Which skin do you belong to?
Which feathers does your body hold onto?
Can you even fly?
Or just pretend to?
When you look at me,
Do you see a temple or a cathedral?
For I can neither fly nor fall,
I am a woman- I can just stand tall.
Dhanush was the first to step into Hollywood from South India – The Gray Man (2022), at the beginning. South Indian women? None. Not a face, not a name. For years, brown women weren’t in the frame, unless they were pouring tea in the corner. A corseted British period drama was fantasy, and not ours.
Then came Simone Ashley. Yes, she entered with tea, but she didn’t stay in the margins. She walked into the room, met their gaze, and buried the orthodox six feet deep.
This article explores the layered impact of Simone Ashley on global screens as a recalibration of who gets to be seen, desired, and centred.
Table of Contents
Early Life and Cultural Roots
Simone Ashley Pillai was born on March 30, 1995, in Camberley, Surrey, England, to Tamil Indian parents. Her family hails from Tamil Nadu, a state in South India rich in classical music, dance, and cinema. Despite being raised in the UK, Ashley describes her upbringing as culturally rich, albeit occasionally conflicted. She shared these details in her interview with British Vogue, where she said her parents, first-generation Indian Tamil immigrants, “tried to instil academic discipline” while she “failed at so many subjects” and leaned into the arts instead. She left school at 16 to pursue acting independently, attended Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead, and later studied acting at ArtsEd (Arts Educational Schools London), which shaped her early performance sensibilities.
As per British Vogue, what’s striking about Ashley’s journey is that she was not born into the entertainment elite. She didn’t emerge through a Bollywood-to-Hollywood pipeline nor rely on familial ties. Her rise was self-forged, driven by a clear vision of the kinds of stories and images she wanted to be part of.
Walk Towards Fame
Before she dazzled ballrooms as Kate Sharma in Bridgerton, Simone Ashley walked grittier roads, where cameras were fewer and the spotlight dimmer.
In the CBBC fantasy series Wolfblood, she appeared as Zuhra- a character most won’t recall, but a moment that meant everything to a girl beginning to dream aloud. Then came Guilt and Broadchurch, thrillers that let her brush shoulders with shadow and tension, sharpening her craft in the background while others held the centre frame.
By 2018, she had slipped into films. In Boogie Man, she played Aarti, small in screen time, yet still hers. In Kill Ben Lyk, she multiplied, becoming one of many “Ben Lyks,” bending identity with a wink, a grin, a challenge.
Hall of Fame
It was Sex Education that let her lean into rebellion with art. From 2019 to 2021, in the role of Olivia Hanan, she was more than just another high-schooler, sharp, stylish, and unapologetically bold. The world noticed, but more importantly, she noticed herself- growing, blooming, burning brighter. Even in the dark hues of The Sister (2020), where she played Elise Fox, Simone built delicacy into the bones of the scene.
How Simone Ashley Got the Bridgerton Call
From Set to Breakthrough Moment
In an article by People, it was early 2021when Simone was working on another film project and wasn’t expecting her life to pivot in a single phone call. While sitting in her trailer, her phone rang up from the casting team, saying she had landed the coveted role of Kate Sharma. It was confidential. She couldn’t tell a soul, not even close friends or family.
The Aftermath: Fame in Moments
A few weeks into release, Simone found herself staying in an L.A. hotel where the marketing worked overtime: she opened her balcony window and was greeted by a massive billboard displaying her face, directly outside her room. She mentions in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel how each morning she would do work calls or send emails, gazing up at her own image hovering over the city. It became a surreal affirmation of how far she’d come in a short time.
Beyond Bridgerton: Other Works and Cultural Presence
While Bridgerton catapulted Ashley into international recognition, she hasn’t stopped evolving. She starred in the 2023 live-action Disney film The Little Mermaid, playing Indira, one of Ariel’s sisters. Although a smaller role, it further embedded her into the mosaics of global, mainstream storytelling.
Ashley has also lent her voice to numerous conversations around race, identity, and the need for authentic storytelling in entertainment. She has used her platform to discuss how South Asian women are often excluded from both Western and Indian beauty standards, and why this needs to change.
Upcoming projects reportedly include roles in both film and fashion campaigns that aim to pivot around culturally underrepresented women, though details remain under wraps.
Fashion, Iconography, and Global South Asian Beauty
Outside of her acting career, Simone Ashley has become a fashion icon, frequently appearing on the covers of British Vogue, Elle UK, Glamour, and other major publications. She has walked red carpets for Balmain, Valentino, and Burberry, as the embodiment of a new aesthetic- melanin, elegance, and edge.
Her visibility in fashion reshapes the conversation around South Asian beauty in global media. In a world still obsessed with Eurocentric ideals, Ashley’s features-sharp cheekbones, deep brown skin, almond eyes- offer a different kind of glamour: one that is rooted, historical, and magnificently contemporary.
Conclusion
A revolution is set forth; it might remain unnoticed by the eyes of many, yet it holds a substantial value, and its pace is constant. Simone Ashley is the torch-bearer of this movement, and her work is impacting a swarm of South-Asian folks, especially those who hid themselves underneath a blanket of self-doubt and a fragile foundation of confidence.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Deepika Padukone, Freida Pinto, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Geraldine Viswanathan, and now, Simone Ashley, not just joining the ranks, but carrying forward the legacy of South Asian women reshaping the lead narrative in Hollywood- the face of Global visibility.
FAQs
Does Simone Ashley have Indian roots?
Yes, she hails from South Indian- Tamilian descent, growing up with the influence of a plethora of ethnicities and cultures. Although her first-generation parents are from India, Ashley grew up in England.
Who are the Indian women in Bridgerton?
In Netflix’s historical drama, Bridgerton, Indian representation takes a significant stride through the introduction of Kate and Edwina in the second season, played by Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran, respectively.
Why are there Indian characters in Bridgerton?
Historian Durba Ghosh said that during the Regency, which lasted from 1811 to 1820, many British officials from the East India Company had families with Indian Women, and for the purpose of raising their children in English, they were often brought to England during this period.
Was Kate from Bridgerton in The Little Mermaid?
Simone Ashley, also known as Kate Sharma from the series Bridgerton, landed her first Disney princess role- joining Halle Bailey in “The Little Mermaid” as Ariel’s elder sister, Indira.
