In fact, the two actors didn’t even audition together; they first crossed paths on Instagram.
Coughlan reached out to Newton first after she got cast as Penelope.
“We connected from day one,” Newton toldTown & Countryin 2024.
Coughlan and Newton’s friendship only continued to blossom from there.
“You love them deeply in their entirety.
That’s a thing that you get with friends-to-lovers, because you love them first as a friend.”
Newton, meanwhile, is more of a love-at-first-sight kind of guy.
“If I meet someone I know immediately,” he told the outlet.
“I’ve felt that.
I’ve met someone and been immediately infatuated with them.
That’s something that’s more me than Colin.”
“It was quite nice to have someone who got that and felt the same.
We didn’t have to explain it to one another.”
The actors being so aligned has served them well over the years.
“Nicola has got her finger on the pulse.
She’ll see a lot of the stuff and send me anything that’s funny,” he said.
Speaking toTudum, Newton said he appreciates how much fans appreciate the characters' love story.
The duo even had a group chat where they suggested songs for their characters' scenes in Season 3.
Sometimes, they would run their lines together one last time before the cameras started rolling.
Brownell said the duo’s off-screen relationship is unlike any she’d ever seen.
“They’re both very generous people and generous actors,” she said.
“My brother-in-law tried to get him drunk on pints of Guinness,” she confessed.
Coughlan also joked that her mother has a bit of a crush on Newton.
This started out as a rumor that Coughlan confirmed toTeen Vogue.
“Yeah, so it’s really funny, that is true,” she said.
For Newton, his friendship with Coughlan made these scenes a whole lot easier.
In fact, the two got so into one scene that they ended up breaking a piece of furniture.
“I knew that we were both thinking, ‘We’re killing this,'” Coughlan quipped.
Newton, meanwhile, is dating dancer and model Antonia Roumelioti.
Newton and Coughlan have had to dispel rumors of their supposed off-screen romance on multiple occasions.
He is a really special person in my life…
It’s so nice having such a lovely friend that I can do all of this with."
In a separate chat withTime, Coughlan once again confirmed that their relationship is indeed platonic.
“A lot of people really want me to marry Luke,” she said.
“We have this gorgeous friendship.
Isn’t it gorgeous that a man and woman can have that sort of relationship with one another?”
He noted that the overwhelming media coverage and fan attention could be a little much at times.
Coughlan appreciated having her friend and costar along for the ride.
“It’s a very rare experience,” she told the outlet.
“I think we’re aware of how unique this is.”
Both experienced a bittersweet moment when filming wrapped for Season 3.
“I remember towards the end thinking, we’ll never lead this again,” Newton said.
“We’ll never lead the show together again.
We’ll never get that opportunity.”
Naturally, the two continue to publicly support each other’s endeavors.
It was her first solo SAG Awards nomination.
“This is a very lovely early birthday present!
Newton went over to his co-star, surprising her, and the much-talked-about hug followed moments after.
“It’s just amazing that we all get to come and get together.”
The group was known as South4, and their debut single was titled “Cougar Town.”
(Funny enough,Newton has said these dancing scenes are hard enough to filmas is.)
Coughlan and the other actors began dancing to “Cougar Town,” while Newton laughed in disbelief.
“I think it was a year in the making,” Newton said of Coughlan’s prank.
It would appear he got back at his friend the first chance he got.
In the lead-up to Season 3, Newton posted a clip of him pranking Coughlan onInstagram.
He can be seen hiding underneath a makeup table as Coughlan enters.
Then he jumps out at her with a loud yell.
Coughlan screams and bolts for the door, bursting into a fit of giggles halfway.
Meanwhile, Newton can be heard yelling, “Payback!”
