'It's like an Irish wake:' Nicola Coughlan on the Met Gala — and Doctor Who rumours 

The actress said Kildare man Paul Mescal was the first face she spotted at the Met Gala

Nicola Coughlan at the 2022 Met Gala. Picture: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Paul Mescal was the first person Nicola Coughlan spotted on the Met Gala red carpet – an event the actress has described as being like “an Irish wake.” 

The Derry Girls’ actress was on Irish radio Wednesday as she returned to her native Oranmore for a few days' respite before some Bridgerton “bits and bobs.” 

Speaking to Ray D'Arcy on RTÉ Radio 1, the 35-year-old said Normal People star Paul Mescal was the first person she spotted on the Met Gala red carpet last week.

“Absolutely classic – of course you see the Irish person first.

“We're like a pair of J1ers,” she said laughing.

The actress said she and the Kildare actor talked about how it was "so weird" they were both at the event. 

Paul Mescal with girlfriend Phoebe Bridgers at the Met Gala 

"But honestly I think probably most people at things like that find it weird that they’re there," she said. "If you didn’t, I’d worry about you to be honest.” 

The actress added that while most people brought a companion to the event she was on her own.

“Paul Mescal had both Phoebe [Bridgers] and Daisy [Edgar-Jones] - I was like ‘you’re lucky you have friends, I am on my own!’” she laughed.

“It’s sort of like an Irish wake," she said of the Gala, "you go in and you meet Anna Wintour and the co-chairs and you shake hands.” 

Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton

Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington/Lady Whistledown in the Netflix period drama Bridgerton said she also met Hamilton's Lin Manuel-Miranda and Kim Kardashian at the event – the latter of whom informed her she was watching the latest season of the hit Netflix show.

Asked about speculation that she could be the latest companion in Doctor Who, Coughlan confirmed that she won’t be involved in the next season of the iconic show.

"I am not the new companion - but I am working on something with Ncuti [Gatwa],” she said, namedropping the Sex Education actor who has just been announced as the new Doctor.

"I can't say what it is,” she said, “but it’s not Doctor Who. That's definite."

Nicola Coughlan as Clare Devlin in Derry Girls

The Oranmore native, who was back in Galway for her nephew’s confirmation, also spoke about her newfound global fame.

"I feel lucky in a weird way that this happened to me when I'm a bit older. I think if this was my 20s my head would be spinning,” she said.

"I worked in retail for many many years. I was at the Met Gala thinking ‘I used to work in Spar, this is so weird," she said.

But she said she thinks she lived "enough of a life before any of this" that she can keep her feet firmly on the ground.

"It can all go away in a flash," she added, "nothing's guaranteed, you're only as good as your last job."