'Bridgerton' star Nicola Coughlan channels 'Vanderpump Rules' drama with hilarious SUR back alley moment
Nicola Coughlan, best known for playing Penelope Featherington on 'Bridgerton', recently traded Regency-era drama for the glitz and chaos of Bravo’s 'Vanderpump Rules'. The actress recreated one of the show’s famous moments during a visit to Lisa Vanderpump’s SUR restaurant, delighting fans. Coughlan shared a series of pictures on Instagram, capturing a playful reenactment of a dramatic confrontation in SUR’s now-infamous back alley. In the pictures, Coughlan, wearing a black dress and green coat, threw her hands up in a playful argument with her friends Rebecca Lowman and Rebecca Asher.
View this post on Instagram
As per E! News, the emotional back-and-forth paid homage to the countless confrontations that have unraveled in that very spot over 'Vanderpump Rules’ 11-season run. SUR’s official Instagram account couldn’t contain their excitement, posting, "We are all big fans of your work, Nicola. The SUR Family thanks you for dining with us. Nicola is a Queen.” The actress’ love for the show runs deep. During an interview, Coughlan revealed that the show became her “emotional support” during a particularly hectic filming schedule.
View this post on Instagram
She shared, "My brain was fried. Learning the Bridgerton dialogue is not easy because it's not supernaturalistic. It's very stylized. Then Big Mood is incredibly colloquial and how one of my best friends wrote that show. So it's how we speak. The only thing that I could watch was when I came home in the evening with Vanderpump. There were 10 seasons, and I knew there was a huge scandal at the end. It was the perfect show. It's a perfect reality show. It's great." Coughlan didn’t stop at visiting SUR. In June, she hosted an extravagant 'Vanderpump Rules'-themed costume party, calling it her “dream Bravo party.”
Dressed in a pink Barbiecore wrap dress and accessorized with a stuffed Pomeranian—a clear nod to Lisa Vanderpump and her late dog Giggy—Coughlan paid tribute to the Bravo matriarch. Her guests fully embraced the theme, flaunting costumes inspired by iconic cast members like Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney. Highlights included mock menu items such as “Halloumi I Hate Goats Cheese” balls and “Something About Her” sandwiches, referencing Bravo-famous moments, as per US Weekly.
Following the explosive ‘Scandoval’ affair involving Tom Sandoval, Rachel Leviss, and Ariana Madix, the show is introducing a new cast. Vanderpump herself assured fans that the revamped series would bring a new energy while staying true to its roots of restaurant staff drama. Vanderpump remarked, "I think everything we do is going to have a different energy to it…Not gonna try and compete with the old 'Vanderpump Rules'. It's just gonna be totally different there. Still, we'll go back to the premise of the complications of running a restaurant and the staff in it. And that always has a story to tell."
