Kate Sharma isn’t perfect. That’s why Simone Ashley loved the role
Follow us on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hi there! I’m Yvonne Villarreal, TV writer for The Times and co-host of “The Envelope” podcast.
I’m a devotee of period drama, and “Bridgerton” has delivered on all the familiar tropes I love: elaborate costumes, extravagant balls and, of course, a steamy romance. But what made the show’s second season really special was Kate Sharma, an intelligent, self-assured romantic lead and a role written and consciously cast for an Indian woman.
In this episode of “The Envelope,” I got to talk to Simone Ashley, who plays Kate, about the joys and responsibilities that come with on-screen representation, why it was important to portray Kate as a flawed character still worthy of love, and how her upbringing led her to dream big.
“I just wanted the smart, self-realized woman to get her love as well and to not be seen as a negative connotation or something difficult or all of those things that all of us women have heard.”
— Simone Ashley on her “Bridgerton” character, Kate Sharma
Listen wherever you get your podcasts or on latimes.com, where you can also read the full transcript.
Thanks, and happy listening!
Can't get enough about awards season?
For more, follow us on Twitter at @villarrealy and @IndieFocus, and for a deeper dive into the best new movies, get Mark’s weekly Indie Focus newsletter.
If you’re enjoying this newsletter, please consider subscribing to The Times.
Feedback? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at awards@latimes.com.
From the Oscars to the Emmys.
Get the Envelope newsletter for exclusive awards season coverage, behind-the-scenes stories from the Envelope podcast and columnist Glenn Whipp’s must-read analysis.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
