Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan has said she wears an Artists4Ceasefire pin as a “call to Joe Biden”.
The 37-year-old actress, from Galway, spoke of Bill Clinton’s role in the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, which ended around 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland, and said the current US president “could really effectively use his position” to do something similar.
Speaking to the PA news agency at the screening for part two of Bridgerton series three, she said: “It [the pin] is a symbol of peace. It’s a call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and Israel.
“It’s calling to release the hostages, to send aid into Gaza immediately.
“And it’s a call to Joe Biden because, I’m from Ireland and the American president at that time, Clinton, had a huge effect on the peace process in Ireland and worked out a two-state solution in Northern Ireland.
“There’s been peace in Northern Ireland since the 90s, so I think he (Biden) could really effectively use his position now to do that.
“And we as actors, I think at the moment because I’m in the show and I have a lot of eyes on me, if I can draw attention to that in a little bit of a way and give back a little bit and highlight what’s happening, I’m very happy to do that.”
The actress is also known for her role playing Clare in Derry Girls, a sitcom set during the Troubles in the 1990s.
At the screening, Coughlan also spoke about the memes created by fans following the premiere of the first half of the new series.
She told PA: “I love all the memes, they really crack me up.
“And I love TikTok and I used to love TikTok because I was never on it and now that Bridgerton’s out I’m like, ‘Oh, God, it’s every second video’, but I more enjoy the groups of people watching it, the husbands who say they don’t watch it and people saying ‘I hear Pitbull through my wall’. It’s hilarious to me.”
The last episode in the third series’ first half included a reimagined orchestral version of Pitbull’s Give Me Everything.
Episode four also ended with the suggestion that there could be wedding bells for Colin Bridgerton, played by Luke Newton, and Coughlan’s charachter, Penelope Featherington.
In a nod to this, Coughlan wore a veil to the event, in Leicester Square, as well as a light pink sequinned off-the-shoulder gown which stood in contrast to a pair of dark red velvet gloves, one of which had the Artist4Ceasefire pin on it.
Joining Coughlan at the screening was Newton (31), who opted for a contemporary grey suit with a zip and embroidered detailing on the shoulders.
Golda Rosheuvel, who plays Queen Charlotte, graced the red carpet in a royal blue floral ensemble, fitted with a cape of the same material and colour.
The actress (54), who recently starred in a Doctor Who episode, spoke about her fantastical hair styles in the show and the motorised wig she wore in episode four of series three, which had moving swan components.
She told PA: “I think the swans have to be the epic of all the seasons.
“And I’m really pleased that we got to do that for (hair designer) Erika (Okvis).
“She’s been planning that for two years, when she first came on we discussed the fact that she wanted to have a wig that was motorised in some way.
“So to be able to do that, it took two years, but we did it for her, which is great.
“It’s relatively light, because the mechanism is actually stuck to my thigh, it’s not actually in the wig, and the whole of the wig is carved out,” she added.
Among the other cast members at the screening were Claudia Jessie, who plays Eloise Bridgerton, and Luke Thompson, who stars as her brother, Benedict Bridgerton.
The pair posed together, Jessie, 34, wearing a black maxi dress and Thompson, 35, in light pink trousers and a white shirt.
Elsewhere, Hannah Dodd, who plays Francesca Bridgerton, wore a silver off-the-shoulder mini dress while Simone Ashley (Kate Bridgerton) wore a flowy nude ensemble.
Other attendees included Harriet Cains, Jessica Madsen, Ruth Gemmell and Adjoa Andoh.
Bridgerton season three part two drops on Netflix on Thursday.
