\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div><\/div> \t\t\t\t\tLydia West in season two of \u2018Big Mood.\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Channel 4<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\tWhat do you think fans can expect, Nicola?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>It\u2019s a bit of a role reversal in this series. I think because Maggie\u2019s trying really hard to be the stable one, and Eddie\u2019s the one going through a crisis \u2014 not that she really realizes it. But then it\u2019s the difficulty of Maggie trying to seem really sane and really on top of everything, and everything just going absolutely horribly wrong at every turn. You really feel for her. And it was interesting playing it, because, as I said, it was a role reversal. It was a different thing from series one. It was interesting, those moments where the real Maggie would sort of peek out and have a go at Whitney. [Laughs<\/em>.]<\/p>\n \n\tWhitney is such a good antagonist. What does Eddie see in her?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tWEST <\/strong>When Eddie left, she hadn\u2019t processed a lot of her own pain and a lot of grief and anger. She went to L.A., I think, with this idea of just running away from everything. And then she meets Whitney, who shows her the light, so to speak. She is this hippie, spiritual guru-TikTok influencer. But Eddie buys into her charm [and] a world which Eddie has never really seen before. And Eddie\u2019s really vulnerable. Someone like that preys on the vulnerable, and Eddie really wants saving, so she\u2019s found someone who can heal her without her having to do any of the work herself and confront anything that\u2019s happening back at home. What Whitney offers her is this new life where she can be whoever she chooses to be. But then it all comes crashing down when Whitney is exposed to her old life, and Eddie can\u2019t really keep everything up and manage both relationships with Maggie and with Whitney.<\/p>\n \n\tNicola, what does Maggie hate so much about Whitney? Such a joy to watch.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>Before I answer, I have to say we really love Hannah. She was such a gorgeous addition, and she\u2019s such a fantastic actor. It was really funny because I\u2019d been working with her for maybe two weeks, and started talking about This Is Going to Hurt<\/em>. And I didn\u2019t really even realize it was her in it, because she\u2019s really transformative and just has the most gorgeous energy. She\u2019s so talented. But I think it\u2019s really difficult for Maggie, because you kind of realize how codependent Maggie and Eddie were as friends. [There\u2019s] the realization that Maggie doesn\u2019t really like anyone aside from Eddie, not truly. So to have someone come in and take your person away, it\u2019s very painful. But then also, like I said, a lot of her true character feels quite repressed this series, because she\u2019s really trying to bite her tongue and be chill and go with it. But it causes her a great deal of frustration. It\u2019s a boiling pot, and the lid is going to come off at one point or another.<\/p>\n \n\tTalk to me about playing a character with bipolar disorder, and the messy candidness of it.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>Yeah, Lydia and I talk about this often. I mean, it\u2019s great how much conversations around mental health have opened up in the last 10 years, but that kind of only applies to depression and anxiety. Those have become societally acceptable, whereas people have a real misunderstanding of bipolar disorder or just have no understanding of it whatsoever. It\u2019s an incredibly tricky disorder. It\u2019s incredibly tricky to live with, incredibly difficult to medicate. And also, I think this show delves into how difficult it is sometimes to be the friend of someone with bipolar disorder because it\u2019s not Maggie\u2019s fault that she let Eddie down in the first series. But you see that it\u2019s all connected to her mental health and the complications of that and the limits of a friendship, when you can go, \u201cActually, you weren\u2019t there for me.\u201d But I think it\u2019s great that it deals with it through the lens of comedy, because then it doesn\u2019t feel like we\u2019re trying to hammer home a lesson and how you should be. It\u2019s just going, \u201cWell, here it is, and look how tricky it can be.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIt\u2019s that intersection of all of the above plus female friendships, being in your 30s and not knowing what you want out of life. And dealing with family dynamics as well. It was so satisfying seeing Maggie have it out with her dad.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>I really love that episode. I loved shooting with Robert Lindsay as well. Because no one exists in a bubble. I always think seeing people\u2019s family dynamics is such an opening up as to who they really are. And you see so much of why Maggie is the way she is. When you meet her dad, you realize how similar they are, even the bits that she maybe doesn\u2019t realize are so similar.<\/p>\n \n\tHave either of you had conversations with Camilla about what she hopes people take away from this season?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tWEST<\/strong> There\u2019s a lot this season. I love the theme of opening up. It comes to a head in the final episode. The season is building up to this one point, and they finally have an honest conversation with each other that they have been avoiding for so long\u2026 There are suppressed emotions that Eddie hasn\u2019t ever explained to Maggie and vice versa. Just having this honest conversation between friends slash lovers, because it really is a loving relationship. It\u2019s platonic, [but] just seeing what that can do and the power of opening up and the power of honest conversations. I\u2019m willing the whole season just for them to talk and sit down and say what they\u2019re thinking. So much of season two is just suppressed emotions and suppressed conversations and friendships, but then it comes out in little bits. In episode one, Eddie is trying so hard not to connect with Maggie, but there\u2019s just these moments where they slip into their old dynamic, and it\u2019s so beautiful. It\u2019s just so real for them.<\/p>\n \n\tIt\u2019s a great example of how a friendship breakup can be just as gut-wrenching as a romantic one. Maybe we can all draw on personal experience in that regard.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN<\/strong> Definitely. I think that\u2019s another big theme \u2014\u00a0the difficulties of trying to grow as a person in your 30s, and how that can be really difficult in friendships. Because someone will go, \u201cWell, I\u2019ve fucking known you forever.\u201d I think [Eddie and Maggie] are both trying to grow in quite extreme ways that are away from who they truly are. They\u2019ve maybe gone too far. But also, [it\u2019s about] the difficulty in not letting each other do that, and how important it is to do that. And realistically, long-term friendships, you have to accept that change and growth. But it\u2019s not easy. It\u2019s not easy at all.<\/p>\n \n\tHow has it been balancing the lightness and darkness of Big Mood<\/em>? Your comedic timing is so great. Do you enjoy it, or have to get in the zone for it?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>It\u2019s in the script, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n \n\tWEST <\/strong>Yeah, I find it\u2019s in the script. Camilla writes so naturally and so conversationally that even the jokes are\u2026 That\u2019s their way of speaking to each other. It\u2019s just their references, the pop culture references and everything. The comedy slides off that really well. Additionally, we are battling with such heavy topics, and doing it in a funny way does make it more palatable. So I personally go into work without feeling [heavy]. If it was a drama, I\u2019d feel a lot more heavy, and I\u2019d carry it a lot more with me. But it\u2019s quite easy to slip in and out of it, because you\u2019re talking about a really serious topic, but you\u2019re in the middle of a sauna. It\u2019s ridiculous, which really helps. Because it is really sad. It\u2019s really emotional. When you think of what Maggie went through in season one, dealing with lithium poisoning\u2026 What was interesting for me, watching it, was seeing the effects of lithium poisoning, because I didn\u2019t film those scenes with Nic. I saw it as a viewer. I was like, \u201cWoah. It\u2019s so hard.\u201d It\u2019s so nuanced, and hard to even diagnose. So that felt really heavy, but then mixed with real silliness makes it more bearable.<\/p>\n \n\tIt was a real education. Was it the same for you Nicola?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>Definitely. I mean, I have known a couple of people in the past with bipolar disorder, and it\u2019s an incredibly misunderstood thing. But the feedback we\u2019ve gotten has been amazing. People going, \u201cMy friend\u2019s mum is a psychologist, and she said it\u2019s the most real depiction [she\u2019s] ever seen of bipolar on television.\u201d And that\u2019s really amazing. Because we never, ever set out to make a show that was like, \u201cYou\u2019ve got to learn what this is like. We\u2019re really trying to teach you a lesson here.\u201d All you want [for] anything you ever make\u2026 You just hope it makes people feel something, whether that\u2019s to laugh or cry or connect with it or anything. The show has done that.<\/p>\n \n\tWhat might be a misconception about your characters?<\/strong> Or was there anything about them that you wanted to play up more this season?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>I certainly found it a challenge, because it felt like Maggie was trying to not be Maggie. So it was weird, some of the scenes. That\u2019s the thing I love about playing her. In season one, she was so straight up and honest. And this time, she\u2019s trying to be a better version of herself. She\u2019s really holding it in. Eventually, the real Maggie, it\u2019s got to come out at some point. But that was a really interesting challenge. Also, her trying not to be herself, she\u2019s throwing out all the good parts of herself, as well as the difficult parts. Human beings, we\u2019ve got it all going on. You\u2019ve got to accept all of it.<\/p>\n \n\tWEST <\/strong>I always thought [Eddie and Maggie] were really cool, but it\u2019s weird because in this season we have a number of flashbacks. And doing the flashbacks validated how I always felt about the characters. They have their style. Seeing how it transformed from 2011 to present day was really fun and really validating. It was really fun to be able to play with hair and makeup and costume looks, and see where they came from, how they met, what kind of friends they have, what kind of events they used to do. It gives them a little bit of history you can peek into.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tNicola Coughlan, Hannah Onslow and Lydia West in \u2018Big Mood.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Channel 4<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\tWhat do you think the other one has in common with their character?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>I think Lyds is cooler than she thinks she is, because I think she really knows who she is and doesn\u2019t have to try.<\/p>\n \n\tWEST <\/strong>That\u2019s crazy, your perception. Because I love that you think that, but I think I try so hard.<\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>It doesn\u2019t come across at all<\/em>. You seem so sure in who you are.<\/p>\n \n\tWEST <\/strong>Maybe I am now, but\u2026<\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>When you first meet Eddie, I\u2019m like, \u201cYeah, you\u2019re so sure of who you are and what you want.\u201d And not in the same way that she is, but in terms of the life that you\u2019ve chosen and want to live, you\u2019re really ten toes down, and I really love that about you. Even though Eddie\u2019s life is different.<\/p>\n \n\tWEST <\/strong>I think you are that too.<\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>Aw, thanks.<\/p>\n \n\tI love the British pop culture references in this show. There\u2019s turkey teeth, a mention of Jamie Laing\u2019s podcast, the London sauna hype. Do you guys have a favorite?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>Oh gosh, the sauna one does make me laugh just because of how Eamon Farren said it. And we were really badly giggling that day on set. We just really, really struggled to get through the take. So I think that one because of that reason.<\/p>\n \n\tWEST <\/strong>There\u2019s a funny line that really stands out for me, which is easily missed. It\u2019s in episode one. It\u2019s the maid of honor, Marina [Bye]\u2019s character, Flopsy, asking if you can cut all the Nazis out of the pictures. And you say, \u201cYeah, that one took a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>[Laughs<\/em>.] Oh yeah, that\u2019s good.<\/p>\n \n\tWEST <\/strong>It\u2019s really, really funny.<\/p>\n \n\tAnd I wanted to ask about filming with Rupert Everett\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>[Shakes head.<\/em>] It was a dream. Lydia had worked with Rupert before. You can do the lead into it, because it\u2019s very funny.<\/p>\n \n\tWEST <\/strong>I worked with Rupert a few years ago. He messaged me saying, \u201cDarling, are you in a Bad Mood<\/em>?\u201d I was like, \u201cOh no, I\u2019m actually okay.\u201d But he\u2019s like, \u201cThe show. Bad Mood<\/em>.\u201d I was like, \u201cOh, no, Big Mood<\/em>! Yeah, Nicola and I!\u201d And he was like, \u201cOkay, I\u2019m gonna do it.\u201d He\u2019s just hilarious and he\u2019s down for\u2026<\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>Down to play around! He came in and just had so many great ideas, and his physical comedy is so brilliant. It\u2019s such a good trait when someone\u2019s not afraid to take the complete piss out of themselves. And he just really went for that. I adored working with him. I really, really loved it.<\/p>\n \n\tDo either of you have a dream celebrity cameo for Big Mood<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN<\/strong> I think because Camilla and I both just met her at SNL UK<\/em>, Tina Fey. 30 Rock <\/em>is both of our favorite shows. We got to talk to her about it afterwards, which was beyond a dream, [with] Robert Carlock, one of the co-creators. It was heaven.<\/p>\n \n\tWEST <\/strong>Camilla would be a dream cameo, and she was actually in season one.<\/p>\n \n\tWhich scene?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tWEST <\/strong>She was in the skinny scarf craft fair.<\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>Eddie\u2019s mum\u2019s scarfs.<\/p>\n \n\tWEST <\/strong>She was Disgruntled Scarf Buyer. She\u2019s in it for five seconds and she\u2019s amazing. [Laughs<\/em>.]<\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN <\/strong>Because she trained as an actor! That\u2019s how Camilla and I met. We went to drama school together. She\u2019s a very good actor, but she doesn\u2019t want to do it. [Laughs<\/em>.]<\/p>\n \n\tShe needs to write herself into season three somehow. Do you know if she has plans for another season? Would it be a no-brainer for you two?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tCOUGHLAN<\/strong> I mean, no clue. You never really know with things like this. But also, one of the nicest things about the show is that we\u2019ve all become genuine friends afterwards. And we kept saying recently [that] it\u2019d be so nice to hang out and not be at work. We all need to have an occasion where it\u2019s not work-related! It\u2019s a really great group of people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.hollywoodreporter.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nicola Coughlan and Lydia West are again embracing the messiness of female friendship in season two of Big Mood, and they\u2019re delighted about it. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit of a role reversal in this series,\u201d the Bridgerton and Derry Girls star tells The Hollywood Reporter about creator Camilla Whitehill\u2019s Channel 4 hit. She and West are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2375764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[304629,24379,348493,27727],"class_list":["post-2375763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-channel-4","tag-international","tag-nicola-coughlan","tag-united-kingdom"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Nicola-Coughlan-Lydia-West-on-Big-Mood-Season-2-It.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2375763"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375763\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2375765,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375763\/revisions\/2375765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2375764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2375763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2375763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2375763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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