope and Colin, which serves as the foundation for Season 2. The organisation has gathered funds for Care for Gaza, a foundation that assists Palestinian families affected by Israel’s fight with Hamas.
“It’s a testament to the people that follow me being so kind and generous. I feel like, in the nicest way possible, my opinion on situations doesn’t matter, but because I have a platform and I have a couple of million people on there, if I can raise a little bit of money, isn’t that an amazing thing to do? And if you can amplify voices of anyone in the world who’s going through tough situations, I just think, why would you not do that?” added Nicola Coughlan.
On the work front, Nicola Coughlan will be seen in ‘Bridgerton 3’. Its starts streaming on Netflix from May 16.
