‘Bridgerton’s’ Nicola Coughlan Reacts to Luke Newton Dating Rumors (Exclusive)

On Monday, “Bridgerton’s” Season 3 leading lady Nicola Coughlan took the spotlight at the NYC premiere.

“Extra’s” Mona Kosar Abdi spoke with Nicola, who reacted to rumors that she is dating co-star Luke Newton, who plays Colin Bridgerton.

The third season focuses on their characters’ love story, and it’s even sparked fan theories that the two are dating in real life.

Commenting on the rumors, Nicola shared, "We think it's really sweet, I think because we truly love each other... He is a really special person in my life, and I got to do this experience with him. I'll never get to do something like this again, on this scale... It's so nice having such a lovely friend that I can do all this with."

When Mona brought up their steamy scenes, Nicola said, “It’s crazy because I felt like those scenes would be terrifying to watch back, and they were initially… But then when I watched them, I went, 'No, they’re everything we wanted them to be and more. They’re really romantic. They’re beautifully written. They feel sexy, they're exciting. I couldn’t be happier, honestly."

She also spoke about getting support from the previous seasons' leading ladies, Phoebe Dynevor and Simone Ashley.

Nicola gushed, "Simon and Phoebe were both incredible. They are gracious and kind, and they led this show with just that, with grace and kindness. They both made it known to me, they were like, 'We're here if you need us.' They were just there, they were at the end of the phone. They've been so supportive, and I feel so grateful for that. And I'll be there for the next lady. I don't know her yet, but whoever she is, I'm on the end of the phone."

Mona also chatted with Luke, who shared his take on the racy scenes.

He said, "It’s really hard to tell if it’s, like, as steamy as everyone says it is because when you live through the process of it, it’s like, well, yeah it is really, like, it's a sexy season. But I always felt like the other seasons were as well. So, it's kind of really nice to get the reaction of people being like, 'Wow.'"

Luke joked that the scenes will be “uncomfortable” for his mom, who was at the premiere. “That will be fun," he quipped. "That will be a good conversation.”

Newton reflected on how they approached those scenes, adding, “We had really open conversations with our intimacy coordinators, our showrunner Jess, and the director of that block, and we just mapped out how we wanted the scene to go and the main focus was just about keeping it so true and authentic to their characters. We didn't want it to be this, like, romantic, sexy scene and they suddenly become different people. We wanted to keep the authenticity of who they are."

He continued, "You know, Colin's had this wild experience, but Pen is very, it's like a sexual awakening for her. So it was fun to explore what it would be like for those character in that time and, yeah, just keep it true to them."

Luke also shared that he leaned on Season 2's leading man Jonathan Bailey for support, noting, "Johnny has been there for me the entire time."

He added, "He's been so busy and I don't understand how he's also had the time to support me, but I'm so grateful to him. I can't wait to see him tonight. I'm just so pleased for all his success and continued success... and to welcome him back, you know, to have him in the show this season and him really feel like a big brother to me in real life. It felt, like, really special."