Who is Harriet Cains, the actor playing Philippa Featherington in Bridgerton?

Part of the titular Bridgerton family, Colin's siblings and family dynamics are well-known to many fans of the series but the Featherington clan are full of their own drama, scandals and humour. Penelope's older sister, Phillippa, gets a little more screen time this season and naturally, people are starting to wonder more about the actress who plays her – Harriet Cains.

So, who is she and where may you have seen her before? Read on for everything you need to know about Cains.

Who is Harriet Cains?

An English actress hailing from the city of Nottingham, Cains is one of the original cast members in Netflix's Bridgerton, having starred in the show since its premiere in 2020.

She is also known for her role in BBC Three's In The Flesh, but started off her career taking acting classes at a drama club before going on to train at the Television Workshop, an organisation that offers training for young people in performance skills for television, film, radio and theatre.

Aside from acting, many people have recently been left to speculate about Cains's personal dating life as it's been reported that she is dating fellow Bridgerton star Luke Thompson, who plays Benedict Bridgerton.

The pair were recently photographed at Vanity Fair’s Rising Stars party in January, leading to speculation from many Bridgerton fans over whether or not the pair are an item.

How old is Harriet Cains?

Cains is 30 years old.

She was born on 17th September 1993.

What has Harriet Cains previously starred in?

Cains is known for her role as Jem Walker in In The Flesh as well as Louisa Blackwell in Safe House. Cains has also had various supporting roles in primetime dramas like Vera and Line of Duty.

In 2018, Cains was a series regular in the second season of Marcella, starring as single mother Gail Donovan. Aside from her work on screen, Cains was also previously a part of an all-female comedy collective called Major Labia.

What has Harriet Cains said about Bridgerton?

Cains has been part of the Bridgerton cast since its debut in 2020 and stars as Philippa Featherington, one of Penelope's meaner sisters who doesn't quite understand her younger sibling.

In the new season, Philippa is married to Albion Finch, played by Lorn Macdonald. She has been tasked by her mother Portia (Polly Walker) to produce a Featherington heir and the final episode of season 3 part 1 sees her and her sister Prudence (Bessie Carter) both believe they are pregnant.

Speaking about her role this season, Cains told Country & Town Home that this season has been "so much fun".

"I absolutely adore her, she doesn’t take life too seriously and she always lightens the mood. It’s so interesting to play someone who doesn’t think before she speaks. Usually there’s a subtext to play with but not with Philly," she said.

Talking more about how she'd describe her Bridgerton character, Cains said: "A lovable dumbass. She’s not book smart but I feel like she’s emotionally smart and that’s something she’s starting to embrace as the season progresses.

"She’s also funny! There’s a theory that she’s a bit of a Paris Hilton in that she has just been playing dumb all this time."

Is Harriet Cains on Instagram?

Yes! You can find her on @harriet.cains.

She has recently been posting about the Bridgerton press tour with snaps of herself on the red carpet for the premiere, as well as at other events.

Is Harriet Cains on Twitter/X?

No, Cains is not on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Bridgerton season 3 part 1 is now available to stream on Netflix, part 2 will then be released on Thursday 13th June. Seasons 1 and 2 are also streaming now on Netflix. You can buy the Bridgerton book series on Amazon.

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