From “Derry Girls” to “Bridgerton” to “Barbie”, Nicola Coughlan has quickly become a household name over the past few years.

But the 37-year-old, who leads the third season of Netflix’s steamy period piece, didn’t have an easy climb to the top. In fact, Coughlan struggled to break into acting at all.

“So much is put on the notion of the overnight success,” she said in a 2020 interview with Stylist. “I never wanted to pretend that’s who I was.”

When she first moved to London from her native Galway, Ireland to pursue acting, Coughlan didn’t last long. She struggled to balance making enough money to afford her rent with making the time to go to auditions.

In a Radio Times interview last month, she explained that “it was miserable” having virtually no money left between her rent, bills and travel expenses.

Money doesn’t make you happy, but many people don’t know how awful financial stress is.

Nicola Coughlan

“Moving to London was hardcore because I was really broke,” she said. “I was in debt. I had to work every hour of the day to afford to live there – but that meant I had no time to audition.”

On top of that, she was competing for roles with people who came from wealthier backgrounds and didn’t need to worry as much about where their next rent payment was going to come from while hustling for acting gigs.

“There are a lot of people at drama school that come from inherited wealth and it’s an easier ride. I had to pay my way,” she said. “Money doesn’t make you happy, but many people don’t know how awful financial stress is. You can’t think about anything else.”

Eventually, she gave up and moved back to Galway where she worked at an optician’s office. She kept her eyes open for opportunities, and jumped on the chance to audition for a play at London’s Old Vic Theatre, where she landed the role. From there, she landed an agent and got her big break on “Derry Girls”.

Coughlan said she wants people to know that the “neat way of telling things” can often be anything but.

“In reality, it was a year from doing the rehearsal reading, to the play being put on, to me then signing with my agent, to then getting Derry Girls,” she told Radio Times. “I had to go back to work in the optician’s in the gaps! Nothing happened quickly.”