Simone Ashley

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Simone Ashley
Ashley in 2022
Born
Simone Ashwini Pillai

(1995-03-30) 30 March 1995 (age 30)
Camberley, Surrey, England
OccupationActress
Years active2016–present[1]

Simone Ashwini Pillai (born 30 March 1995),[2][3] known professionally as Simone Ashley, is a British actress. She is known for her roles in the Netflix period drama Bridgerton (2022–present) and comedy-drama Sex Education (2019–2021).

Early life

Born Simone Ashwini Pillai to Indian Tamil parents Latha and Gunasekharan Pillai, Ashley is from Camberley, Surrey, and has an older brother, Sean Pillai.[4][5] Ashley has spoken about how despite growing up in a household of academics, she was always drawn more towards the creative fields.[6] Her parents were hesitant about her inclination to the arts. "My parents were quite protective over me", she told Glamour. "They're first generation. They came from India to this country, so they didn't really have a life where they could choose to be whatever they wanted."[4] Ashley grew up singing classical music, opera, and playing the piano.[7]

Ashley's family later moved to Beaconsfield, where she attended Beaconsfield High School and then Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead for sixth form.[8][6] She left school early at sixteen, describing herself as "very stubborn"[9] and "wishing my life away".[10] She spent some of her teen years in Ojai, California, where she has relatives. She signed with a modeling agency and began auditioning when she was 18.[11] She then studied acting at Arts Educational School (ArtsEd) in West London.[2][12]

Career

Early work (2016–2020)

Ashley's first acting role was in two episodes of the CBBC fantasy teen drama Wolfblood as Zuhra. This was followed by appearances in the thriller series Guilt (2016) and the ITV crime drama Broadchurch (2017).[1] She made her feature film debut in 2018 with a small role in Boogie Man as Aarti, and a more prominent role in Kill Ben Lyk as one of the many characters named Ben Lyk.[13]

From 2019 to 2021, Ashley played the recurring character Olivia Hanan in the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education. She also appeared in the ITV psychological thriller miniseries The Sister as Elise Fox in 2020.[14]

Breakthrough and film work (2022–present)

Ashley was named one of Variety's 2021 Brits to Watch.[7] Having auditioned in 2020, it was announced in February 2021 that Ashley would star as leading lady Kate Sharma, opposite Jonathan Bailey, in the second series of the Shondaland-produced Netflix romance period drama Bridgerton, based on the second novel in Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series, The Viscount Who Loved Me.[15] The series was released in March 2022. She reprised her role for the third series.[16]

In 2022, Ashley featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in European entertainment,[17] the Time 100 Next,[18] and The Hollywood Reporter's Great British and Irish Film and TV Breakouts.[19] She appeared on the cover of British Vogue's December 2022 and March 2024 issues, the latter as part of an ensemble of 40 women gathered to honor and celebrate Edward Enninful's tenure as editor.[10]

She played Indira, a sister of Ariel, in the 2023 live-action film adaptation of Disney's The Little Mermaid.[9] On July 9, 2024, Ashley was cast in Apple TV+ film F1 (2025).[20]

In March 2025, Simone starred as the lead actor in movie Picture This. She played Pia, older sister to Sonal, whose wedding is the side backdrop to the film.[21]

In March 2025, Ashley revealed that she was in the process of recording her debut album with producer Fraser T. Smith.[22]

Personal life

From summer 2022 to January 2025, Ashley was in a relationship with former lawyer Constantin "Tino" Klein, the CEO of F.A.T. Ice Race, after meeting at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix.[23][24][25]

Filmography

Key
† Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2018 Boogie Man Aarti
Kill Ben Lyk Girl Ben Lyk
Sparrow Taylor Short film
2019 Detective Pikachu Girlfriend [26]
2023 The Little Mermaid Indira [9]
2024 10 Lives Rose Voice role [27]
The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland Alice Voice role
2025 Picture This Pia Also executive producer [28]
F1 † TBA Post-production [29]
TBA This Tempting Madness † Mia Post-production [30]

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2016 Wolfblood Zuhra 2 episodes
Guilt Amanda Episode: "A Simple Plan"
2017 Broadchurch Dana 2 episodes [26]
Strike Alicia Episode: "The Cuckoo's Calling: Part 3"
L'ispettore Coliandro Veena Episode: "Mortal Club"
2018 Doctors Sofia Johal Episode: "Any Moment"
2019 Casualty Shai Anderson 1 episode
A Working Mom's Nightmare Aisha Television film
2019–2021 Sex Education Olivia Hanan Supporting role (season 1–3) [6]
2020 The Sister Elise Fox 3 episodes [14]
2022–present Bridgerton Kathani "Kate" Bridgerton (née Sharma) Main role (season 2–3) [16]

Music videos

Song Year Artist Notes Ref.
"Love Letter" 2022 ODESZA feat. The Knocks
"Eve & Paradise Lost" 2024 Bastille [31]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2022 Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Actress in a Streaming Series, Drama Bridgerton Nominated
TV Choice Awards UK Best Actress Nominated
IMDb Starmeter Award Breakout Star Won [32]
2024 Monte-Carlo Television Festival Most Promising Talent — Won [citation needed]
Glamour Awards Gamechanging Actor — Won [33]
2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Bridgerton Nominated [34]

References

  1. ^ a b Trevelyan, Anna (19 April 2022). "Simone Ashley Shines Bright in 'Bridgerton'". ELLE. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b Wahi, Sukriti (16 February 2021). "Who Is Simone Ashley? Meet Bridgerton's New Leading Lady". Elle Australia. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  3. ^ Tisdale, Jerrica (25 February 2021). "Simone Ashley: 7 Cool Things To Know About The Bridgerton Season 2 Actress". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b Glass, Katie (9 March 2022). "Bridgerton's Simone Ashley on corsets, combatting sexism and the power of representation". Glamour UK. Archived from the original on 26 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  5. ^ Menon, Maya (2 March 2022). "Meet Simone Ashley: the British-Indian breakout star and new leading lady of 'Bridgerton'". Vogue Singapore. Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Exclusive Q&A with Simone Ashley of "Sex Education" (Netflix)". Veylex. 2 July 2019. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Variety's 10 Brits to Watch for 2021: A Celebration of Talent". Variety. 24 November 2021. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  8. ^ Simpson, Richard (27 February 2021). "Sex Education star set to shake up Bridgerton in steamy new series". Mirror. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Russell, Scarlett (25 March 2022). "Bridgerton's Simone Ashley: 'All the fireworks are still to come'". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022.(subscription required)
  10. ^ a b "Simone Ashley: "I Don't Want To Be Put In A Certain Box. I Want To Be In The Driver's Seat"". British Vogue. 2 November 2022. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Ep 42: Simone Ashley". Reign with Josh Smith (Podcast). 19 April 2022. Archived from the original on 20 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  12. ^ Hanrahan, Laura (18 February 2021). "Everything You Need To Know About 'Bridgerton' Season 2 Star Simone Ashley". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  13. ^ Fowler, Sara (25 June 2019). "Britain's Simone Ashley stars in award-winning film 'Kill Ben Lyk'". Medium. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  14. ^ a b Sanyal, Pathikrit (20 January 2020). "'The Sister' on Hulu: Meet Simone Ashley, Bertie Carvel, Russell Tovey and rest of the cast of British psychological thriller". MEAWW. Archived from the original on 26 March 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  15. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (15 February 2021). "'Bridgerton': Simone Ashley Lands Female Lead In Season 2 Of Netflix Hit From Shondaland". Deadline. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  16. ^ a b Cordero, Rosy (30 March 2022). "'Bridgerton' Star Simone Ashley Confirms Season 3 Return "Kate & Anthony Are Just Getting Started"With the new leads Penelope and Colin". Deadline. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  17. ^ Freeman, Abigail (3 May 2022). "From Måneskin To Simone Ashley: Meet The 30 Under 30 In European Entertainment 2022". Forbes. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  18. ^ Singh, Lily (28 September 2022). "Simone Ashley Is in the Time 100 NEXT List". Time. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  19. ^ Ritman, Alex (27 December 2022). "The Great British and Irish Film and TV Breakouts of 2022". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  20. ^ Lang, Brent (9 July 2024). "'Bridgerton' Star Simone Ashley Joins Brad Pitt in Apple and F1 Film". Variety.
  21. ^ "Picture This (2025) | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  22. ^ Williams, Marisa (2 March 2025). "'Bridgerton's Simone Ashley Makes Surprise Career Move With Debut Album". Collider.
  23. ^ Seth, Radhika (2 November 2022). "Simone Ashley: "I Don't Want To Be Put In A Certain Box. I Want To Be In The Driver's Seat"". British Vogue. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  24. ^ Gibson, Kelsie (23 March 2023). "Who Is Simone Ashley's Boyfriend? All About Constantin 'Tino' Klein". People Magazine. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  25. ^ Bickerstaff, Isaac (3 March 2025). "Bridgerton star Simone Ashley confirms she is in her 'single era' - after splitting from her hunky 'petrolhead' boyfriend". Tatler. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  26. ^ a b McLaren, Bonnie (23 March 2022). "Who Is Simone Ashley, Bridgerton's New Heroine?". Grazia UK. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  27. ^ Yossman, K.J. (19 January 2024). "'10 Lives' Director Chris Jenkins on Animating Cat Butts and Working With Zayn Malik: 'We Immediately Bonded'". Variety. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  28. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (22 March 2024). "Simone Ashley & Hero Fiennes Tiffin Leading Prime Video Rom-Com 'Picture This'". Deadline. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  29. ^ Lang, Brent (9 July 2024). "'Bridgerton' Star Simone Ashley Joins Brad Pitt in Apple and F1 Film". Variety. Simone Ashley has been cast in an undisclosed role in the upcoming Apple and F1 film starring Brad Pitt
  30. ^ "'Bridgerton' Breakout Simone Ashley To Topline Indie Thriller 'This Tempting Madness' – First Look". Deadline. 5 January 2024. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  31. ^ Bastille - Eve & Paradise Lost. Retrieved 2024-11-21
  32. ^ Oganesyan, Natalie (8 June 2022). "'Bridgerton' Star Simone Ashley Receives IMDb Breakout Starmeter Award (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  33. ^ "Simone Ashley Wins Big At The 2024 Glamour Women Of The Year Awards". GlamStyled.com. 3 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  34. ^ "SAG Awards Nominations: 'Wicked' & 'A Complete Unknown' Lead Film Field; 'Shōgun' Tops TV". 8 January 2025.