‘Bridgerton’: Simone Ashley Previews ‘Slow Burner’ Romance for Kate & Anthony
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Bridgerton is welcoming a new leading lady to its second season as Sex Education‘s Simone Ashley steps into the role of Kate Sharma in the Netflix mega-hit.
And despite joining a series that’s already established many of its fan-favorite characters, Ashley’s Kate is sure to shoot to the top of many viewers’ lists. The actress delivers a star turn as the headstrong eldest sister of the Sharma family which includes her mother Lady Mary (Shelley Conn) and younger sister Edwina (Charitra Chandran). Arriving just in time for the ton’s latest social season, Kate hopes to shine the light on her younger sister, choosing to stand on the sidelines for the sake of her family’s future.
(Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix)
That will be easier said than done once she meets the equally headstrong Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey). “She has a pretty exciting entrance,” Ashley tells TV Insider of her character Kate. “She’s mysterious, she’s strong, she’s a woman that knows what she wants.”
That self-knowledge is something that the star admires about her character as she goes on to add, “There’s something endearing about her, and I really love Kate’s values [which] is to protect her family.” It’s a challenge that Kate takes very seriously, especially since “the stakes are really high,” Ashley says.
(Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix)
How high might you ask? Well, we can’t share all of the details, but Ashley teases, “it’s known on the surface that [Kate]’s there to help Edwina find a match, but maybe there’s more depth to her plan.” Along the way, she encounters Anthony, and Ashley muses that Kate “is definitely attracted him when she first meets him, and she surrenders to a smile or a laugh. He’s very charming,” she adds.
The brief first encounter and initial attraction don’t last long once she learns Anthony’s true intentions for finding a wife without the presence of love. But Ashley notes that those “fireworks going off” are essential as “it lays this foundation that they’re always drawn back to it.”
And settle in for the long game, because as Ashley puts it, “it’s a slow burner and by the time the fireworks happen, it’s really earned and amazing.” There’s a drawn-out will-they-won’t-they scenario that unfolds, creating a perfect storm of strong emotions. “There’s so much tension between them and they want to be together, but the circumstances around them trap them in a way,” Ashley shares.
Those circumstances revolve around the importance of “duty and responsibilities to their families,” notes the actress who admits it’s one of the reasons for what’s holding them back from one another. But that restraint can only last so long. Tune in to see just how long Kate and Anthony can last against the growing feelings they uncover for one another when Bridgerton returns to Netflix this season.
Bridgerton, Season 2 Premiere, Friday, March 25
