Simone Ashley is Bridgerton's season 2 star, and while it was an incredible experience, the 26-year-old actress opened up about some unexpected challenges in portraying her Regency-era character. Ashley plays Kate
Sharma, who becomes the love interest of Lord Anthony, as played by Jonathan Bailey. In an interview with Glamour UK, Ashley said her costume, which included a corset, messed with her physically on and off set.
“On my first day, I was like, ‘OK, first day as a leading lady, got to eat lots of food, be really energized,’” she said. “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 continued, “I realized when you wear the corset, you just don't eat. 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. I had a lot of pain with the corset, too, I think I tore my shoulder at one point!”
Ashley's costume was a team effort and she said she needed a lot of help from the wardrobe department “because when you're in a corset, you can't put your shoes on.”
In an earlier interview with People, Ashley talked about Kate's character, and she seems to be someone Ashley admires.
“She listens to her own instincts and she's not easily swayed by what everyone else is doing,” Ashley explained. “We meet her in different vulnerable moments and discover her background a little bit more and the family trauma that she holds. There's a lot of common cause for an audience to relate to her.”
The second season of the hit Netflix show is premiering on March 25.