15 April 2026
Simone Ashley feels a “loyalty” to Bridgerton.
Simone Ashley stars on the Netflix show
The 31-year-old actress has played Lady Kate Sharma on the hit Netflix show since 2022, and although she’s now one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood, Simone will always prioritise Bridgerton.
Simone – who stars on the show alongside Jonathan Bailey – said on The Louis Theroux Podcast: “I can only comment on what me and Jonny have done. We just really make sure that our schedules can just make it work.”
Jonathan, 37, has also enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent years, starring in the Wicked and Jurassic Park franchises.
But the actor has made every effort possible to return to his Bridgerton roots.
Simone shared: “He flew between Toronto and London back and forth whilst he was filming Wicked. Thank God I’ve not been filming during the start of this year. I’ve done like eight cities in one month. So that would have been a bit nuts to figure out.
“But I would have done it. I would have scheduled it.”
Simone explained that she feels at “home” on the Bridgerton set.
She said: “When we go back, there is that environment of coming home, and feeling like we’re part of a family.”
Meanwhile, Simone previously claimed that the movie industry has “come a long way” in terms of diversifying.
The actress starred in Picture This in 2025, and Simone admitted that she always wanted to play the lead role in a rom-com movie.
Simone – who was born in England to parents of Indian Tamil descent – told Sky News: “I always wanted to play a character like that.
“So, when we got the script, I just jumped on it – because I wanted to fill those shoes, and kind of bring back that 90s rom-com world.”
Simone grew up watching the likes of Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz and Anne Hathaway play the lead roles in rom-com films.
But the actress never really saw people like herself in those roles.
She reflected: “What was so important about this film is that we celebrated and enhanced the culture, and any aspects of comedy were just from the characters themselves – it wasn’t making fun of the culture.”
