Bridgerton stars Nicola Coughlan and Claudia Jessie revealed there aren't two, but actually three actors who play Lady Whistledown. In a promotional video for the second season of the hit Netflix series, Coughlan and Jessie, who play Penelope Featherington and Eloise Bridgerton, respectively, gave a behind-the-scenes look at the various sets where the show is filmed. Bridgerton is based on the book series by Julia Quinn, following the romantic lives of a Regency Era family who are well respected in British society. Season 1 follows Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), the oldest Bridgerton daughter, as she makes an advantageous match with Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page). Bridgerton season 2 will follow Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), the oldest of the Bridgerton siblings, as he reluctantly marries Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley), a newcomer to the Ton, after a misunderstanding puts them in a compromising position.
Lady Whistledown is the narrator of the series and a popular in-universe gossip columnist. In her newsletter, she publishes all of the latest news about London Society, seemingly having an inside track into even the most secret affairs of the characters. At the end of Bridgerton season 1, Lady Whistledown is revealed to be Penelope Featherington, the youngest of the Featherington sisters. While Penelope is played on screen by Nicola Coughlan, the Lady Whistledown narration is voiced by Julie Andrews. In the first season, the identity of Lady Whistledown is a big mystery, which Eloise Bridgerton is determined to solve. While the identity of Lady Whistledown is revealed to the audience at the end of season 1, Coughlan and Jessie gave audiences new information about how Lady Whistledown is brought to life for Bridgerton.
The promotional video, which was tweeted out by the official Bridgerton Twitter account, features Coughlan and Jessie taking a tour through some of the familiar locations where season 1 took place. There, Claudia Jessie mentioned that the scenes where Lady Whistledown's hand can be seen handwriting her newsletter were not actually Nicola Coughlan's hand. Instead, the shots were of the hand of a woman who Jessie says also painted all of the period accurate artwork on the show. That means that, along with Nicola Coughlan and Julie Andrews, there's technically a third person who plays Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton's cast of characters. Though Jessie never mentions the artist's name, she is someone from the Bridgerton art department. Unfortunately, though there are multiple women listed on Bridgerton's IMDb in the art department, none are specifically listed as having done the paintings created for the show. Like Lady Whistledown herself through season 1, the identity of the artists remains anonymous for now.
Lady Whistledown is largely brought to life with the narration by the legendary Julie Andrews in Bridgerton season 1. Though most of the narration shows shots of the anonymous woman's hand as she writes the scandalous newsletter, Coughlan also got to do one of the Lady Whistledown writing scenes, when Penelope is finally revealed to be Lady Whistledown's true identity. In Bridgerton season 2, audiences will surely get a more in-depth look at Lady Whistledown and her newsletter.
Bridgerton season 2 will not only bring back Penelope and Lady Whistledown but many of the familiar faces of the Ton. Though the focus of the second season shifts to Anthony instead of Daphne, it is likely to repeat the slow-burn romance and Regency Era elegance that made the first season a hit. Likewise, every actor that brings Lady Whistledown to life will be returning, so that the gossip columnist can report on their every scandal.
