'Bridgerton' Season Two Star Simone Ashley Covers Porter Edit March 21, 2022 AOC Fashion

Note to Readers 4/29/24: We should have the new Vogue India Simone Ashley fashion story posted tomorrow.

‘Sex Education’ and new focus of ‘Bridgerton’s second season actor Simone Ashley covers the April 21st issue of Porter Edit Magazine. Marquessa Whyte styles the star in Chloé, Cult Gaia, Dries Van Noten, Gabriela Hearst, Isabel Marant, Paco Rabanne, Savannah Morrow, Stella McCartney and more.

Petros Studio [IG] is behind the lens for the fashion shoot with Missoni on the cover./ Art direction by Michael Kelly; set design by Julia Dias; hair by Daniel Martin; makeup by Alex Babsky

The second season of Bridgerton comes to Netflix on March 25. In the second-most-watched Netflix series, new girl Simone Ashley promises Porter Edit’s Shannon Mahanty that Bridgerton’s new season “is much grittier.”

When the ‘Sex Education’ actor of Indian heritage says: “There’s a lot of drama and a lot of sexual tension. My parents will be watching it – but not with me,” we all get the message. Even if you haven’t watched Bridgerton, most people know that the Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland production of Julia Quinn’s novels – which follow the love lives of Regency-era high society — aren’t your typical, stuffy period drama.

Normalizing Diversity

Ashley touches on a topic AOC feels strongly about, and it’s the normalization of diversity. Instead of racial tension in every interaction and race being the center of every onscreen episode, Shonda Rhimes does the complete opposite. If anyone can pull off the change, it’s Shonda Rhimes.

“Being part of these shows feels amazing,” says Ashley. “And it also feels like the right thing to do. [The diversity] isn’t really commented on in either of them, it’s just normalized, and I think that’s what makes them so great. I think the more these shows are being created, the more normal it’s becoming. I can certainly feel a temperature change.”

Asked another predictable question about her sense of obligation to represent her South Asian heritage in film, Ashley pushes back on the question.

Read the entire ‘Hot Property’ interview on Net-a-Porter.