Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan raises $1.2m for Palestine

Irish actor Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington in the hit Netflix series Bridgerton, has raised £1.01 million ($1.2 million) for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) through her social media.

The actor, who has declared her support for Palestine time and again, shared the update on her Instagram Stories. She wrote, “Overwhelmed by the amount my fundraiser has raised so far and very grateful to everyone who has shared it. Please continue to do so if you can.”

The PCRF stats reveal that Coughlan’s fundraiser has received donations from the actor herself and 82,794 others so far. The organisation says that through the support of people around the world, it provides food, water, clothing, medical care, and other essential aid to children in the Middle East.

Coughlan has been winning hearts left, right and centre with her efforts to raise awareness about Palestine during Bridgerton promotions. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed by pro-Palestine supporters online, who are even more inclined to watch Bridgerton after seeing her wear the Artists for Ceasefire pin in all her promotional photoshoots and event appearances.

During a recent interview with USA Today, Coughlan said she wears the Artists for Ceasefire pin because she’s privileged. “I’m doing my dream job and I’m getting to travel the world, but then I’m hyper-aware of what’s happening in Rafah at the moment.”

Artists for Ceasefire is a collective of showbiz personalities demanding US President Joe Biden “call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost.”

The actor revealed that her father was part of the UN’s Truce Supervision Organisation, a peacekeeping force that worked towards brokering peace in the Middle East. Her family also lived in Jerusalem in the late 70s.

“And I just feel, if I have this global platform, which I do at the minute, I think if I can hopefully raise funds for aid organisations — I have a fundraiser on my Instagram right now for Medical Aid for Palestine and if people would like to donate to that or share it I think it would be a wonderful thing to do,” Coughlan added.

Speaking to Teen Vogue in April, the actor said she felt a moral responsibility to give back.

Season 3 Part 1 of Bridgerton remained atop the Netflix Top 10 TV charts last week, after posting impressive debut weekend viewership. In its first full week on the streamer, those four episodes tallied 25.3m views, per Deadline.

According to Variety, Bridgerton Season 3 took three top spots on the Streaming Originals TV chart for the week of May 17-23.