Netflix have recently announced Simone Ashley as the female lead in season two of Bridgerton.
Simone will play Anthony Bridgerton’s love interest, Kate Sharma. They announced the news on Twitter, stating: “Get ready to fall in love with Simone Ashley, who will play Kate in Season 2 of Bridgerton.”
Ashley is most known for her part as Olivia in the second season of Sex Education, as well as her roles in Broadchurch and The Sister.
The second season of Bridgerton is thought to follow the second book in the series, written by Julia Quinn, called The Viscount Who Loved Me. The book focuses on Anthony’s search for a wife, but when he is ready to marry, his bride’s older sister, Kate, attempts to stop the wedding. If Netflix decide to go ahead with following the the books, it’s likely Kate will be a pivotal character.
In the novels, she is named Kate Sheffield, but the Bridgerton producers have changed her surname to Sharma, in order to reflect Ashley’s South Asian heritage. Since its release this year, Bridgerton has been praised for its casting, with several Black actors in the first season including, Regé-Jean Page as the Duke of Hastings and Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury. The show created a multi-racial world in London’s 1800s high society and Simone’s casting looks as though this will be continued into the second season. Many fans took to social media to celebrate the casting of a South Asian in a lead role.
Bridgerton has become Netflix’s most-watched show, with over 82 million households having watched it. Sharing the news, the streaming service said: “The show has made the top 10 in every country except Japan – hitting number one in 83 countries including the US, UK, Brazil, France, India, and South Africa.”
Season two was announced in January 2021, less than a month after the show was released. While they’re due to start filming again in a few weeks, there is currently no release date for the upcoming series.
Words by Sanjana Rao
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