Nicola Coughlan was left "devastated" when she lost friends in her twenties.
Nicola Coughlan has lost touch with some of the friends she grew up with
The 37-year-old actress explained that she went through a few "friendship breakups" following her teenage years and finds it "really sad" that she is now no longer connected to some of the people she shared unique experiences with when growing up.
She told Grazia magazine: "I had friendship break-ups in my twenties that were really devastating; your friends are so much part of who you are. It’s really sad – the stories get lost; experiences that only you two had together, you don’t have anyone to reminisce about those with. I find that heartbreaking."
The 'Big Mood' star struggled to make a success out of acting until she was cast in hit British sitcom 'Derry Girls' in 2017 and then found worldwide fame when she landed a role in Netflix's hit period drama 'Bridgeron' but would spend her childhood wondering why she wasn't as famous people like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
She said: "I’ve always felt like that, though. When I started acting I was very much like, “Why am I not one of the Olsen twins yet?” But I didn’t have a twin and I didn’t grow up in LA and I didn’t have stage parents. There were a lot of barriers!"
And Nicola admitted it can be "really uncomfortable" to look back on various stages of her life and always ends up comparing herself to her friends back home who have followed a more traditional path in life.
"It’s really uncomfortable and weird how different the phases of your life can be. My friends back home are married with kids and have 'normal' jobs, and then my friends here, most are not married. It’s wild how different those two worlds are. Then you’re like, 'Where do I fit?'
"It’s a tough time. But everyone’s the main character in their own story.
"I get really sensitive about stuff and then I have to go: it’s not about you. Comparison really is the thief of joy."