“Those roles [like Bridgerton] do somewhat define you because they have so many eyes on them – and I’m so grateful for that. It’s been amazing,” Ashley tells me. At the same time, she’s ready for a new challenge. “I’m excited to be on my own path and not defined by one role. This is what I think a lot of actors who have been part of a big franchise go through.”
Returning to the Bridgerton set this time around was a different offering – she and Jonathan Bailey [who plays Anthony] have considerably less screen time – and where some might have found that a strange shift, Ashley saw it as a springboard to leave her mark on the series – and elsewhere. “It was really relaxing stepping back on set this time; it was fun to watch Nicola and Luke do their own thing. I sent them both friendship bracelets that say “Polin” [the internet’s nickname for the will-they-won’t-they couple – Penelope and Colin] to mark this season. But I’m excited to show a world beyond my chapter.”
Ashley’s portrayal of Kate, a dark-skinned Indian woman who gets to be more than the sidekick, as the lead romantic protagonist, was an emotional watch for South Asian women everywhere. I tell Ashley of me and my sister’s collective sob in seeing ourselves and our culture reflected in such a positive, beautiful way. With a smile, she shares that her next projects are making meaningful shifts, too. “It’s important to remember that I’m actually a whole human being. This is just the color of my skin. I’m really pleased to represent that but I’m also here to create something arresting for you to enjoy.That’s the goal: for these conversations [about representation] to no longer happen – because it’s so normalized.”
2024 is set to be her biggest year yet. She has two upcoming projects in the pipeline: a twisted psychological thriller, This Tempting Madness, and an Amazon Prime romantic comedy, Picture This, on which she is also executive producer.
“Picture This is completely different to Bridgerton,” Ashley explains. “It’s like an Indian Bridget Jones. When I watched the final cut of it, I felt the exact same way you were feeling when you saw yourself represented – it’s the first time I’ve seen an Indian girl as the lead in this kind of genre. Yes, there’s cultural specificity but never once did we stereotype my heritage or Indian traditions – everyone can watch this and feel a kinship to the character”.
While Picture This will see Ashley in rom-com mode, This Tempting Madness will show a different side to the actor. “This Tempting Madness is dark,” she says of the plot. “I was in LA auditioning for this role in 2023, and I was on the phone to my team and I said, ‘They are never going to ask me; there’s a family in the movie… they are going to want to get a white girl so they can get a white family – it’s just easier to cast’. My friend [TV personality and designer] Tan France was in LA at the time and I remember saying, ‘Tan, come on, they are never going to cast me – there’s going to be a mom and a dad and I’ve never seen that kind of diverse casting in a psychological thriller before’. He was like, ‘Simone, go and smash it; you’re going to get this role’. I called him the following week to tell him I got it, and he was like, ‘See – you can make this happen.’”
“This was an independent movie and I was so grateful to the producers and to the director – it didn’t matter where I was from; I was just the right actor for the role,” she continues. “Of course, being the lead in something like Bridgerton is so amazing, but I want to do all genres – actions, thrillers, everything. Women like us should be, like, ‘Why not me?’”
The nuance that comes with being ‘the first one to do it’ means that, more often than not, you become the standard bearer for the cause. While being a poster child of change can have its advantages, it doesn’t come without its challenges. “When the narrative is that you have to carry the weight of every dark-skinned girl’s dream on your shoulders, it’s actually counteractive [to the cause]. You’re told you need to talk about your brown skin, diversity, and how hard it was for you – but I’m fine, I’m really happy, my life is so blessed. It doesn’t need to be this trauma porn all the time. People know that diversity is clickbait now, and you have to be careful and think, ‘Do they actually care about me or is it going to look good for them hiring the brown girl?’ I’m strong enough to be like, ‘No thank you’. Always work with grace and kindness but you have to protect yourself and know your worth”, she says.
You can read the rest of the interview at the source.
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