Simone Ashley says season 2 of Bridgerton will be "much grittier" with "a lot of sexual tension." Bridgerton is the highly successful book-to-television series produced by Shonda Rhimes and released by Netflix. The cast is being expanded for the anticipated second season, with one of its most recent additions being Simone Ashley. Ashley is a 26-year-old British-Indian actress whose involvement in Bridgerton season 2 was announced in January of this year. She is to portray a new arrival to the London scene, Kate Sharma, and act as a love interest to Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey. Ashley has worked on other projects, including Sex Education and Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, but Bridgerton is easily her biggest credit to date.
The series follows the tumultuous love affairs of the Regency era, with a diverse cast and extravagant sets. The show pays particular attention to depicting female characters with depth and variety, as well as portraying the sexual relationships of those times that are often avoided in period pieces. The first full trailer for Bridgerton season 2, which was released on March 9, reveals Viscount Anthony Bridgerton will look for a wife despite his previously playboy ways, and Ashley’s Kate Sharma will be wary of Anthony hurting her sister. However, the video hints that in Kate’s efforts to protect her sister from Anthony, she may fall for him herself.
In a recent interview with Porter, Ashley teased what to expect from the upcoming Briderton season 2. What has been revealed thus far about about the new season is all in line with Ashley’s description of what's to come in the show, which she calls "much grittier" than season 1 and filled with "a lot of sexual tension." Read Ashley's full quote below:
"The second season is much grittier...There’s a lot of drama and a lot of sexual tension. My parents will be watching it – but not with me!"
Ashley also talks about the drama of the show and the connection between Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton. She describes it as "...like a fairytale, but, you know, it’s not a typical fairy tale because these [are] two incredibly complex characters. For want of a better expression, [it’s] f****d up people with a complicated history." Of her offscreen relationship with Bailey, Ashley says, "Johnny and I have incredible working chemistry together…We’ve always had each other’s backs from the start; it’s a partnership."
Ashley’s statement that season 2 will hold more drama than the first promises a lot to fans, considering how tension-filled the first season was. Still, her discussion of chemistry and partnership with Bailey implies that scenes featuring the two of them will be believable and electric, especially when looked at in tandem with the potential love triangle hinted at in the Bridgerton season 2 trailer. Ashley’s previous work on Sex Education also suggests that she will have no trouble dealing with the overtly sexual nature of Bridgerton and will be able to easily slide into the role to present a strong, dynamic character. Whatever season 2 has in store, it is clear that Ashley is committed to giving a meaningful performance full of ferocity and romance.
Source: Porter