Simone Ashley Movies and TV Shows to Watch After "Bridgerton"

Most recently, Ashley is known as "Bridgerton" season two's Kate Sharma. The series centers around the intense love lives of the Bridgerton family in Regency-era England. As for Kate, she's witty, smart, beautiful, and immensely loyal to her family — almost to a fault. While everyone around her is focused on finding someone to marry, Kate is focused on helping her younger sister, Edwina (Charithra Chandran), find a husband. The spotlight soon turns to Kate, however, when she captures the eye and heart of Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) in the process. The only problem? Anthony is engaged to Edwina, which forces her to decide whether to remain loyal to her sister or follow her heart.

In this 2021 psychological thriller miniseries, Ashley plays Elise Fox, a girl who died after a party over a decade before "The Sister" picks up, yet she plays a major role in the series. Why? Because the main protagonist, Nathan, is married to her sister, Holly, and when a mysterious man named Bob turns up on his doorstep one night, ghosts from his past re-emerge, suggesting he has a connection to Elise's murder.

Prior to "Bridgerton," Ashley was also known for her role as Olivia Hanan in Netflix's comedy-drama "Sex Education." The acclaimed series dives into the lives of those at Moordale Secondary School, including teachers and students, as they deal with the sometimes difficult world of sexuality and sexual experiences. Olivia is part of "The Untouchables" clique of popular, rich students at Moordale and is impersonal, but she becomes a client in classmate Otis Milburn's sex therapy to help her navigate her self-esteem issues around sex.

Ashley had a recurring role as Olivia in the series but will not be returning for the show's fourth season. She told Glamour in March 2022, "I think my time on [the show] has come to an end. It's very sad because I love them all so much."

Ashley's work over the years has not been limited to Netflix. In 2019, she starred as Aisha in the Lifetime TV movie "A Working Mom's Nightmare." Like many Lifetime movies, the plot is dramatic. Main character Kathy is happily married and has a good job and a seemingly perfect life on the outside. However, her employee Hannah learns all the ways in which Kathy's life isn't perfect and seeks to ruin Kathy's life so she can take all that is hers, including Kathy's husband and job. In "A Working Mom's Nightmare," Ashley has a small role as Kathy's assistant at work, who affirms her growing suspicions about Hannah.

"Kill Ben Lyk" is Ashley's second feature film appearance. The thriller-comedy follows several individuals named Ben Lyk who the British government believes to be murder targets after three people with the same name are killed. In order to prevent further murders of those named Ben Lyk, everyone with the name is brought together to hide and protect themselves. Ashley plays a girl named Ben Lyk, who deals with the shenanigans of hiding out with the others while trying to save herself when the killer breaks into their hiding spot. It's silly, funny, and all around an entertaining watch that's elevated by Ashley's lighthearted performance.

Ashley's first film role was in the 2018 film "Boogie Man." Ashley plays Aarti, a kind and beautiful children's activity teacher who is supposed to be set up with the film's main character, Paavan. The movie centers around Pavaan's struggle to identify with his Indian culture while also exploring what makes him happy. During a 1970s exhibition, he meets and falls in love with a model, which stirs up his identity crisis and loyalty to his family. Ashley's role in "Boogie Man" is small, but it only helped to build her career and launch her stardom.