Actress Simone Ashley is still set to reprise her role as Kate on Netflix’s hit series “Bridgerton,” which released its fourth season earlier this year. Since finding love in the Regency drama’s second season, Ashley’s character has only appeared in a handful of episodes. Even though she’s not the focus of the story, as each season focuses on a new Bridgerton sibling love story, she would “love” to return for future seasons.
Simone Ashley opens up about her relationship with ‘Bridgerton’
While promoting her new role in the “The Devil Wears Prada” sequel, Ashley opened up about returning to her “Bridgerton” roots in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter. She revealed that she had already discussed her return as Kate with showrunner Jess Brownell despite her busy schedule.
“I can only speak for myself. I would love to come back to the show until the end,” Ashley said. “It’s a show about family and I think it’s changed my life and it’s such a joy and an honor to be a part of this show.”
“So I’ll always do my best to make it fit into my schedule when I’m involved in other projects or doing other things,” she continued. “And Jess is our showrunner at the moment and she’s been really cool talking about Kate’s future and what her role will look like in future seasons.”
Nicola Coughlan takes a step back from ‘Bridgerton’
During the last four seasons of the series, the actress Nicholas Coughlan was in the spotlight for her dual roles as Penelope Featherington (now Penelope Bridgerton) and Lady Whistledown. Although she decided to retire her gossip column during the final season, it appears someone else has picked up the Whistledown mantle.
Sadly, the Irish actress revealed that this meant she would also be taking a step back from the spotlight. “Filming for season five had already started, so I won’t be involved in it much,” Coughlan noted on Dish. “I’m always happy to come back. I think it’s a really nice job to come back.”
Jess Brownell Reflected on Penelope’s Character Arc
Nicola Coughlan discusses her upcoming Bridgerton appearance and her mother’s reaction to seeing Jonathan Bailey downstairs in the first episode pic.twitter.com/uCtjHe3QZs
— Nicola Crave (@NicolaCraves) April 29, 2026
During the third season of the series, Penelope reveals her identity as Lady Whistledown after marrying Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton). The two were shown to have welcomed a child at the end of the show’s third season, although their new roles as parents did not greatly influence the show’s final season, which focused on Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha).
Brownell reflected on the evolution of Penelope’s character in a conversation with Tudum, saying, “She’s no longer the helpless girl who needs Whistledown to take her voice back. Even though she maintains everything she believes about gossip as information, gossip as power for the voiceless, she realizes that it’s time for her to stop playing that role.”
Phoebe Dynevor was not asked to return to ‘Bridgerton’
Actress Phoebe Dynevor was thrust into the spotlight due to her role as Daphne Bridgerton in the first season of the series. Although she made an appearance in the second season of the series, she has not been seen since. In April 2026, Dynevor gave a very honest answer explaining why his character did not return.
“I just want to say I didn’t get a call,” she said. Collider Ladies Night in an interview published April 11, “and when I get that call, I’ll be there if I can.”
“When the first season came out, they didn’t know what to put in place,” she explained. “So we were like the ones who ran away, I think, in a way. But as we would – I can only speak for myself – I would always come back if asked.”
Simone Ashley’s role in ‘F1: The Movie’ has been removed
Simone Ashley can also relate to waiting for a phone call to return to a coveted role. Before starring in “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” she was supposed to star in “F1: The Movie.” However, his role was left in the editing room before the film hit theaters.
“I had a lot of fun making this movie. I’m such a fan of Formula 1,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “Working with Joseph Kosinski was such an honor. He is a wonderful director and someone who [remained] so confident and calm in such a chaotic environment.
“I loved working with Damson [Idris],Callie [Cooke]who is killing him right now, the whole crew. I got to travel around the world,” she continued. “And it was such a joy to go to the premiere and celebrate everyone and catch up with everyone. And the movie was great.
When asked if she would be open to revisiting a potential sequel, she replied, “Oh my God, I would love to.”