“I had to work extra hard and maybe I haven’t said enough to myself and I slapped myself for that.”
1.
Simone Ashley (formerly Simone Ashwini Pillai) was born in Surrey, England, but has relatives in Ojai, California, where she spent many of her childhood summers. She eventually moved to Los Angeles at the age of 17 to pursue an acting career.
Araya Doheny/Getty Images
“They were very supportive,” she told Jimmy Kimmel Jimmy Kimmel Live! about her parents. “When I ended up in Los Angeles, I thought it was an intervention; [they were] Going crazy. But I think I just went. “
2.
After signing with a modeling agency, Simone knew she actually wanted to be an actress. Her first role was in the background “Party Girl” in 2015 Straight out of Compton.
Generic/Courtesy Everett Collection
“It was a pretty crazy first game,” she told charm“I remember Corey Hawkins being right in front of me, doing his thing, playing Dre. I really wanted to be ‘I want to be an actor too,’ but I didn’t. I just kept quiet.”
3.
However, this small role lead simeone get some parts in the project like Broadchurch and wolf blood, This, in turn, puts her in sex education As Olivia Hanan.
4.
Simone once said sex education Very special, the actors are like family.
Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
“We’d all stay up until 2 a.m. just to chat,” Simone told Glamour UK“It was amazing. It was very, very special. I made some lifelong friends on that set. We all grew up together.” She is especially close to Aimee Lou Wood and Emma Mackey, and said that the Asa Butterfield hosted Great game night.
5.
Simone was filming another movie in her trailer when she got a call saying she was going to play the role of Kate Sharma bridgeton Season 2 – The timing comes right after Season 1 airs.
NBC/NBCU Photo Gallery via Getty Images
“I was watching the movie, and in my trailer, I got a call saying, ‘It’s a kind of secret that you can’t tell anyone, but you got the role,'” Simone told Jimmy Jimmy Kimmel Live! “Then my trailer was ringing and told me to go to setup. So I put down my phone, put it on airplane mode because it started to explode a little bit, and then I went to setup and I couldn’t tell anyone. Season 1 just came out, the cast Everyone in the lineup was talking about it, like, ‘Oh, we watched bridgeton Season 1 over the weekend; I wonder what’s going to happen in season 2, ‘I had to sit there. ”
6.
When Actor News finally announcedSimone is reportedly assembling an IKEA desk Glamour UKOh, and she’s starting to receive amazing messages of support from legends like Freida Pinto and Mindy Kaling.
Getty Images
“I remember slumdog millionaire And Mindy in everything she does,” Simone told British Glamour. “She’s incredible. There is no one like her. She is so cool I would love to work with her. I think she’s an amazing writer, producer. ”
7.
Simone has many favorite scenes bridgeton Season 2, because of course it’s impossible to choose just one.
Liam Daniel/Netflix
“I love the scene where Kate and Anthony dance for the first time,” she told New York Times“And the bee sting scene – I think that’s a key point in the story. The stakes are really up and they realize they have feelings for each other and now there’s this barrier between everything they’re working on .I love all the riding scenes.”
8.
Behind-the-scenes bridgetonJonathan Bailey, who plays Anthony, and Simone became good friends and made each other feel comfortable — especially in the more intimate scenes.
9.
and in bridgetons iconic clothingSimone revealed that she does have a favorite – Kate’s look in episode 5.
Netflix
“It was amazing,” Simone told Glamour UK. “Really beautiful color.” She described the dress as a “peacock blue dress.”
10.
forward bridgetonSimone has to ride a horse in several scenes, she has only ridden once before.
Liam Daniel/Netflix
“I’m natural, and I’m very athletic,” she told Glamour UK“In the beginning, I sat in the saddle every other day, almost an hour and a half every day. I loved it. After moving from LA to LA, and going through a lot of changes, I think it really helps because once you Get on the horse and you get out of your head and you don’t think about anything else.”
11.
Simone talks about the meaning of what she sees Fan reaction Let her, an Indian woman, be bridgeton.
Liam Daniel/Netflix
“I’m so grateful for the response we received, it left me overwhelmed,” she told New York Times“I’m very proud of my heritage, I’m proud of any impact I’ve made, and I’m just doing my job, especially if they’re positive and uplift other women and make them feel noticed.”
12.
she also discussed How as a woman of color she had to work twice as hard to reach her goals.
Arturo Holmes / Getty Images for the Met Museum/Vogue
“I had to work harder, maybe I didn’t say enough to myself, and I slapped myself for that,” she told reign with josh smith podcast“For me, I’m always like any other actress, I can do it. I can put the script in front of me and bring the characters to life, I’m smart and creative, and I can do it. A little. But I think as a woman and a woman of color, you have to work harder…”
13.
In addition to Simone’s many talents, she is also a classical singer.
YouTube / Via youtube.com
“I loved singing since I was a kid, I studied a lot of classical music, and then I got into musicals, and I fell in love with musicals,” she told people Magazine.
14.
As far as her musical inspiration goes, her favorite band is Fleetwood Mac.
Samir Hussein/Getty Images
“I saw them at Dodger Stadium about four years ago and I could only buy a very high ticket,” she told Glamour UK“And I could barely see them. I lied to the front row because I really, really wanted to see Steve Nicks up close.”
15.
During the pandemic, Simone taught herself how to do tattoos — she even ended up getting a few of her tattoos bridgeton crew members.
ABC/Pass youtube.com
She told Jimmy Kimmel that she Googled “how to tattoo at home” and learned from YouTube tutorials.exist Jimmy Kimmel Live!she showed off the sphinx tattoo she gave herself.
16.
We all know Kate is a dog lover, but so is Simone! She has a lovely cocker spaniel named Mila.
17.
Finally, Simone will officially return as Kate and Jonathan as Anthony bridgeton Season 3.
Liam Daniel/Netflix
“We’re coming back! Kate and Anthony are just getting started,” she revealed at a dinner in Los Angeles, according to reports deadline“In season 2, there was a lot of pushback between Kate and Anthony, their families were at odds, and then they found each other at the end. I think it’s just the beginning. I’d love to see Kate in season 3 more Let go a little, play more, and swim in circles of love together. I think they all deserve it.”
Support AAPI-centric content by exploring how BuzzFeed celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Of course, the content won’t end after May.to pay attention @buzzfeedapop Stay up to date with our latest AAPI content throughout the year! PS: Do you like this art?Learn more about these amazing AAPI activists here.
BuzzFeed/Cathy Wong
From left: Haunani Kay Trask, Rushan Abbas, Manjusha Kulkarni, Kiyoshi Kuromiya, Philip Vera Cruz, Mabel Lee, George Helm and Edward Said.
