Netflix’s megahit series Bridgerton finally cast the lead role for the second season and they kept it within the streaming platform’s family.
Simone Ashley, who joined Netflix to play Olivia Hanan in the second season of Sex Education, was tapped to play the role of Kate Sharma, Anthony Bridgerton’s love interest for Season 2.
The show will deviate from its book origins by reintroducing the character as a woman of Indian descent. The move is consistent with the show’s theme of reimagining Regency London as a multi-racial world.
While it is expected that Kate will remain as outspoken and independent as her book counterpart, the show could tweak her background origins, much like it did with Marina Thompson in the first season.
In its announcement, Netflix described the character as “a smart, headstrong young woman who suffers no fools — Anthony Bridgerton very much included.”
The post received thousands of replies and retweets celebrating Ashley’s casting on the show. Many fans agreed that she deserved the break after her breakout role in Sex Education.
In an interview with showrunner Chris Van Dusen on Today with Hoda & Jena, he announced that they will be introducing more characters to the show and promised that Anthony and Kate’s love story will be just as compelling as that of Simon and Daphne from the first season.
The second season of Bridgerton will be based on Julia Quinn’s bestselling novel The Viscount Who Loved Me.