{"id":100527,"date":"2024-05-28T10:28:33","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T10:28:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/28\/hit-refresh-with-simone-ashley\/"},"modified":"2024-05-28T10:28:33","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T10:28:33","slug":"hit-refresh-with-simone-ashley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/28\/hit-refresh-with-simone-ashley\/","title":{"rendered":"HIT REFRESH With Simone Ashley"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\u201cThose roles [like Bridgerton] do somewhat define you because they have so many eyes on them \u2013 and I\u2019m so grateful for that. It\u2019s been amazing,\u201d Ashley tells me. At the same time, she\u2019s ready for a new challenge. \u201cI\u2019m excited to be on my own path and not defined by one role<\/b>. This is what I think a lot of actors who have been part of a big franchise go through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Returning to the Bridgerton set this time around was a different offering \u2013 she and Jonathan Bailey [who plays Anthony] have considerably less screen time \u2013 and where some might have found that a strange shift, Ashley saw it as a springboard to leave her mark on the series \u2013 and elsewhere. \u201cIt 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 \u201cPolin\u201d [the internet\u2019s nickname for the will-they-won\u2019t-they couple \u2013 Penelope and Colin] to mark this season. But I\u2019m excited to show a world beyond my chapter<\/b>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ashley\u2019s 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\u2019s 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. \u201cIt\u2019s important to remember that I\u2019m actually a whole human being. This is just the color of my skin. I\u2019m really pleased to represent that but I\u2019m also here to create something arresting for you to enjoy.<\/b>That\u2019s the goal: for these conversations [about representation] to no longer happen \u2013 because it\u2019s so normalized.\u201d<\/p>\n

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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.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cPicture This<\/b> is completely different to Bridgerton,\u201d Ashley explains. \u201cIt\u2019s like an Indian Bridget Jones<\/b>. When I watched the final cut of it, I felt the exact same way you were feeling when you saw yourself represented \u2013 it\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve seen an Indian girl as the lead in this kind of genre<\/b>. Yes, there\u2019s cultural specificity but never once did we stereotype my heritage or Indian traditions \u2013 everyone can watch this and feel a kinship to the character\u201d.<\/p>\n

While Picture This will see Ashley in rom-com mode, This Tempting Madness will show a different side to the actor. \u201cThis Tempting Madness is dark<\/b>,\u201d she says of the plot. \u201cI was in LA auditioning for this role in 2023, and I was on the phone to my team and I said, \u2018They are never going to ask me; there\u2019s a family in the movie\u2026 they are going to want to get a white girl so they can get a white family \u2013 it\u2019s just easier to cast\u2019.<\/b> My friend [TV personality and designer] Tan France was in LA at the time and I remember saying, \u2018Tan, come on, they are never going to cast me \u2013 there\u2019s going to be a mom and a dad and I\u2019ve never seen that kind of diverse casting in a psychological thriller before\u2019. He was like, \u2018Simone, go and smash it; you\u2019re going to get this role\u2019. I called him the following week to tell him I got it, and he was like, \u2018See \u2013 you can make this happen.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis was an independent movie and I was so grateful to the producers and to the director \u2013 it didn\u2019t matter where I was from; I was just the right actor for the role,\u201d she continues. \u201cOf course, being the lead in something like Bridgerton is so amazing, but I want to do all genres \u2013 actions, thrillers, everything. Women like us should be, like, \u2018Why not me?<\/b>\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The nuance that comes with being \u2018the first one to do it\u2019 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\u2019t come without its challenges. \u201cWhen the narrative is that you have to carry the weight of every dark-skinned girl\u2019s dream on your shoulders, it\u2019s actually counteractive [to the cause]. You\u2019re told you need to talk about your brown skin, diversity, and how hard it was for you \u2013 but I\u2019m fine, I\u2019m really happy, my life is so blessed. It doesn\u2019t need to be this trauma porn all the time. People know that diversity is clickbait now, and you have to be careful and think, \u2018Do they actually care about me or is it going to look good for them hiring the brown girl?\u2019 I\u2019m strong enough to be like, \u2018No thank you\u2019.<\/b> Always work with grace and kindness but you have to protect yourself and know your worth\u201d, she says.<\/p>\n

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You can read the rest of the interview at the source<\/a>.
Simone’s ig page<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n