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Actress Simone Ashley recently spoke about her unwavering commitment to the hit series Bridgerton, even as her character Kate experiences less prominence on screen.
Appearing on “The Louis Theroux Podcast” on Monday, April 13, Ashley, 31, praised co-star Jonathan Bailey for instilling in her the importance of prioritizing the show. She remarked, “He set a great example of — for lack of a better word — loyalty to the show. Bridgerton is all about family, returning home, and being with loved ones, and many of us have embraced that mindset.”
Ashley, who has gleaned significant insights from 37-year-old Bailey, expressed her appreciation for the familial atmosphere on set.
“When we return to filming, there’s this sense of coming home and belonging to a family,” she shared. “I can only speak for myself and Johnny, but we always ensure our schedules align so we can make it work.”
As Bridgerton gears up for its fifth season, not all cast members have been confirmed to return. The series, rooted in Julia Quinn’s beloved novels, follows the romantic pursuits of the affluent Bridgerton family set in 19th century London. The inaugural season focused on Daphne Bridgerton, played by Phoebe Dynevor, and her journey…
Ashley continued: “He flew between Toronto and London back and forth whilst he was filming Wicked. Thank God I’ve not been filming during the start of this year. I’ve done like eight cities in one month. So that would have been a bit nuts to figure out. But I would have done it. I would have scheduled it.”
Kate’s romance with Anthony (Bailey) was the focus of Bridgerton season 2. Since most of the season was focused on Anthony getting out of a courtship with her sister, Edwina (Charithra Chandran), before getting together with Kate, viewers were expecting the pair to play a large role in season 3.
Season 3, however, featured Anthony and Kate sharing only a handful of scenes before disappearing on a second honeymoon. They returned toward the end of the season to announce Kate’s pregnancy, which is when the pair decided to take a trip to India. Season 4, meanwhile, explained Anthony and Kate’s continued absence by keeping them in India after the arrival of their first baby.
“I think the strength of sending them off to India for a little while is that it does leave the door open for them to come back, schedules allowing,” Brownell told Teen Vogue of the characters in June 2024. “I think, understandably, when any of our lead actors have given over their lives for their season, in future seasons, we want to be supportive of the fact that they do have other projects coming in, and to ask actors to come back just to be in the background is not really fair to them.”
At the time, Brownell explained the planned vision for Kate and Anthony.
Kate and Anthony don’t need to be Bridgerton leads for fans to follow along with their love story — that’s what spinoffs are for. The hit Netflix series introduced viewers to Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate (Simone Ashley) during the second season, which was released in 2022. After meddling in his sister Daphne’s (Phoebe Dynevor) […]
“I think after all they went through in their season, obviously, the focus for us this season was just showing them in a more loving place. But we also wanted to underscore how they’re still the Kate and Anthony you know,” she continued. “They still banter with each other and get annoyed at each other. We wanted them to show up in that way … They’re in a much wiser place, both of them, in their relationship to relationships.”
Brownell clarified why Anthony and thus Kate were barely in season 4, telling People, “I think for [Luke Thompson’s] Benedict in particular, it was important for Anthony to be elsewhere in part 1, to give Benedict a moment to struggle with the weight of being the second son who’s filling in for the viscount.”
She added: “For Anthony to be in India — or later in Aubrey Hall — it allows Benedict the chance to rise or to fail. It also felt incredibly important to bring Anthony back, because the relationship with Benedict is so key between the first and the second [parts of season 4].”
Bridgerton is currently streaming on Netflix.