The newcomer, one of PEOPLE’s Ones to Watch, opens up about how the young Bridgerton cast spends their downtime together
Simone Ashley is having a blast hanging out on the Bridgerton set — though to be fair, there isn’t a ton of time to hang.
“We don’t really wait around much on Bridgerton,” the 26-year-old tells PEOPLE. “It’s always busy, busy, which is great. I don’t like too much time twiddling my thumbs.”
Between takes, Ashley — one of PEOPLE’s 2021 Ones to Watch — says the cast is often shuttled to dance rehearsals or horseback riding lessons, though she finds moments to “have a laugh” with costars like Jonathan Bailey, a.k.a. Anthony Bridgerton.
And it’s Phoebe Dynevor, last season’s star Daphne Bridgerton, who has really taken the newcomer under her wing.
“She’s so lovely,” Ashley shares. “There was one week I was feeling quite stressed out about certain things and she took me to a reformer Pilates class and that was really nice. And we just had some girl time.”
The entire cast, Ashley shares, is “all so supportive of one another. We’re a team and there’s no egos in that sense. Everyone understands we’re all in the same boat and we’re in it together.”
Ashley’s character, Kate Sharma, will be the love interest to Bailey’s Anthony Bridgerton — though don’t expect her to fall fast for the charmer. The actress calls Kate “sporty and competitive” and “really smart.”
“She listens to her own instincts and she’s not easily swayed by what everyone else is doing,” Ashley shares. “We meet her in different vulnerable moments and discover her background a little bit more and the family trauma that she holds. There’s a lot of common cause for an audience to relate to her.”
Though the cast and crew have remained tight-lipped about what’s to come in the highly anticipated second season of the Netflix hit, Ashley thinks “it’s going to be wonderful,” she teases. “I’ve seen little bits and it’s looking amazing. I’m really proud of all of us as a cast and crew. I think everyone’s smashing it.”
Written by Breanne L. Heldman and Kate Hogan
Published October 22, 2021
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