Returning to their mother’s native land of London, England, after traveling from India, the tight-knit sisters have come for debutante season with high hopes for finding Miss Edwina a proper suitor and husband. This is what the sisters refer to as “a true love match.” While Miss Kate is not looking for her own beau, she is closely guiding her sister’s quest for her true love. She is also extremely protective of her younger sister and her family, and it becomes clear that to win the sister’s hand in marriage, the suitor must first win over her older sister. This adds up to a great deal of tension and chemistry and a bit of a love triangle. Simone Ashley, who is known for the Netflix TV drama Sex Education, knows the massive attention that is coming her way and thinks she knows why the series has such universal appeal. “I think Bridgerton really encourages escapism; it’s truly a world you can escape to,” Ashley exclusively tells Parade.com. “It’s aesthetically beautiful, the music, the colors, the settings, and all of the amazing interiors and exteriors.” When it comes to understanding Kate, Ashley has a clear vision of who this modern woman is within the trappings of a period drama. “I think once you earn Kate’s trust, she’s actually incredibly funny, playful, sexy, smart. I think she’s very reserved and I think that comes from a place of her, she’s on an objective to help Edwina and help her family,” says Ashley. “The stakes are so high it’s almost like an act of survival and she kind of wants to run away back to India. And we see from the beginning she’s incredibly reserved yet observant.” Read on for Ashley’s exclusive look at her character Kate Sharma, the strong sisterly bonds in Season 2, and what makes Bridgerton sizzle.
Please tell me your take on Kate Sharma!
Simone Ashley: In a nutshell, Kate is very strong; and in some ways fierce. She has a very strong mind and I think that’s one of her strengths. But there’s an endearing flaw to that where maybe sometimes she can trust her mind over her heart a little bit too much. I think that’s maybe a trait of being an elder sibling. I think she’s not honest with herself sometimes, and that unfortunately makes her a bit dishonest with the people around her. But it comes from a place of love and protection for Edwina. Kate has to be observant in order to make sure what’s going on, to protect her family, to protect her sister, and she mutters things to herself or keeps things to herself. Then we see her loosen up and journey on as she surrenders to love. We see that in her look she becomes more colorful and more playful. It’s been a pleasure to bring Kate to life from Julia Quinn’s amazing novels.
Talk about the importance of the sisterly bonds in this season and the whole sisterly love story, because there’s clearly more than one love story in Season 2.
Simone Ashley: Absolutely. Bridgerton is all about family. It’s all about following these characters that fly the nest and are off on a quest for love, and they can always fly back home. And that’s what family is about. It was such a joy to bring the sisterhood to life with Charithra, who plays Edwina. I’m a younger sibling in real life, so it was lots of fun to explore what it is to be the elder sibling. Also, I think for two Indian girls to be seen on the screen and to portray this sisterly bond as two Indian girls, helps a variety of cultures relate to the many things that can pop up throughout the series. It’s so much fun and it brought such a smile to my face to bring that story to life.
Was there something beyond the written scripts that helped you with the chemistry between Kate and Lord Anthony (Jonathan Bailey)?
Simone Ashley: Chemistry isn’t always dependent on the written word. I would say chemistry is a very in-the-flesh thing. It’s about energy, it’s about trust, and it’s about understanding. Chemistry is something that we can’t truly define, but I’m grateful that I got to have an incredible working relationship with Johnny and to bring this relationship to life.
When you’re going to these high society events, does it feel like an actual ball at the palace?
Simone Ashley: I would say filming the balls are incredibly technical and they’re long days, so no, I wouldn’t say that it feels like actually going to a real ball. But movie magic kind of does its job, and when you watch it with the music and the colors and the amazing costumes, then yeah, you’re transported into the feeling of stepping into one of those amazing balls.
What is the universal appeal of this series?
Our real-life characters are so full of heart that we can relate to them no matter that it’s set in the 18th century. I think there’s an innocence to it and Bridgerton brings faith to the question of love. I think it encourages a bit of hope that love is out there.
Is there one gown or accessory that you really enjoyed?
Simone Ashley: One gown? You know, I loved my outfit at the beginning of episode five at the queen’s court. It’s an amazing kind of like a peacock blue dress and I love the gloves with it. That’s one of my favorites.
Did you learn new skills or hone older ones like riding horses, shooting, dancing, or all of the above?
Simone Ashley: Yeah, all the above. All three. I’m fairly new at these skills. Some I had a little experience in, but most of it we went into training and I learned a great deal during the shoot.
Which was the most challenging for you?
Simone Ashley: I would say horse riding. But a good challenge and I think I did a good job at it. I’d like to think that I was quite natural at it and I really enjoyed it, I thought it was so much fun. And I was in great hands with an amazing team who specialized in training you on horses for the camera. So yes, I had a great time and riding is something I’d like to continue going forward.
Talk about the intimacy coordinator and what that’s all like. To us, it looks like real lust and a hot, sensual interchange. But there’s a technical aspect of it.
Simone Ashley: Yeah. So, we have an amazing intimacy coordinator called Lizzy Talbot, and she was amazing, we couldn’t have done it without her. She helped us choreograph these scenes, and the whole objective is so we know, so it’s not a performative scene, just trying to be hot, raunchy, and sexy. I think that’s really boring. We wanted to have intention behind what we were doing. We wanted it to have a meaning as to why we were doing certain things as you would do in any scene. Liam Daniel/Netflix The whole objective of it is to do that, to choreograph things, have these conversations, about how you feel safe, what you’re not comfortable with, and to communicate. But it’s also so on the day when we’re rolling in front of the cameras and we’re filming, we know exactly what’s going to happen. Filming the scenes was great. I think we achieved the fireworks of this romance towards the end of the series.
What do you love about season 2?
Simone Ashley: [There’s] a lot of gritty drama, scandal, complications, volatility, and chemistry! It was a true joy to play this love story! Seasons 1 and 2 of Bridgerton are streaming on Netflix. For more Bridgerton please check out, Alert the Ton—Season 2 of Bridgerton Is Here! Get the Scoop on Cast Changes, Spoilers and More
