Why Simone Ashley Is Still All In On Bridgerton—Even With Less Screen Time
Even with Kate’s screen time shrinking, Simone Ashley says her loyalty to Bridgerton won’t budge — crediting Jonathan Bailey’s example during an April 13 appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast.
Yes, you noticed: Kate barely shows up in Bridgerton lately. Simone Ashley knows you noticed too. On The Louis Theroux Podcast on Monday, April 13, the actor talked about staying loyal to the show even as her screen time dipped, and credited co-star Jonathan Bailey for setting the tone.
"He set a great example of - for lack of a better word - the loyalty to the show. It is a show about family and returning home and returning to the family. I think a lot of people follow that suit."
The unglamorous part: calendars and planes
Ashley, 31, said she learned a lot from Bailey, 37, about making Bridgerton a priority. Going back now, she said, feels like returning to a family, and she and Bailey do the boring but essential thing: they line up schedules so it works. Bailey even ping-ponged between Toronto and London while shooting Wicked. Ashley was not filming at the start of this year, but she still hit eight cities in a month. If it had overlapped with Bridgerton, she says she would have found a way to make it work anyway. Not flashy, very real.
So where did Kate and Anthony go?
- Season 2: Their romance is the whole deal. Anthony has to un-knot his courtship with Kate's sister Edwina (Charithra Chandran) before ending up with Kate.
- Season 3: They pop in for a few scenes, then take off on a second honeymoon. Near the end, they return to share baby news, then decide to head to India.
- Season 4: The show keeps them in India after their first child arrives. Later, Anthony re-enters the picture at Aubrey Hall, but the couple largely stays offstage.
Why the show benched them (but left the door open)
Showrunner Jess Brownell spelled out the strategy back in June 2024. Sending Kate and Anthony to India was not a write-off, it was a runway. If actors are leading a season, the team wants to support them doing other projects afterward, not drag them back just to mill around in the background. Also, Season 4 needed room for Benedict. With Anthony away in Part 1, Benedict gets to actually wrestle with being the second son stepping in for the viscount. Bringing Anthony back later matters because the Anthony-Benedict dynamic is a big hinge between Parts 1 and 2.
Bottom line
Ashley is still all-in on Bridgerton, Bailey is the scheduling north star, and the creative plan is to keep Kate and Anthony on the map without wasting them. Translation: less screen time now does not mean they are gone for good.