Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan has railed against the recent UK Supreme Court ruling that defines a woman by biological sex.
In a passionate conversation at the Palais des Festivals during Canneseries this evening in France, Coughlan criticized the “hypothesized, made-up thing about trans women attacking women in bathrooms” and said this is “ridiculous because it is not something that is happening.”
The Derry Girls star said the only times she had felt threatened or scared had been by a “cis-gendered man, not a trans woman.” “It really upset me to see people celebrating people’s rights being taken away and I think there is something really wrong with that,” said Coughlan.
The UK Supreme Court earlier this month ruled that women can only be legally defined by biological sex, a ruling that has further divided those who are pro-trans rights and those in opposition.
Coughlan said she had taken the decision during the pandemic to use her voice on social media “for something useful,” asking, “Can I raise money for good causes?”
She called on people to show “true allyship” and act as a “buffer” for the trans and non-binary community. “It’s all fun to go to Pride and wave a flag, and watch Drag Race, but are you going to be there when it is awkward and uncomfortable?
“Sometimes, you’ll be mega-attacked online, but you have to ask, ‘Do I care about that or do I care more about the people who are suffering’ and weigh it up.”
The remarks came after Coughlan, who has emerged as one of entertainment’s most passionate advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, said she would match any donations to the UK’s Not a Phase trans and non-binary charity up to £10,000 ($13,400).
The charity, which campaigns to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people, had been in danger of collapsing after losing most of its corporate sponsors, but Coughlan’s campaign raised £60,000, which she matched.
Earlier this month, Coughlan slammed the Harry Potter TV reboot, writing on social media: “Keep your new Harry Potter lads. Wouldn’t touch it with a 10ft pole.”
This came after J.K. Rowling, a vocal critic of trans rights, celebrated the Supreme Court ruling on social media.
Coughlan, who has also raised for money for children caught up in the violence in Palestine, was questioned over whether she felt pressure to stay quieter on the advice of people within the entertainment industry.
“[With] any actor speaking on any cause, there’s a certain sense that it’s better if you say nothing, and that’s why most actors don’t say anything,” she said. “I get that: It is our job to entertain you and be in a show, film or play and do the thing, so I totally see how it can be difficult and why people advise not to do these things.”
However, she pointed to her late father, who had been in the Irish Army as a peacekeeper and spent time in Jerusalem and Syria. “It’s in my bones a little bit. He spent a lot of his life travelling to places, trying to help people,” she said.
Coming down the stairs in ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3
In a wide-ranging conversation that was billed as one of the highlights of this year’s Canneseries, Coughlan talked about her roles in Derry Girls, Bridgerton and Channel 4 drama Bad Mood.
Referencing the transformation of her Bridgerton character, Penelope Bridgerton, she said showrunner Jess Brownell had wanted her reveal as she came down the stairs in Season 3 opener ‘Out of the Shadows’ to “reference those great ‘90s and Noughties movies like She’s All That, where you get that moment.”
Coughlan also revealed she will feature in a new project announced tomorrow, but didn’t provide any further details.
Canneseries finishes tomorrow. Shows to have premiered include HBO’s Duster and The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2.
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