“I’m like, I’m not a good liar. And I would feel weird about that.”

Bridgerton superstar and all-round icon Nicola Coughlan has opened up about being told to lie about her age in order to get better roles.

Over the past couple of years, Nicola has been the subject of countless conversations about how youthful she looks, particularly from people who have just discovered how old she actually is.

In case you didn’t know, Nicola is 37 years old. Due to the fact that she’s known for playing teenagers in very popular TV shows (Clare in Derry Girls and Penelope in Bridgerton), people have been understandably surprised when they find out that piece of information.

While Nicola has shared that the comments have been “all very complimentary and nice,” they actually play into a wider conversation about ageism in the film and TV industry.

In an interview with Refinery29, Nicola opened up about her experience with ageism in the industry, and touched on how “incredibly difficult” it’s been for her specifically.

Nicola revealed she was told to lie about her age earlier in the her career in order to get better opportunities and roles.

“I mean, it’s a weird thing, because I had been advised many, many years ago by people in industry to lie about my age,” she said. “I really wasn’t comfortable with it, mainly because I’m like, I’m not a good liar. And I would feel weird about that.”

The constant conversation about women’s ages – and her age in particular – also prompted her to re-think whether she should have ever spoken so candidly about how old she is.

“I think it’s a difficult thing because the industry is ageist,” she added. “I do have times when I go home and I’m like, should I have just not disclosed it? Should I have not done that? But I think ultimately, you’re then playing a part in the system of oppression of women.”

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Nicola went on to explain that she had no free pass or any connections in the industry, and worked hard to secure her first role at the age of 30. Calling out the double standards in the industry, she added: “A guy can be sort of any age and it doesn’t matter, but women can’t be.”

Explaining how proud she is of what she’s managed to achieve, she continued: “I did that myself. So I don’t have shame about it taking me to this point to do that. I’m actually very proud of that.”