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Sex Education's Simone Ashley is heading to Bridgerton and will no doubt be giving Lady Whistledown much to write about!
Netflix has confirmed Simone has been cast in the second season of the hit series and will play Kate Sharma, Anthony Bridgerton's new love interest.
Get ready to fall in love with Simone Ashley, who will play Kate in Season 2 of Bridgerton.
— Netflix (@netflix) February 15, 2021
According to the official character description, Kate is "newly arrived in London" and is a "smart, headstrong young woman who suffers no fools - Anthony Bridgerton very much included."
Her character hails from the second book of Bridgerton novels by Julia Quinn where her name is Kate Sheffield, not Sharma - changed to reflect Simone's South-Asian heritage.
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The British star, who is also known for her roles in Broadchurch (2013) and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019), is the first actress with South-Asian heritage to score a lead role on the hit series (which has been widely praised for making diverse casting choices including Regé-Jean Page as the Duke of Hastings, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte and Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury.)
In a 2019 interview with Veylex.com, Simone opened up about being a woman of colour in the industry:
"Colourism is an ongoing issue. As is being type cast, being looked over because of the colour of your skin, losing roles to girls that are more 'relatable' to target audiences and markets. But if I surrender to all of that, where would I be going? Nowhere! F*** that. So I try not to even think twice about any challenges that might come along due to my heritage. I say 'Yes I can' and see what happens. And usually that mentality breeds positive, bright, and beaming opportunity. It won't be a 'challenge' for very long, the world is changing."
It sure is Simone.
(Feature Image Credit: @simoneashley/Instagram)
