Ashley says she and Bailey didn’t hang out together outside of the set—a new experience for the actor, who was accustomed to the dormlike environment of Sex Education. But because of COVID-19 restrictions, the cast had to be extremely careful to not test positive or it would affect the filming schedule. And so, Ashley says, she and Bailey would do their work separately and then play off each other in the moment.
Carolina Herrera jacket and skirt. Jenny Bird necklace.
“I trusted Johnny very quickly, and I felt very comfortable to be vulnerable in my character with him,” she says. “We have a lot of unspoken things between us, where we understood each other as actors and with what we wanted to create between these two characters. We’re just so enthusiastic to make this as magical and wonderful as possible.”
And don’t worry: There will be the kind of make-you-blush moments fans have come to expect from the series—and from Ashley, if you’ve been paying attention. But not all sex scenes are created equal. “Bridgerton is hot and sexy and steamy,” she says. “On Sex Education, that wasn’t really our objective. We wanted to show 16-year-olds or adults in the show having real sex and facing real-life problems and whatever might happen. Bridgerton‘s more romantic than that.”
Ashley worked with intimacy coordinator Lizzy Talbot, and appreciated her emphasis on female pleasure. “I learned some stuff from her,” Ashley jokes. “Whatever the position might have been, she would say, ‘Well, let’s make sure that this is happening so that the woman comes as well.’” As for working with Bailey in those moments, “I felt very safe, especially in rehearsals. We always checked in with each other and treated it like a dance rehearsal, like choreography.”
Though Simone Ashley was born in Surrey, England, she says she really “grew up everywhere” and this lack of attachment to a definitive homebase has been a constant throughout her life. She moved a lot as a kid, and long stays with her extended family in California were frequent. During the past few years, she’s mostly lived between London and Los Angeles. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in one place for over a year,” she says. “Every year, something changes—which can be exhausting but amazing.”
The Bridgerton Effect Is Real, But Simone Ashley Is Ready
Pinas Flash Report
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