Bridgerton's Simone Ashley had to work 'twice as hard' for her acting success | MarkMeets | Celebrity News, Music, Movies, TV, London Film Premieres

TV star and Bridgerton actress Simone Ashley has admitted she had to work ‘twice as hard’ to land her acting success

The actress, who is Indian Tamil heritage, admitted she’s a ‘bit of a fighter’ after landing the coveted Netflix role, having spent her early twenties working in a frozen yoghurt shop adding she worked harder than her white male counterparts because ‘she is a woman of colour’..

Table of Contents

Simone, who has been lauded for her performance as Kate Sharma in the Netflix Regency drama, also detailed how she was going through a ‘really hard time in her life,’ before bagging the role in Bridgerton rescued her mental health.

Candid: Bridgerton star Simone Ashley has admitted she had to work ‘twice as hard’ to land her acting success than her white male counterparts because she is a woman of colour

In an interview on the Reign With Josh Smith podcast, Simone said: ‘I have had to work twice as hard and maybe I haven’t really said that enough to myself and given myself a pat on the back for that.

‘For me it has just always been like, ”I’m just like any other actress, I can do this. I can have a script put in front of me and bring a character to life and I’m smart and got creative ideas and I can do this.”

‘But I think, yeah, as a woman and a woman of colour, you do have to work harder… We are working twice as hard, but you know what, I would do it again.

Determined: The actress, who is Indian Tamil heritage, admitted she’s a ‘bit of a fighter’ after landing the coveted Netflix role, having spent her early twenties working in a yoghurt shop

Adamant: She said: ‘But I think, yeah, as a woman and a woman of colour, you do have to work harder… We are working twice as hard, but you know what, I would do it again’

‘It’s the most rewarding feeling and you hope the goal is that one day it is just completely normalised and there’s a sense of ease for women of all heritages and cultures to have doors open for them.

‘I’d like to think I’m a bit of a fighter in that sense. It’s a nice feeling to just push through and to have your dreams achieved no matter what the hurdles are…

‘It’s also important to reflect and to look back and there were many years I was working in a frozen yogurt shop and waitressing, and I wasn’t getting jobs and I was being rejected and I was auditioning and learning.

‘I think all of us in whatever industry we choose, we all do the hustle and we all do the grind and it’s good to be proud of that and to acknowledge that for sure.’

Simone has shot to startdom since she landed the role of Kate Sharma in Bridgerton’s second series, with her character reluctantly falling in love with single bachelor Anthony, despite his betrothal to her sister Edwina.

Tough time: Simone also said that before landing the role in Bridgerton, she ‘wasn’t taking care’ of herself and was ‘running away’ from ‘uncomfortable feelings’ after a breakup

During the interview, Simone that before landing the role in Bridgerton, she ‘wasn’t taking care’ of herself and was ‘running away’ from ‘uncomfortable feelings’ following a breakup between 2019 and 2020.

Despite shooting to stardom with her talents as Kate, behind the façade she had been learning how to ‘love herself’.

The single star said: ‘I was actually going through a breakup in 2019 to 2020, just before I got Bridgerton and I wasn’t taking care of myself. I was being so hard on myself.

‘I was running away from sitting with uncomfortable feelings, postponing that and putting up a wall to accepting change.

‘I’ve always been so fearless and brave in that sense, but it was so something in my life that really, really hit me and I wasn’t accepting change and accepting how to work on myself and to love myself.

‘And then I think actually getting Bridgerton changed that for me because I was like, ‘Well, if not for myself, I’ve gotta do it for my work at least.’

‘I wouldn’t want anything to stop me from achieving my dreams or being good at my job. I’ve worked so hard up until this moment.’

Open: Despite shooting to stardom with her talents as Kate Sharma in the period drama’s second season, behind the façade she had been learning how to ‘love herself’ (pictured with Jonathan Bailey)

The Surrey-native, who previously featured in Netflix’s Sex Education, credited her new state of mind with ‘sitting down with her thoughts’ as well as ‘exercising, drinking lots of water and eating well’.

She continued: ‘So I am proud of myself because I do take care of myself in every way possible, whether it’s, ‘Okay, I need a day on my own to just sit with my thoughts and do my work.’

‘Or, ‘Today I’m gonna just go on a hike with a friend,’ and that self care to just to get out of my head, be present and enjoy my life outside of work with my friends.

‘I got through a really hard time in my life and I’m here now and whatever life throws at me, it could be s**t, it could be great, but I’ve got this.’

She has now been thrown into the limelight after starring opposite leading man Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey, in the second series of the Netflix period drama.

Her character Kate became embroiled in a love triangle with Anthony after he got engaged to her younger sister Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran).

The second season of Bridgerton hit number one in 92 countries and amassing 193million hours of viewing time in its premiere weekend, the highest for any English-language Netflix series in its first three days.

Just this month, it was announced that the cult hit had been renewed for a third and fourth seasons.

Lifestyle: The Surrey-native credited her new state of mind with ‘sitting down with her thoughts’ as well as ‘exercising, drinking lots of water and eating well’

Author Profile

Scott Baber: Senior Managing editor

Manages incoming enquiries and advertising. Based in London and very sporty. Worked news and sports desks in local paper after graduating.

Email Scott@MarkMeets.com