‘Bridgerton’ Star Simone Ashley Reveals Her Painful Experience While Filming

Bridgerton is back for Season 2 and Netflix subscribers cannot wait to see what the newest season has to offer. Amid Rege-Jean Page’s exit, Sex Education star Simone Ashley will have a lead role this time around as the second season focuses on finding Anthony Birgderton a suitor. According to Deadline, Ashley will star as Kate Sharma, Anthony’s new romantic interest. Per a description of Sharma’s character, “Newly arrived in London, Kate is a smart, headstrong young woman who suffers no fools — Anthony Bridgerton very much included.”

Casting Ashley is a big move for the show to change the race of another character from the Bridgerton book series by making Kate, whose name is Kate Sheffield in the books, of Indian descent. This follows the standard set in Season 1 when several major characters, including Simon, Marina, Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury, were racebent to be Black.

Though Ashley was happy to be part of the Shonda Rhimes produced series, she quickly learned how difficult filming could be. As it turns out, the costumes they wear in order to truly embody the Regency era in England, are painful.

The actress spoke to Glamour UK about wearing the tight corsets. “I think I tore my shoulder at one point!” she said. “I realized when you wear the corset, you just don’t eat,” she added, “It changes your body. I had a smaller waist very momentarily. Then the minute you stop wearing it, you’re just back to how your body is.”

She also explained how she became ill due to the costumes early on during filming. “‘OK, the first day as a leading lady, got to eat lots of food, be really energized. So, I had this massive portion of salmon, and that’s when I needed to be sick, basically because I was wearing the corset,” she said.