Who is Jessica Madsen, who plays Cressida Cowper on Netflix’s Bridgerton?

Jun 26 , 2024

Jessica Madsen is known for playing Cressida Cowper on the hit Netflix show, Bridgerton. Photos: @jess_mads/Instagram

The name Jessica Madsen might be unfamiliar to you, but Bridgerton fans should recognise her role as Cressida Cowper – the character who viewers love to hate.

Jessica Madsen stars as Cressida Cowper in Netflix hit show Bridgerton. Photo: @jess_mads/Instagram

But she’s also been dominating headlines lately thanks to her decision to come out during Pride Month.

Here’s what else you need to know about the actress who plays the Regency-era Mean Girl on the hit show.

Jessica Madsen just came out on Instagram

Jessica Madsen in Pride-inspired make-up. Photo: @jess_mads/Instagram

At the beginning of this month, Madsen announced on Instagram that she is “in love with a woman”. She also posted photos in bright rainbow colours and the caption “Happy Pride Month”. Her high-profile co-stars such as Nicola Coughlan, Jonathan Bailey and Hannah Dodd showed their support.

Jessica Madsen’s breakout role as Cressida Cowper

Jessica Madsen as Cressida Cowper in Bridgerton. Photo: @jess_mads/Instagram

The 32-year-old actress lived in the US and Australia growing up, and attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, per Untitled Magazine.

Today, she is widely known for her role as Cressida Cowper in the hit Netflix series Bridgerton. First released in 2020, the TV show follows the Bridgerton siblings as they attempt to find romance. Madsen plays Cowper, who antagonises various characters such as this season’s leading lady Penelope Featherington, played by Coughlan.

Whether you love or hate her character, Madsen’s role as Cressida has been her breakout role to stardom. However, it did lead to her getting some hateful comments from fans of the show. Madsen has shrugged it off though, saying, “I really don't take those things personally.” “The internet is wild,” Madsen told People. She also sees it as a validation of her acting skills: “It makes me feel like I’ve done my job right.”

She’s a scream queen

Madsen played Clarice in the 2017 horror suspense film Leatherface, the prequel to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The film tells the story of the killer as a teenage boy. Clarice is one of four inmates who escape a mental institution with the teenage Leatherface. Unfortunately, the film released to generally poor reviews.

She’s also a photographer and fashionista

Madsen is also fond of photography and fashion. Photo: @jess_mads/Instagram

In between posts about Bridgerton, Madsen also shows us her photography skills on Instagram, where she takes black and white portraits of models.

Madsen has also spoken about her fashion choices and past looks that she loved, including a leopard-print Sark suit she wore to a Bridgerton premiere. As for her style inspirations? “Cate Blanchett, hands down – she’s my style superhero. She always looks beautiful and chic, whether she’s rocking a suit or a dress,” she told Harper’s Bazaar UK.

Fame and celebrity

Cressida Cowper is the Regency-era Mean Girl we love to hate – but Madsen’s gaining attention for her LGBT pride and her fashion choices too