Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2021 Simone Ashleyis getting painfully real about her jaunt to Regency-era London. TheBridgertonstar, 26, opened up about the “interesting” experience of wearing a corset every day while filming season 2 ofShonda Rhimes' hit Netflix series during aninterviewwithGlamour UK, noting that nobody warned her to watch what she ate. “On my first day, I was like, ‘OK, first day as a leading lady, got to eat lots of food, be really energized,’ " she recounted....

This lesson may not be in your textbook.Simone Ashleyshared a behind-the-scenes moment fromSex Education’sintimacy training — and it doesn’t have to do with human sex at all. In a conversation with theLos Angeles Times’podcastThe Envelope, Ashley explained why the cast of the Netflix series was required to watch snails mate ahead of filming sex scenes.“We explored the movement of different animals to kind of portray different paces or different sexualities or how sensual something could be,” said Ashley, 27....

Simone Ashleyis having a blast hanging out on theBridgertonset — though to be fair, there isn’t a ton of time to hang. “We don’t really wait around much onBridgerton,” the 26-year-old tells PEOPLE. “It’s always busy, busy, which is great. I don’t like too much time twiddling my thumbs.” Between takes, Ashley — one ofPEOPLE’s 2021 Ones to Watch— says the cast is often shuttled to dance rehearsals or horseback riding lessons, though she finds moments to “have a laugh” with costars like Jonathan Bailey, a....

It didn’t take long forSimone Ashleyto step into herBridgertonfame.During an appearance on Monday’sJimmy Kimmel Live!, the season 2 star talked about how her life changed after getting cast in the hit Netflix series, explaining that she was brought face to face with her success during a recent hotel stay.“I’m staying in a hotel in L.A. and [when I was] checking in and they were like ‘Oh, your room is going to be about a 30 minute wait....

Photo: Jonathan Leibson/Getty Simone Ashleyis shedding more light on the sex scenes she had to film with costarJonathan BaileyonBridgerton. The 27-year-old actress — who playsKate SharmaonBridgerton— revealed she shot “all of our intimacy scenes in one week” while filming season 2 of the hit Netflix series. “We had champagne afterwe finished the sex scenesinBridgerton,” she recalled toThe Sunday Times. “It felt like we’d done the hardest bit of the whole 11-month shoot....

Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma and Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton.Photo: netflix Simone Ashleyhas some thoughts when it comes to her onscreen intimacy withBridgertoncostarJonathan Bailey. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE ahead of the release of the Netflix series' second season, Ashley opened up about her sex scenes with Bailey — and why she felt so “confident” going into them. “I was very confident,” said Ashley — who playsKate Sharma, the love interest of Bailey’s Anthony Bridgerton....

Photo: Leeor Wild/Glamour Simone Ashleyis opening up about her character Kate Sharma’s romance on theShonda Rhimesdrama Netflix seriesBridgerton. “It’s a very interesting enemies-to-lovers story. They have a lot of friction at the beginning because they resonate with whatever traits that annoy each other within themselves, and then that breeds chemistry,” said Ashley. “They’re both used to people walking away and being isolated, being left alone, being left with a lot of pressures and responsibilities, being slightly misunderstood....

Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in Bridgerton.Photo: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX Netflix’s latest hit seriesBridgerton— a period drama that follows British high society’s romantic pursuits through the lens of a gossip column in Regency-era England — may be fictional, but some of its characters and plot lines are rooted in history. The monarch, who has been coined as the “Mad King Who Lost America” (thanks in part to the success of Broadway’sHamilton), likely battled bipolar disorder....

Regé-Jean Page.Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty It looks likeRegé-Jean Pagehas landed another major role following his departure fromBridgerton. The 31-year-old actor will star in and executive produce Paramount’s upcoming reboot ofThe Saint,according toThe Hollywood Reporter. Paramount turned the literary work into a movie in 1997, withVal Kilmerportraying the mysterious Simon Templar character as a professional thief who uses the names of various saints for his heists. Last year,Varietyreportedthat a reboot ofThe Saintwas in the works at Paramount withChris Pineas its star and Dexter Fletcher directing....

“It came out of nowhere,” she said. “I was just sitting there as one does, pretending to write in a Starbucks, and my phone rang and it was my agent and he said, ‘Have you heard of Shonda Rhimes?’ And I just kind of went, ‘Uh, yes.’ He said, ‘Well, I just had the most interesting call.'” Daphne Bridgerton (L; Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page).LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX “I practically fell off the stool, ‘cause nobody was adapting romance novels,” she continued....

Julia Quinn, the author of the belovedBridgertonbook series, is mourning the deaths of her father and sister. On Wednesday evening, Quinn, 51, announced in astatementshared on Facebook page that her loved ones were killed in a car crash involving a drunk driver in Utah. “I have lost my father and my sister. Because a catering company did not secure their load and canvas bags spilled onto the highway. Because a pickup driver thought nothing of driving while his blood alcohol level was nearly 3 times the legal limit,” she wrote....

In episode four, the Prince (Freddie Stroma) proves his love to Daphne with an elaborate diamond necklace — a gift so expensive that her mother even suggests she not wear it out to the ball. Later, when Daphne storms off the dance floor as the Prince is about to propose, she tears it off her neck and leaves it on a bridge, never to be seen or spoken of again....

Photo: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIXNetflix’sBridgertonhas captivated audiences with its dramatic plotlines and swoon-worthy romances, but one of the most fascinating aspects of the show is how they tell a story throughall the various Regency-era looks.PEOPLE recently spoke with costume designerSophie Canaleduring a costume installation for Netflix’s FYSEE Experience — which kicked off on May 15 at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles — and she teased that one outfit from last season was actually a big Easter egg forwhat’s to come in season 3....