(July 14, 2024) Last month, the Monte-Carlo Television Festival hosted a star-studded event in Monaco, which saw the who’s who of the television industry gracing the blue carpet. For 63 years, the Principality of Monaco has been hosting its own international television festival where major broadcast networks, digital platforms, and well-known artists come together in picturesque settings to promote their programs to the press and public and to compete for the prestigious Golden Nymph Awards. This year the ‘International Golden Nymph for Most Promising Talent’ was awarded to British Indian actress Simone Ashley – best known for her role as Kate Sharma, the female lead in season two of the highly successful Netflix series Bridgerton.
Simone Ashley receiving the Golden Nymph award for ‘Most Promising Talent’ by Prince Albert II of Monaco
Apart from her role as the spirited Kate Sharma in Bridgerton, Simone Ashley has been recognised for her performance as Olivia Hanan, on the Netflix dramedy Sex Education. For her success as an artist Simone was named in the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 list and the TIME 100 Next list. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunities that have helped me open doors throughout my career and I would particularly like to thank Shonda Rhimes (television producer and screenwriter who helmed Bridgerton), and Netflix,” Simone said after receiving the award from Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Recently the Indian origin actor has also been appointed as the UK’s ambassador of the beauty brand L’Oréal.
Earning worldwide stardom
Simone Ashley (Simone Ashwini Pillai) skyrocketed to global fame nearly overnight, after featuring as the lead in season two of the immensely popular Netflix series Bridgerton – transitioning from being moderately successful to becoming an international star.
The actress had already created a mark among the fans of the Netflix series Sex Education, but her role as the lead in Season 2 of the immensely popular Netflix series Bridgerton made her career soar.
Simone Ashley in Bridgerton
The Indian origin actor had left home at 16 to pursue her dreams. In 2018, she made her feature film debut in Boogie Man, and a year later, she secured the role of Olivia Hanan in the Netflix series Sex Education. After auditioning for the romantic period drama in 2020, she was named the leading lady of Bridgerton in early 2021, and there has been no looking back ever since. “I think that it’s a gift to an actor to be presented with such a great character journey,” she remarked about the role that changed the course of her career and life for the better.
The India connection and love for acting
Born to Indian Tamil parents Latha and Gunasekharan Pillai in Camberley, Surrey, Simone grew up in a family of academics. However, despite her family’s academic background, she developed a passion for performing arts, a fact that initially concerned her parents. Nonetheless, her family supported her endeavour to pursue her creative interests in singing classical music and opera and playing the piano. They even moved to another town so that she could attend Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead. Later she enrolled herself in the Arts Educational School in London for training in acting.
Using stardom to raise awareness
While growing up in the UK, Simone was made aware of her dark complexion early on. “I remember people saying certain things that make you really aware of the colour of your skin,” she remarked in an interview. Later, when she started looking for acting opportunities, it led to slower growth in her career compared to other aspiring actors. “But I never surrendered to it,” she said, highlighting how skin tone-based discrimination affected her career initially.
Always inclined towards giving back, as soon as Simone started getting successful, she began putting her stardom to good use by raising awareness about colourism in the industry. She believes actors are still ‘typecast’ and ‘overlooked because of the colour of their skin.’
Simone Ashley
That’s one of the reasons she is excited about her new role as the UK’s ambassador for L’Oréal. “I’m so honoured to be invited to join the L’Oréal Paris family and to stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the most inspiring and beautiful women in the world,” she said. “Being the face of a brand like L’Oréal means the world to me. I guess maybe I manifested it when I was a kid – I always dreamt of stuff like this. I feel very happy.”
Simone’s journey of achieving her dreams of becoming an actor and then being chosen as the spokesperson for the world’s leading beauty brand serves as a powerful example of how talent shines irrespective of skin colour.
