Get to Know Simone Ashley, the Actress Behind Bridgerton's Kate Sharma
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Ever since Netflix confirmed that Bridgerton, the sexy period romance based on Julia Quinn's best-selling novels, would be getting a season two, fans of the series have been hypothesizing who might play Kate, a key player in the plot of The Viscount Who Loved Me.And in February 2021, the streaming giant announced that actress Simone Ashley would be taking on the role.
"Get ready to fall in love with Simone Ashley, who will play Kate in Season 2 of Bridgerton," reads the announcement tweet from Netflix. "Kate is a smart, headstrong young woman who suffers no fools — Anthony Bridgerton very much included."
The official Bridgerton account, taking on the persona of Lady Whistledown, added: "Quite the juicy bit of gossip, dear readers... This author is certainly looking forward to many a column covering Miss Kate Sharma."
Quite the juicy bit of gossip, dear readers... This author is certainly looking forward to many a column covering Miss Kate Sharma 🐝 https://t.co/jOxQRcw0Gx
— Bridgerton (@bridgerton) February 15, 2021
Ahead of season two, here's a bit more to know about both Ashley and the character of Kate.
Simone Ashley is known for her work on Sex Education.
So she's already familiar with how things work at Netflix. Ashley also had a role in Broadchurch.
Author Julia Quinn is excited about the casting.
"I couldn’t dream of a more perfect Kate. I mean, just LOOK at her expression in that first photo!" the author wrote on Instagram.
Kate is getting a name change.
In the books, she's Kate Sheffield; in the show, she'll be "Kate Sharma."
She's one of several new characters joining the story in season two.
“We have a bunch of new characters we are going to be introducing,” Bridgerton's showrunner Chris Van Dusen said on the Today show in January of last year. “Anthony is going to have a love interest next season, and I think it’s going to be as sweeping and moving and as beautiful as viewers of the first season have come to expect from the show.”
Since then, Netflix has confirmed four new cast members, Charithra Chandran, Shelley Conn (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Calam Lynch (Dunkirk, Derry Girls), and Rupert Young (The White Queen). Read about their roles here.
No spoilers here, but for more on Kate, consider checking out Quinn's books.
If you can't wait for the show to premiere, read a summary of The Viscount Who Loved Me here. Then, shop the whole series below:
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