Simone Ashley is hungry. It is lunchtime in London, mid-heatwave, the kind of August afternoon where the heat shimmers above the pavement, and Simone is tucked around a discreet corner of Dean Street Townhouse – a Soho haunt frequented by celebrities and media types – when I arrive.
“I’m so sorry,” she says, dabbing her cheek with a napkin as she jumps up to greet me, “I was just finishing my lunch.” I tell her to take her time, but she immediately starts ferrying almost-empty bowls of chips, salad and fried chicken to the vacant table next to us. “I’m training for the Hackney half-marathon in May, and I just don’t stop eating,” she says, smiling. She is dressed in a white Versace minidress and New Balance x Casablanca trainers, her raven curls bouncing around her makeup-free skin and bright, expressive eyes. “Honestly, I could eat that every day,” she later tells me. “I can’t diet. I love fried food and ice cream way too much.”
I’m meeting Simone today as she takes home our GLAMOUR Women of the Year 2024 award for Gamechanging Actor, so we get straight into talking about projects past and present. Almost immediately, it isn’t just the post-training pang of physical hunger that I notice about Simone, but a mental hunger, too; a palpable determination that almost leaps out of her as she speaks about her life and work. “I work really, really hard on anything I do,” she says earnestly. “I wake up at 6am every morning to train, I hang out with my friends and family, I always show up in my work. Everything I do, I make sure I come prepared, to be the best version of myself. That’s the kind of woman I want to be.”
Following a breakout role in Sex Education in 2019, Simone was catapulted to global superstardom in 2022 as Bridgerton season two’s fiery heroine Kate Sharma – succeeding Phoebe Dynevor’s Daphne and preceding Nicola Coughlan’s Penelope as the third season’s leading lady – but her steely resolve has seen the 29-year-old diversify her CV since life in the ’ton. She starred in animated film 10 Lives alongside Zayn Malik in April, announced her L’Oréal Paris ambassadorship in May, and has fast become one of fashion’s most decorated darlings. Most notably, Simone has been working on a flurry of big-time movie roles – both in front of and, for the first time, behind the camera. In Picture This, an upcoming Prime Video rom-com about Pia, a single woman who is predicted to meet the love of her life on her next five dates by a spiritual guru, Simone not only stars alongside Hero Fiennes Tiffin, but also serves as exec-producer.
“It’s my first time exec-producing on something, which I’m really proud of,” she says. “I grew up watching Bridget Jones, The Princess Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada, Bridesmaids, all these really fun rom-coms, but I rarely saw women that looked like me leading them – being the ‘Bridget Jones kinda gal’ who can’t seem to get her life together, figuring it out in her late twenties or early thirties, then finding love. So, I wanted to do that. I wanted to do it for darker-skinned women, but also for women everywhere. It’s not just for a culturally specific audience; I think it’s something the whole world can relate to. I was inspired by what Bend It Like Beckham did [Gurinder Chadha’s 2002 hit is praised for its authentic portrayal of South Asian diaspora in Britain]. I didn’t want it to make fun of my heritage or culture, but lean into it, celebrate it, but also not take it too seriously.”
Serving as exec-producer afforded Simone the creative freedom to ensure the film’s South Asian characters weren’t portrayed in stereotypical or caricaturistic fashion. “I came in and I really tried to flip it upside-down,” she says, “and I wanted to change elements of the script that I thought could be more developed and more flattering to a leading lady; the kind of character I wanted to portray.” She adds: “I think that diversity on crew is just as important behind the cameras because that’s the ripple effect, that’s how you make a change.”
What would it have meant to Simone to see this kind of on-screen representation growing up? “I think it’s really powerful because it would have just felt so normalised – and you feel like you’ve got someone to look up to or someone to give you hope that it [being a dark-skinned woman on screen] is possible. Apart from Mindy Kaling, I didn’t really have anyone. So it would’ve given me that normalisation.”
That normalisation came for millions of young South Asian girls when Simone, who is of Tamilian-Indian heritage, took the role of Kate Sharma in Bridgerton. Here, even in the regency world of the ’ton, was a dark-skinned female lead who wasn’t reduced to cultural parodies and peripheral plots. Instead, the show’s record-shattering second season, which has accumulated almost 800 million viewing hours, was praised for its nuanced representation of Indian culture. At 27, Simone became a beacon of inclusivity for young girls who looked like her the world over, something she is continuing in the next chapter of her career. I ask if it ever takes an emotional toll.
“I think it’s a journey,” Simone says thoughtfully. “I’m so proud to be representing. I mean, look at [Olympic gymnast] Simone Biles. I watched her documentary recently, and she is such a representative to so many people – to Black women, to dark-skinned women, but also to the whole world, she’s saying: ‘You can do it.’ I watch her and I’m like, ‘Woah, I’m so inspired by you.’ And I think that’s a really powerful, positive thing, and I want to do that in my work. I want to help change the world. I want young girls to look to me. The majority of women and girls who stop me are dark-skinned women, Black women, brown women, and they say: ‘You make me feel like it’s possible.’ And that is an amazing thing. I want to continue to do that for the rest of my career.”
She pauses. “You know, unfortunately, people can weaponise what you’re representing because you’re a bit of a ‘token’. Look, we’re all used to it. I’m a smart girl, and I can sense it. So, yes, in those moments, it can get tiresome. But I’m working with people who celebrate rather than take advantage, and I’m working on projects that I feel have an urgency to be told.”
Her self-assurance came at a young age. Born Simone Ashwini Pillai, she grew up in Camberley, Surrey, with her older brother and parents who had emigrated from southern India. Unlike her academic parents, Simone always knew she wanted a career in performing arts. “I did musical theatre, opera, all different kinds of singing – my mum really supported me and drove me to all my singing lessons. I do a lot of what I do now for my mum,” she says. At the age of 16, Simone decided to move to Los Angeles by herself to pursue acting. “I was super young, but I’ve always been very ambitious,” she says. “I came from a family who didn’t have a drop of knowledge or connection in this industry, so I thought, ‘If I don’t do this now, I never will.’”
She says it was something her parents didn’t have much control over; she was going to do it regardless. I point out that it’s a rather fearless thing for a young girl to do. “Looking back, I think I was a bit naive to how hyper-independent I became. I didn’t want anything to get in the way of my dream. I knew I wasn’t a standard candidate because of the way that I looked and where I came from, so I knew it was going to be a slightly different path for me.”
A harder path? “I don’t know if I would say harder,” Simone muses. “I just knew it was going to be different to my other peers who didn’t look like me and maybe got different opportunities. I never saw it as hard.”
I ask if there were any times she felt othered. “Yes, 100%,” she answers without hesitation. “Maybe in 50 years’ time, I’ll be very specific on when I felt that way, but for now, I won’t say. But yes, there have been times where I’ve felt like I really stuck out or I didn’t fit in, and it just makes you feel…” She lowers her gaze, sighing deeply. “Like you don’t belong there, I guess. But that’s changing now.”
How did she handle that at the time, I wonder. “When I was younger, I used to turn it inward and be like, ‘Maybe I’m the problem; maybe there’s something wrong with me.’ Then, the older you get, the more you surround yourself with your kind of people, people that just want to lift each other up, no matter who you are or where you’re from.”
Simone signed with a modelling agency, then – after a period studying acting at the ArtsEd school back in west London at 19 – started landing supporting roles in British TV shows. Her Netflix debut came in 2019, playing high-school mean girl Olivia Hanan in Sex Education, then followed the call to audition for Bridgerton in 2021.
“Within two weeks, I was on set and in horse-riding lessons, so I didn’t really have a second to process it,” Simone says when I ask how she adjusted to the sudden rise in fame. But she found a support system in her co-stars, “That show was life-changing for all of us. Who else would you turn to that would get it exactly? We could relate to one another, no judgement, just a safe space.” She is particularly effusive about Nicola Coughlan, who she describes as “so sweet, so smart, so funny”. When I ask about certain headlines from late June, describing how Simone defended Nicola from body-shaming comments, Simone refuses to give it air time. “I personally don’t want to fuel any more noise,” she says. “Nicola is really just an amazing person. She just doesn’t give a fuck, you know? When talking about Nicola, I personally only want to talk about her talent and everything she represents.”
Filming for Bridgerton season four began in the summer, so will Simone be returning to the show alongside co-star Jonathan Bailey, who plays Simone’s on-screen husband Anthony Bridgerton, collectively known by fans as #Kanthony? “I know that I am returning,” she confirms, “but that’s all I can say. I absolutely adore the show, and the more I can be a part of it, the better. They’ve been really kind to work around my schedule.”
Simone’s schedule has admittedly been jam-packed. As well as Picture This, she’s been working on an upcoming motoring movie, the aptly named F1, starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris. The film is set for a June 2025 release date, though there are no details on Simone’s role yet. Of her co-stars, she says, “Damson Idris is our lead. I’m so proud and happy for him. He’s amazing, he’s brilliant, so I can’t wait for this moment for him. Brad Pitt, obviously. Kerry Condon – I look up to her a lot, she’s such a badass. Joseph Kosinski, our director, was also so open to hearing my ideas about the character and what it means to be a female character within a story like this – I love seeing more women in the driver’s seat.”
Then there’s psychological thriller film This Tempting Madness, which follows a woman who awakens from a coma after an accident to find that she can’t remember the past six months of her life, and that her husband has been arrested. While most details are being kept under wraps, she speaks candidly about the impact the role had on her. “It was one of the hardest things I think I’ve ever done in my life,” Simone says with a nervous laugh. Physically or psychologically? “Both. I am just so grateful I had Suraj Sharma, who plays my brother. Without him, I just don’t know if I would have been able to do this film. He’s like a brother to me in real life now; he and his girlfriend Genevieve are my best friends. The film is inspired by true events. It’s very violent, it’s very dark, and I found that really hard.”
Simone isn't specific, but I point out that, given the current news cycle, any role involving male violence against women must be challenging. “Totally. You know, I keep seeing this victim-blaming narrative, we always question the woman’s actions – ‘Why did she let it continue?’ – but I don’t see us questioning the perpetrator’s actions – ‘Why did he continue it?’ – and that’s something I’ve been learning.”
But Simone is careful not to centre herself in such discussions. “I’m portraying a character that is inspired by real events, about a woman who went through something that I, to this day…” she trails off, pausing to consider what she says next. “You know, I watch this film back, I walk away, and I feel a kind of brain fog, I guess. I think what I’m realising is, because it’s about a woman who went through something so unimaginable, I don’t want it to be anything about me. I don’t think it’s my time to speak. I want the women who watch this film and feel some connection to it to have their chance to speak. And I want to listen.”
She is painstakingly self-aware, a meticulousness that strikes me as I get to know her more. Indeed, Simone video calls me on Zoom from her west London home two weeks after our lunch meeting to clarify her comments on This Tempting Madness. (“This interview is the first time I’m really speaking about this, and you really inspired me to think about it and reflect on it.”) Consider this rumination with the high-speed rise to fame for which she, as she mentioned earlier, barely had time to adjust, and I wonder how she takes care of her mental health. Unsurprisingly, there’s a list: weekly talking therapy; abstaining from alcohol (“I went sober for a bit, not that I drink much at all, but I like to wake up feeling clear-headed and motivated”); spending time with friends; doing things that inspire her (“going to the theatre, going to the movies”); and doing her best to avoid negativity online. “Social media is something I need to get better at,” she says. “If I know that I’m going to be doing some press, I try not to look at my phone too much – reading what people say or comments about how I look.” Has she had much experience with online trolls?
“Yeah, I’ve definitely experienced them. I think there have been times when, maybe, I did take it a bit too seriously and really listened to what they were saying. But then as soon as I spoke out about it to my friends, my peers who were going through the same thing, you support each other and you realise, ‘Actually, I am a good a person, I think I’m doing a really good job of my career and what I want to represent to women, so talking about how I look or misrepresenting something I say… that’s not my problem any more.’ For someone to focus that much on the negative, they’ve got some serious shit going on.”
At the time Simone and I meet, the UK is reeling from far-right anti-immigration riots and racist attacks, a period of organised violence against minority communities that saw businesses and homes vandalised, places of worship and asylum targeted, and people of colour assaulted in the street. I wonder how this is affecting her and her family. “It’s really scary. My mum wears a bindi really proudly, and I was worried that someone would see her as a target. I’ve never had to text my mum before and be like, ‘Hey, are you all right?’ Obviously she was fine, but one does worry. That was a moment where I was like, ‘Fuck, this affects me, and it affects my brown friends around me.’ I mean…” she sighs wearily. “It’s just really sad to see.”
But the anti-racism counter-protests that swept Britain in the days following reminded Simone of the humanity that connects us. “All those people coming out in support, it was amazing,” she says. “It was very moving. I’ve always said there is something so much deeper than race, gender, religion, where you’re from; something deeper that is so universal between us. When you see it happen like that, it’s just a really positive, beautiful thing.”
I tell her that I would’ve loved nothing more than to come to our interview and not discuss race and diversity as though it’s a prerequisite; an outcome of true equality being that these conversations no longer need to happen in the first place. “As much as we do want this to be normalised, I think it’s really amazing that we are all talking about it because it’s part of the journey,” she says. “And otherwise we’re just going to be talking about my acting for the whole interview,” she smiles, “and who wants that?”
As my time with Simone draws to a close, we start chatting about the GLAMOUR Women of the Year Awards, and what being a woman means to her. “To me, women can do anything. I think the world will be, and continues to be, a better place the more that women are leaders and decision-makers. You know, the more I work amongst amazing women, the more I realise the power of sisterhood is so important: supporting and celebrating one another.” Does she feel she’s had to work harder in her career than her male counterparts? “I think the younger me would answer that quickly and say ‘yes’, but I’m now at a stage where I don’t want to even compare myself to my male co-stars, because what’s the point? It is useless to even compare myself to them. Yes, OK, if we’re going to talk about pay or the way you’re treated or certain advantages that a man might get. But my career path looks the way it does because I am a woman, and it’s so beautifully unique to me as a woman. I’ve stopped even really looking to my left or right.”
We ask for the bill, and the conversation turns to recent plans. That evening, she is going to see Justin Timberlake in concert with Picture This co-star Luke Fetherston. A couple of weeks ago, she returned from two months solo-travelling around Europe with her dog, a nine-year-old spaniel named Myla. “I drove all over – Germany, Switzerland, France – meeting friends along the way,” Simone smiles. Notably absent is mention of her boyfriend Constantin ‘Tino’ Klein, a businessman and former lawyer with whom she went public in December 2022 (“I’d love it if we didn’t speak about that in this interview,” she responds when I ask about him). What’s next in her ever-meteoric rise?
“I really want to prove something to myself over the next few years of my life. That I can overcome challenges; fulfil dream goals within my career. Every dream I’ve ever had has either come true or I’m on my way,” she says with the hard-won self-assurance of a woman who packed her bags and moved to LA at 16. “There’s some dreams that I’m on the precipice of, and I’m so close I can taste it. So I’m just in really hard-working mode at the moment.” I ask her what those dream goals are. “I can’t disclose that at the moment,” Simone says, adding, “but this isn’t the last time we’re going to do an interview about it, I’m sure.” Given the ferocious tenacity of Simone Ashley, I’d put money on her being absolutely right.
‘Picture This’ will launch exclusively on Prime Video in 2025.
European Editorial Director: Deborah Joseph
Deputy Editor, European Beauty Director: Camilla Kay
Entertainment Director, Assistant Editor: Emily Maddick
European Visual Director: Amelia Trevette
European Design Director: Eilidh Williamson
European Fashion Editor: Londiwe Ncube
Website Directors: Ali Pantony and Fiona Ward
Senior Creative Designer: Ben Neale
Talent Booking: The Talent Group
Photographer: Txema Yeste
Stylist Yana Mckillop at Agency 41
Hair by Peter Lux at The Wall Group
Makeup by Harold James at The Wall Group using L’Oreal Paris
Nails by Emily Rose-Lansley at The Wall Group using Bio Sculpture
Props stylist: Nicola Bell
Production by ZRD Production
Executive Producer: Zoe Rose-Davies
Production Assistant: Sophie Allsop
Digital Operator: Herman Pawel
Lighting Assistants: Dani Gallar Candela and Luca Pellegrino
Styling Assistant: Alice Dench
