Simone Ashley | |
|---|---|
 Ashley in 2025 | |
| Born | Simone Ashwini (1995-03-30)30 March 1995 (age 30) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2016–present[1] |
Simone Ashwini Pillai (born 30 March 1995),[2][3] known professionally asSimone Ashley, is an English actress. On television, she is known for her roles in theNetflix period dramaBridgerton (2022–present) and comedy-dramaSex Education (2019–2021). Her films includePicture This andThis Tempting Madness (both 2025).
Born Simone Ashwini Pillai to IndianTamil speaking parents Latha and Gunasekharan Pillai, Ashley is fromCamberley,Surrey, and has an older brother, Sean Pillai.[4][5] Ashley has spoken about how despite growing up in a household of academics, she was always drawn more towards the creative fields.[6] Her parents were hesitant about her inclination to the arts. "My parents were quite protective over me", she toldGlamour. "They'refirst generation. They came from India to this country, so they didn't really have a life where they could choose to be whatever they wanted."[4] Ashley grew up singing classical music, opera, and playing the piano.[7]
Ashley's family later moved toBeaconsfield, where she attendedBeaconsfield High School and thenRedroofs Theatre School inMaidenhead for sixth form.[8][6] She left school early at sixteen, describing herself as "very stubborn"[9] and "wishing my life away".[10] She spent some of her teen years inOjai, California, where she has relatives. She signed with a modelling agency and began auditioning when she was 18.[11] She then studied acting atArts Educational Schools (ArtsEd) in West London.[2][12]
Ashley's first acting role was in two episodes of theCBBC fantasy teen dramaWolfblood as Zuhra. This was followed by appearances in the thriller seriesGuilt (2016) and theITV crime dramaBroadchurch (2017).[1] She made herfeature film debut in 2018 with a small role inBoogie Man as Aarti, and a more prominent role inKill Ben Lyk as one of the many characters named Ben Lyk.[13] From 2019 to 2021, Ashley played the recurring character Olivia Hanan in theNetflix comedy-dramaSex Education. She also appeared in the ITV psychological thriller miniseriesThe Sister as Elise Fox in 2020.[14]
Having auditioned in 2020, it was announced in February 2021 that Ashley would star as leading lady Kate Sharma, oppositeJonathan Bailey, in thesecond series of theShondaland-produced Netflix romance period dramaBridgerton, based on the second novel inJulia Quinn'sBridgerton series,The Viscount Who Loved Me.[15] The series was released in March 2022. She reprised her role for the third series.[16]
Ashley was named one ofVariety's 2021 Brits to Watch.[7] In 2022, Ashley featured in theForbes 30 Under 30 list in European entertainment,[17] theTime 100 Next,[18] andThe Hollywood Reporter's Great British and Irish Film and TV Breakouts.[19] She appeared on the cover of BritishVogue's December 2022 and March 2024 issues, the latter as part of an ensemble of 40 women gathered to honor and celebrateEdward Enninful's tenure as editor.[10]
She played Indira, a sister of Ariel, in the2023 live-action film adaptation ofDisney'sThe Little Mermaid.[9] On 9 July 2024, Ashley was cast in the filmF1,[20] but her role was mostly cut.[21] In March 2025, Simone starred as the lead actor in moviePicture This. She played Pia, older sister to Sonal, whose wedding is the side backdrop to the film.[22] In March 2025, Ashley revealed that she was in the process of recording her debut album with producerFraser T. Smith.[23] She became aL'Oréal Paris spokesperson in May 2024.[24]
From summer 2022 to January 2025, Ashwini was in a relationship with former lawyer Constantin "Tino" Klein, theCEO of F.A.T. Ice Race, after meeting at the2022 Monaco Grand Prix.[25][26][27]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Boogie Man | Aarti | ||
| Kill Ben Lyk | Girl Ben Lyk | |||
| Sparrow | Taylor | Short film | ||
| 2019 | Detective Pikachu | Girlfriend | [28] | |
| 2023 | The Little Mermaid | Indira | [9] | |
| 2024 | 10 Lives | Rose (voice) | [29] | |
| The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland | Alice (voice) | |||
| 2025 | Picture This | Pia | Also executive producer | [30] |
| F1 | Herself | [31][21] | ||
| This Tempting Madness | Mia | [32] | ||
| 2026 | The Devil Wears Prada 2† | TBA | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Wolfblood | Zuhra | 2 episodes | |
| Guilt | Amanda | Episode: "A Simple Plan" | ||
| 2017 | Broadchurch | Dana | 2 episodes | [28] |
| Strike | Alicia | Episode: "The Cuckoo's Calling: Part 3" | ||
| L'ispettore Coliandro | Veena | Episode: "Mortal Club" | ||
| 2018 | Doctors | Sofia Johal | Episode: "Any Moment" | |
| 2019 | Casualty | Shai Anderson | 1 episode | |
| A Working Mom's Nightmare | Aisha | Television film | ||
| 2019–2021 | Sex Education | Olivia Hanan | Main role (season 1–3) | [6] |
| 2020 | The Sister | Elise Fox | Recurring role | [14] |
| 2022–present | Bridgerton | Kathani "Kate" Bridgerton (née Sharma), Viscountess Bridgerton | Main role (season 2–present) | [16] |
| Song | Year | Artist | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Love Letter" | 2022 | Odesza feat.The Knocks | [33] | |
| "Eve & Paradise Lost" | 2024 | Bastille | [34] |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Actress in a Streaming Series, Drama | Bridgerton | Nominated | [35] |
| TV Choice Awards UK | Best Actress | Nominated | [36] | ||
| IMDb Starmeter Award | Breakout Star | Won | [37] | ||
| 2024 | Monte-Carlo Television Festival | Most Promising Talent | N/a | Won | [38] |
| Glamour Awards | Gamechanging Actor | N/a | Won | [39] | |
| 2025 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Bridgerton | Nominated | [40] |
Simone Ashley has been cast in an undisclosed role in the upcoming Apple and F1 film starring Brad Pitt
