Summary
Overview
Simone Ashley joins Jay Shetty for an intimate conversation about her journey from awkward teenager to Bridgerton star, navigating life in New York, pursuing music, and manifesting love. She shares profound insights on self-belief, friendship, handling rejection in work versus relationships, and finding peace while feeling behind in life. The conversation explores her debut EP 'Songs I Wrote in New York,' the importance of non-materialistic values instilled by her mother, and the difference between being alone and being lonely.
From London to New York: Finding Home and Community
Simone reflects on her recent move to New York and how it transformed her life. Despite knowing nobody when she arrived, she found an incredible community of girlfriends who support each other through dating, career challenges, and personal growth. She discusses how the city gave her confidence and helped her find herself in ways London never did, particularly through the creative freedom it offered her music.
- Simone moved to New York last year knowing nobody and built a strong community of girlfriends
- Her friend Savannah took her hand and introduced her to people through dinners, concerts, and social events
- The friendships are built on mutual support, celebrating wins, and encouraging each other to take risks
- Moving to New York was a massive turning point that helped her find confidence in a larger way
" I think women to just annihilate competition and to just support each other and it's all like oh I feel the same way or that's happened to me before or I feel insecure about these things or awkward about these things and it's just so it's quite cathartic "
The Bridgerton Call That Changed Everything
Simone recounts the pivotal moment in January 2021 when she desperately needed work and told her friend she'd do anything, even a toothpaste commercial. Within a week, she got the call for Bridgerton. She filmed for 10 months during COVID, never imagining the scale of what it would become. The experience taught her about the unpredictable nature of opportunity and how life can transform in an instant.
- In January 2021, Simone was worried about money post-lockdown and said she'd do any work, even a toothpaste commercial
- She got the Bridgerton call literally the next week after expressing her desperation
- Filming lasted 10 months due to COVID protocols, much longer than typical productions
- She didn't understand the scale until after season 1's success with Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor
- Only in the past year or two has she fully understood how Bridgerton changed her life
" I was sat in my friend's apartment and I was like, I just need one thing, like whether it's a commercial, I'll do a toothpaste commercial, do anything. And then I got a call for Bridgerton literally the next week. "
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