Bridgerton's Simone Ashley Confirms What We Suspected About Her On-Set Wardrobe

The long-awaited second season of "Bridgerton" is almost here. Netflix announced that the series will drop on March 25, and follows the trials and tribulations of Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (played by Jonathan Bailey) as he seeks a wife. The trailer teases old and new faces, and even hints that the queen is still trying to uncover the identity of the mysterious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown. 

The series is based on Julia Quinn's second novel in the Bridgerton series, called "The Viscount Who Loved Me." According to Entertainment Weekly, Edwina Sharma (played by Charithra Chandran) catches the viscount's eye, but he soon realizes that he needs to prove himself to her sister, Kate Sharma (played by Simone Ashley). Bailey told EW that the storyline depicts love in the Regency period, an era renowned for how "rigid" it is. At the same time, the actor divulged to The Sunday Times that "Bridgerton" still has plenty of "sex, sex, sex" scenes. 

In the sizzling trailer, Anthony notes, "It is only out of the greatest love of my family that I aim to choose a bride with my head and  not my heart." Of course, this begs the question if there's another possible candidate for the eldest Bridgerton's affections. Judging by the sparks flying between Kate and Anthony, it seems as if Edwina may have competition from her very own sister! But actor Simone Ashley revealed, that, unlike her character, her real-life challenges while working on the set were far less dramatic — but left her rather hungry.

Simone Ashley plays the leading role of Kate Sharma in the second season of "Bridgerton." She opened up to Glamour U.K. about the difficulties of wearing Regency-period costumes. She relayed, "On my first day, I was like, 'OK, first day as a leading lady, got to eat lots of food, be really energized.'" However, things quickly went downhill after she ate "this massive portion of salmon." She later realized that she became ill because of her corset and quickly figured out "when you wear the corset, you just don't eat."

Besides the dietary changes, Ashley revealed the wardrobe was also hard on her physical frame: "I had a lot of pain with the corset too." In fact, the pain was so severe, she shared, "I think I tore my shoulder at one point!" To add insult to injury, she also needed help getting dressed "because when you're in a corset, you can't put your shoes on."

However, "Bridgerton" changed the way Ashley viewed period dramas. She told Glamour U.K. she previously "couldn't relate to them, maybe because I couldn't see myself within one." She continued, "Representation matters, and yes, there is a minority that needs to be represented more." As for what her character is like, Ashley told People, "She listens to her own instincts and she's not easily swayed by what everyone else is doing." So it seems the uncomfortable wardrobe may have taken second place to breaking molds and stereotypes. That's just one of the reasons we love "Bridgerton."