Where Simone Ashley Really Stands on Coming Back to Bridgerton

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Simone Ashley will always make time for the ton.

Simone Ashley, who played Kate Sharma on season two of Bridgerton and shared a romance with Jonathan Bailey’s character, Anthony, has said she and Jonathan would both happily return for future episodes of the Netflix series if asked.

I can only speak to what Johnny and I have accomplished,” she said on the April 13th episode of The Louis Theroux Podcast. “We prioritize making our schedules align so we can make it work.”

Simone remembered that Jonathan put in a lot of effort to make quick appearances in the third and fourth seasons of Bridgerton.

Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE what I heard! Apparently, he was literally flying back and forth between Toronto and London while filming Wicked! Can you imagine?! I’m so glad I haven’t had to film anything this year because I’ve already been to eight different cities in just one month! If I had a filming schedule on top of that, it would have been absolute chaos trying to manage everything!

“But I would have done it,” Simone added. “I would have scheduled it.”

She and Jonathan feel a strong connection to the show, which makes being on set feel like working with a real family.

She explained that returning feels like coming home and being part of a family.

Viewers will likely see Ashley featured more prominently when Eloise’s storyline takes center stage. Showrunner Jess Brownell has indicated that Kate will be heavily involved during Eloise’s season.

In an interview with People magazine in March, she shared that she especially enjoys the dynamic between Kate and Eloise and hopes to see their relationship develop further.

She mentioned that when Eloise’s season comes around, she’d definitely like to have Kate involved, if possible.

Simone isn’t the only star of Bridgerton eager to return to the world of the 19th century. Phoebe Dynevor, who played Daphne Bridgerton in the first season and made a cameo in the second, is also hoping to rejoin the cast.

She told Collider Ladies Night in an interview on April 11th that she hadn’t received a call yet, but would be happy to participate if she got one.

The actress explained that when she and Regé-Jean Page, who played her on-screen husband the Duke of Hastings, first joined the show, there wasn’t a clear plan for what would happen in future seasons.

She explained that the show’s creators hadn’t fully prepared when the first season launched. As a result, the cast felt like they were figuring things out as they went. Personally, she said she’d definitely return if invited to participate in future seasons.

For a look at some behind-the-scenes secrets about Bridgerton, keep reading.

In season two, there’s a scene where the actors play Pall Mall, an early form of croquet. They were encouraged to learn the game before filming, but Luke Thompson, who plays Benedict Bridgerton, got a little too enthusiastic and accidentally broke two of the mallets!

Charithra Chandran, who plays Edwina Sharma, has a unique advantage: she actually grew up playing croquet!

I used to play a lot of croquet, both at boarding school and university, so I was already quite familiar with the game. Pall Mall is very similar, and we received the rules in advance to study. Luckily, there were always people around to explain what was going on. A lot of it was pre-planned, but they also filmed us just having fun, and I think some of those candid moments made it into the final scenes, which is great.

Anthony Bridgerton (played by Jonathan Bailey) had some impressive sideburns in the first season of the show, and viewers definitely noticed! However, sharp-eyed fans were surprised to see they were gone in season two, leading many to wonder what happened to them.

I always suspected there was a method to Chris Van Dusen’s madness! It’s so clever how he deliberately showed Anthony’s evolution – from someone who just loved to have fun, to the strong lead he’s become. It really highlights his character arc, and I appreciate that Van Dusen planned it all along.

Anthony always looks amazing, but some of us secretly wish he’d bring back the sideburns! Luckily, we can always rewatch the first season to see them.

On Bridgerton, tea is basically a character in and of itself. 

We initially thought the actors were just drinking water on set, but it turns out they’re actually enjoying tea! Netflix says they typically serve “PG Twips or Twinings.” We’ll nod and pretend to be familiar with those brands.

As for the food, that’s not always real.

The show employs a food economist named Lisa Heathcote, who ensures the food looks good on camera. Because of the many ballroom scenes, most of the food you see isn’t actually edible – it’s made to last! But when the actors are filming dinner scenes, they actually eat real food. To make it through multiple takes, the food is often prepared using raw vegetables – a bit like a healthy snack at grandma’s!

Every single actor on Bridgerton has their own horse. 

Oh my gosh, you guys, it’s Jonathan Bailey on the most stunning black Friesian – his name is Jack, and he’s just perfect. And then there’s Simone Ashley, absolutely radiant on her beautiful bay horse, Nirvana! Seriously, seeing them ride together is a dream. I can’t stop thinking about it!

Because the horses bonded with their riders in the first season, a lot of them were brought back for the second season.

We just hope Regé-Jean Page‘s horse is doing okay.

Created by Shonda Rhimes, the producer of popular shows like Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder, Bridgerton is known for its inclusive casting choices. A prime example is Golda Rosheuvel, a Guyanese-British actress who portrays Queen Charlotte, a historical figure. PBS reports that some historians believe Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, was a descendant of a Portuguese royal family with African roots.

Makeup and hair designer Marc Pilcher shared with Vogue that learning about Queen Charlotte’s African ancestry greatly influenced his work on the show. He explained that while he stayed true to the hairstyles of the period, he also wanted to celebrate her heritage by incorporating styles like locs, braids, and Afro-textured hair. He even designed her elaborate, large Afro to resemble a traditional Gainsborough wig, taking inspiration from Beyoncé’s look as Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers in Goldmember.

Pilcher told Essence that he was inspired by Beyoncé’s hair in Austin Powers Goldmember. He knew he wanted to create a similarly massive afro. The final look actually involved layering four or five wigs. They used wigs for the curls, bought separate afros, straightened those, reshaped them on curling irons, and brushed them out for maximum volume. Then, they carefully sewed all the pieces together to achieve the desired shape.

Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Danbury, explained to New African magazine that men during the Regency era always carried a cane and wore a hat. She wanted Lady Danbury, as a widow, to project a sense of strength and power, reflecting her wealth and influence in a society that limited women’s freedom. That’s why she asked for a hat – she loves hats!

Costume designer Pilcher explained to Vogue that Lady Featherington (Polly Walker) had a distinct style inspiration. “I noticed her outfits were very 1950s,” Pilcher said, “so instead of giving her typical Regency-era hair and makeup, I drew inspiration from actresses like Elizabeth Taylor and Deborah Kerr, blending a 1950s aesthetic with the shape and style of the Regency period.”

Eloise Bridgerton’s Claudia Jessie and Penelope Featherington’s Nicola Coughlan are actually friends off-screen, as revealed by the show’s creator, Chris Van Dusen.

We in the writers’ room have nicknamed them ‘PenEloise,’ and it’s starting to catch on with fans. We’ve noticed book fans are using that hashtag a lot on Twitter and Instagram, which is great to see.

He explained that they instantly recognized Penelope and Eloise Bridgerton, and he believes they’ve found something truly remarkable with them.

In the first season of the show, Simon, the Duke of Hastings, always wore a special brooch – an enamel piece decorated with diamonds and emeralds. The brooch was a cherished keepsake, originally belonging to his mother, who sadly passed away shortly after he was born, as revealed in a flashback.

Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe what Jonathan Bailey – my Anthony Bridgerton, obviously – had to go through! He was on this British show, Lorraine, and he said they were filming that scene, you know the one, and someone asked if they could… well, lower his pants. And apparently, the first time they did, someone yelled for makeup! Makeup for his butt! He said it was just to take away the shine, can you even imagine? My king, having de-shine makeup applied to his… well, you get the idea. It’s just… everything about this is perfect and I’m obsessed.

Phoebe Dynevor, the actress who plays Daphne, revealed to Glamour that she wore 93 dresses during filming. She was amazed by the amount of work that went into each one, explaining they were all custom-made and intricately hand-embroidered, with a team of six people dedicated solely to creating Daphne’s wardrobe.

Oh my gosh, you wouldn’t BELIEVE the thought that went into Daphne’s wardrobe! Ellen Mirojnick, the costume designer, told Buzzfeed that Daphne started out wearing so much blue – it really represented her sweet, innocent phase. But as she grew and became the Duchess, everything changed! They actually made her colors more sophisticated – richer, deeper, and a little more muted. It was like watching her personality evolve through her clothes, honestly! It wasn’t just about fashion, it was about her journey.

The popular Netflix series Bridgerton, particularly in season one, episode six, features numerous intimate scenes between Daphne and the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), occurring throughout the house. To ensure a safe and comfortable environment, an intimacy coordinator worked with the actors during the filming of nude and sex scenes, which were carefully planned and choreographed, according to showrunner Chris Van Dusen.

The goal was to make the actors feel at ease, and we gave them a lot of freedom to interpret the scenes as they saw fit, he explained to TopMob News. Those scenes were very carefully planned, almost like a fight scene – with precise instructions like ‘put your hand here’ and ‘move your leg there.’ They were thoroughly rehearsed.

Dynevor shared with TopMob News that she’s very proud of those scenes, explaining that a lot of effort went into making them feel authentic. She emphasized that safety was a top priority, and she felt completely secure working with Regé and an intimacy coordinator. They planned the scenes carefully, treating them with the same precision as complex stunts.

In one intimate scene, Daphne, now understanding how babies are made and realizing she’d misunderstood her husband Simon’s feelings about having children, initiates a romantic encounter. Every aspect of this scene, which sparked some discussion, was carefully planned, and the actress Dynevor had significant input into how her character behaved.

Bridgerton’s intimacy coordinator, Lizzy Talbot, explained to Vulture that the show’s creators specifically wanted a display of agency during a key scene. Daphne taking her hair down from its braids and pushing the male character away was her way of asserting control and making her desires known. Phoebe Dynevor, who plays Daphne, insisted on performing this action herself, as it was a powerful moment for her character. Talbot emphasized that while not directly sexual, this act was crucial in establishing Daphne’s power and setting the stage for intimacy. The symbolism of a woman controlling her hair was particularly relevant to the time period.

Daphne and Simon were quite intimate, often finding moments of privacy wherever they could. The filmmakers had a funny problem: the actor playing Simon, who is tall, almost didn’t fit on the smaller beds used in the Regency era scenes, and they worried he might fall off!

According to set decorator Will Talbot, a surprising challenge while filming Bridgerton was the size of the beds. The show used historically accurate Regency-era beds, which are smaller than modern beds. This was especially tricky with the taller actors, like Reǵe-Jean Page, as they had to ensure no one rolled off during intimate scenes that often involved movement. The crew worked hard to prevent accidental falls despite the limited space.

She added, “That was a real issue! On nearly every bed that we had.”

The emotionally powerful party scene with the rain, which happened at the Hastings’ courtyard, wasn’t filmed outside. It was actually shot inside a studio, giving the filmmakers complete control over the water – they could manage how much fell, its temperature, and ensure it drained away without causing a flood.

The set included a large tank beneath the studio floor to catch the rainwater, because you can’t simply let water spread everywhere during filming. It needed to be collected properly,” explained set director Gina Cromwell to Buzzfeed. “There was a complex system of pipes to manage it all. My focus was on the visual details – making sure there were always flowers, food, and other attractive elements. But the goal was to create the illusion of an outdoor set for the audience, and hopefully we succeeded!”

Daphne’s rival, Cressida (played by Jessica Madsen), was inspired by the character of Nellie Oleson from Little House on the Prairie. As Marc Pilcher, the show’s makeup and hair designer, explained to Vogue, Cressida was designed to look beautiful outwardly but be unkind underneath.

In the series Bridgerton, Marina Thompson (played by Ruby Barker) unexpectedly appears at the Featherington estate while secretly pregnant. She’s often seen wearing a pendant known as a “lover’s eye.”

Costume designer John Glaser explained that the character has a hidden lover, symbolized by a miniature portrait only she can see. Traditionally, these miniatures were displayed for others to recognize, but this character keeps hers private, meaning she’s the only one who knows the identity of her secret partner.

The first season ended with the big reveal of who was writing the gossip newsletter as Lady Whistledown.

Filming was a blast,” Coughlan shared with Variety. “It was during the height of COVID, so I had to be incredibly discreet. I flew in from Ireland and underwent constant testing and fittings. The whole thing was top secret – I couldn’t tell anyone I was there or what I was doing. But despite all the precautions, it was really enjoyable to film.

Golda Rosheuvel recently revealed a subtle connection between seasons one and two of Bridgerton. During an interview with TopMob News, she explained that when she chose Edwina Sharma as the season’s diamond, she deliberately lifted Edwina’s chin in the same way she had lifted Daphne Bridgerton’s chin in the first season – a small detail for attentive viewers.

She explained that it was a simple physical gesture – lifting her chin – and that she had mirrored the same action with Daphne.

Per the actress, this small gesture helped her see “how it all connected.”

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2026-04-15 01:18