Simone Ashley will be playing the female lead in season 2 of “Bridgerton!” The second season will revolve around the pursuit of a wife for Anthony Bridgerton (Johnathan Bailey). As a result, Ashley will play the lead opposite Bailey.
Get ready to fall in love with Simone Ashley, who will play Kate in Season 2 of Bridgerton.
Kate is a smart, headstrong young woman who suffers no fools — Anthony Bridgerton very much included. ` pic.twitter.com/xdVilOjL4Y
— Netflix (@netflix) February 15, 2021
In season one, “Bridgerton” introduced viewers to a “reimagined, multi-racial world of early 1800s London high society.” This included several major Black characters, including the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) and Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel).
Subsequently, the production team builds on this reimagined world with their decision to cast Ashley. Simone Ashley is a British South Indian actor. Her role on the show has been adapted to fit her South Indian background. In the books, her character’s name is Kate Sheffield. In the show, her character’s name is Kate Sharma.
Despite the show’s attempt at creating a diverse high society world, there were no lead Asian actors in season one. Therefore, the production team’s decision to cast Simone Ashley as the female lead is very important for two reasons. One, it reveals how the show is truly attempting to create a diverse world in the 1800s. Two, it’s a huge step forward for South Asians being represented in mainstream media.
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Furthermore, this is not Simone Ashley’s first-time appearing on a Netflix show. She played the character of Olivia Hanan on the show “Sex Education.”
To that end, it’s refreshing to see an Indian woman play a lead role on such a popular show as “Bridgerton.” With this in mind, it’ll be exciting to see what Season 2 has in store for us.
