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. It’s gonna be worth it, we’re just sorting some things out and moving rooms. But I think you’re really gonna like it,’ " the 26-year-old actress told Jimmy Kimmel.When Ashley finally got to the room, she went to peek at the balcony. What she saw was a giant view of her face,.“I open the window to my balcony and there’s this massiveBridgertonbillboard, literally right in front of me on my balcony,” she said, adding that the hotel had likely positioned her there on purpose.Ashley said she spent the hotel stay doing work calls and catching up on emails while looking out at her own face in the middle of Los Angeles.Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma and Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton in Netflix’s Bridgerton.LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIXOf course, Ashley didn’t need a billboard to know being inBridgertonwas a big deal.When she was first cast in the role, it happened to be right afterBridgertoncame out. “Everyone was talking about it,” Ashley said. “[They were like], ‘Oh, we watchedBridgertonseason 1 over the weekend! I wonder what’s happening on season 2!“Ashley couldn’t say thatshewas happening on season 2, the actress sworn to secrecy about her involvement in the series.“I was on a movie at the time and I was in my trailer, and I got the call saying, ‘It’s kind of secret, you can’t tell anyone. But you’ve got the role,’ " she said of the moment she found out she’d play Kate Sharma on the second season. “I couldn’t say that!“Since then, Ashley has been soaking up the spotlight, even making an appearance at theVanity FairOscars party on Sunday night.Arturo Holmes/FilmMagicNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.She’s worked with Netflix in the pas too, starring in the streaming service’s showSex Education, as Olivia.The actress grew up in England, but has family in California. She moved overseas around the age of 17 to pursue acting, much to the chagrin of her parents. “They were super supportive,” she said. “I think it was a little bit of an intervention when I wound up in L.A., [they were] going nuts. But I think I just went.“Jimmy Kimmel Live!airs weeknights (at 11:30 p.m. ET) on ABC.
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. It’s gonna be worth it, we’re just sorting some things out and moving rooms. But I think you’re really gonna like it,’ " the 26-year-old actress told Jimmy Kimmel.
When Ashley finally got to the room, she went to peek at the balcony. What she saw was a giant view of her face,.
“I open the window to my balcony and there’s this massiveBridgertonbillboard, literally right in front of me on my balcony,” she said, adding that the hotel had likely positioned her there on purpose.
Ashley said she spent the hotel stay doing work calls and catching up on emails while looking out at her own face in the middle of Los Angeles.
Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma and Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton in Netflix’s Bridgerton.LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
Of course, Ashley didn’t need a billboard to know being inBridgertonwas a big deal.
When she was first cast in the role, it happened to be right afterBridgertoncame out. “Everyone was talking about it,” Ashley said. “[They were like], ‘Oh, we watchedBridgertonseason 1 over the weekend! I wonder what’s happening on season 2!”
Ashley couldn’t say thatshewas happening on season 2, the actress sworn to secrecy about her involvement in the series.
“I was on a movie at the time and I was in my trailer, and I got the call saying, ‘It’s kind of secret, you can’t tell anyone. But you’ve got the role,’ " she said of the moment she found out she’d play Kate Sharma on the second season. “I couldn’t say that!”
Since then, Ashley has been soaking up the spotlight, even making an appearance at theVanity FairOscars party on Sunday night.
Arturo Holmes/FilmMagic
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
She’s worked with Netflix in the pas too, starring in the streaming service’s showSex Education, as Olivia.
The actress grew up in England, but has family in California. She moved overseas around the age of 17 to pursue acting, much to the chagrin of her parents. “They were super supportive,” she said. “I think it was a little bit of an intervention when I wound up in L.A., [they were] going nuts. But I think I just went.”
Jimmy Kimmel Live!airs weeknights (at 11:30 p.m. ET) on ABC.
source: people.com
