Simone Ashley

The Bridgerton star champions the timelessness, power and honesty of The Cal™ photo shoot

The warm waves of a Miami beach are a far cry from the ballrooms and period gowns of Bridgerton, the hit Regency-era Netflix series that made Simone Ashley a household name.

But the British actress could not be more at home in the water posing for The Cal™ photographer Ethan James Green. The Cal™ shoot marked Ashley’s second time working with Green - he photographed her earlier in 2024 for a beauty brand - and she is a devoted fan.

The Cal shoot marked Ashley’s second time working with Green - he photographed her earlier in 2024 for a beauty brand - and she is a devoted fan.

“His work is incredibly powerful,” says Ashley, who described Green as “very empathetic”.

“And I love that he has that mantra of less is more. He finds the beauty in subtle movements and the subtlety of things… and I think that in itself is quite a challenge to just trust it, trust everything around you, trust that what you’re doing is enough.”

Reflecting on the history of the Pirelli Calendar, Ashley describes it as an honour to be featured alongside “such beautiful, iconic photography and a lot of amazing women”.

And she was entirely comfortable being photographed. “It’s very honest, and I love that,” she says, adding: “I take the art of photography seriously… I think the way we view the human body, it’s progressing more and more. But there’s something also really timeless about it, and I think the more we strip down, the more this universal language that we all speak emerges…it’s really powerful.”

Ashley, who is of Indian Tamil heritage, was born in Surrey, England, and growing up spent periods visiting family in California. From a young age she had her heart set on acting and after signing with a modelling agency as a teenager secured a background part in the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton. Small television roles followed before she landed her big break in the Netflix comedy Sex Education.

Then in 2021 she was asked to audition for the role of Kate Sharma, heroine of the second season of Bridgerton, setting her on course for other roles in forthcoming projects.

When you close your eyes do you have a moment or a memory of beauty that comes to mind?

I’m going to say all photographs of my mum when I was a child and she took me to Disneyland. There was just so much joy. And when my mum’s happy, there’s always a twinkle in her eyes.

What is one cinematic memory of beauty, something from the art world?

Mine is a song by Neneh Cherry and it’s called Buffalo Stance. It’s a hip-hoppy [song] but she raps in it and there’s a lyric that says, “looking good is a state of mind”. It always resonated with me that it really is a state of mind. It’s that confidence. It’s feeling the best version of yourself… and it’s such a fun, fun tune. So that, to me, is kind of my “cinematic” memory.

Is there a smell that you associate with beauty?

I love the smell of humid air, hot, thick air, and either the ocean or fresh grass. So, Mother Nature.

Simone Ashley Calendar Pirelli 2025 Interview 1

How about a sound?

Stillness. Like silence. Even when you’re hearing the waves or the breeze or birds. For me, because I live in London, when you come out of the city and it’s just... the silence among the noise. For me, that’s so beautiful.

A taste?

Maybe this is quite romantic but beauty is when you kiss someone, and it’s that chemistry and you don’t question it. The taste of someone else’s lips or someone else’s skin, it’s just beautiful. When it’s right, when it’s love, when it’s chemistry, that to me [is what] beauty tastes like.

What is true beauty to you?

True beauty to me is kindness. I think if you’re kind to someone or you’re a kind person, you can bring out the beauty in other people. It could be a small gesture and if someone’s having a bad day and you’re kind to them, it breeds hope that there [are] kind people, there’s positivity.