“I really don’t take those things personally. The internet is wild,” the actress tells PEOPLE
Liam Daniel/Netflix
Jessica Madsen as Cressida Cowper in Season 3 of ‘Bridgerton’.
This post contains spoilers from the first part of Bridgerton season 3.
Jessica Madsen is relishing the fact that Bridgerton fans have a love-hate relationship with her character Cressida Cowper.
On season 3 of the hit Netflix series, Cressida forged an unlikely friendship with Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) amid the fallout of Eloise learning Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) was Lady Whistledown. Cressida also competed for the attention of the same suitor, Lord Debling (Sam Phillips), as Penelope, which made fans question her true intentions.
In a joint interview with Jessie, Madsen tells PEOPLE that she has received “interesting comments and some interesting DMs” about her character.
Liam Daniel/Netflix
Jessica Madsen as Cressida Cowper, Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton in episode 304 of “Bridgerton”.
Related: Bridgerton’s Claudia Jessie: All Will Not Be Forgotten Between Eloise and Penelope After Polin Reveal (Exclusive)
“I mean, people are not the biggest fan of her,” she shares before adding that she receives messages that read, “Thank you for letting me hate you so much” or “I love hating you so much.”
Madsen jokes that she responds to the messages, saying, “You’re welcome.”
When asked how it feels to receive hate for a part she plays, the actress responds, “It makes me feel like I’ve done my job right.”
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“I really don’t take those things personally,” she adds. “The internet is wild. But I like it when people who I meet [who] have appreciated the show. Yeah. That’s always lovely.”
As for her character’s development in season 3, Masden teases there are “twists and turns” ahead for Cressida.
“The mask is falling off Cressida. She’s becoming a human being. No, we’re getting to see her human side and why she is the way she is,” she says. “And yeah, that every mean girl has something beneath her. If we quote, “mean girl” as everyone likes to call her.”
She added: “I personally don’t think she is, but hey, you know.”
