Bridgerton’s Simone Ashley says women of color ‘work twice as hard’
Bridgerton star Simone Ashley has said that as a woman of color she has to work “twice as hard” as her peers in the acting world.
The 27-year-old actress plays Kate Sharma in the second season of the hit Netflix show, which follows the siblings of the Bridgerton family as they try to find love in Regency-era London.
Ashley, who is of Indian-Tamil heritage, grew up in Camberley, Surrey and made her debut in 2019 drama-comedy Sex Education.
Speaking on the Reign With Josh Smith podcast, she said: “I had to work twice as hard and maybe I didn’t really tell myself that enough and pat myself on the back for it.
“For me, it’s just always been like, ‘I’m like any other actress, I can do this. I can get a script and I can bring a character to life and I’m smart and I have creative ideas and I can do it.
“But I think yes, as a woman and a woman of color you have to work harder.
“We work twice as hard, but you know what? I would do it again.”
Ashley said she hopes that one day the presence of women of color in the television and film industries will “completely normalize” and that there will be “a sense of ease for women of all backgrounds and cultures to open doors for them.”
Describing herself as “a little fighter,” she added, “It’s a nice feeling to just push yourself and achieve your dreams, no matter what the obstacles.”
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Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley at the premiere of the second Bridgerton series (Yui Mok/PA)
Bridgerton’s second series shifts its focus to the tumultuous courtship between Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey, and Ashley’s character, Kate.
She said they toasted the conclusion of their intimate scenes with a glass of champagne.
“I don’t know how long it might be if there’s a breakdown film for the scenes with me and Johnny, but we laughed all day on set whether it was the intimate scenes or not, but we had so much fun,” he said.
“You have to have fun and laugh at the ridiculous.
“But we really coordinated the intimacy scenes in such detail and made sure everything had a meaning and a thought behind it.
“And of course when it comes to the day, it’s just weird and weird, but we just go ahead and have a glass of champagne at the end of the day and just toast it and say, ‘Cool. We made it and you know we smashed it.
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/bridgertons-simone-ashley-says-women-of-colour-are-working-twice-as-hard-41565944.html Bridgerton’s Simone Ashley says women of color ‘work twice as hard’
