Meet Bridgerton’s New Lead—Find Out Who Just Cast as Kate for Season 2!
Take note, dear readers: Bridgerton has a new lead. Sex Education star Simone Ashley has been cast as Anthony Bridgerton’s love interest, Kate Sharma, for Season 2.
“Prepare to fall in love with Simone Ashley, who will play Kate in Season 2 of Bridgerton,” Netflix announced on February 15.
New to London, Ashley is described as “a smart, stubborn young woman who doesn’t suffer fools—including Anthony Bridgerton.”
According to Deadline, Kate and her family “are envisioned by the show’s production team as being of Indian descent in a continuation of the reimagined multiracial world of early 1800s London high society created in Season 1.”
The second book in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, The Viscount Who Loved Me, focuses on Jonathan Bailey’s Lord Anthony Bridgerton, the eldest Bridgerton brother who became Viscount after his father’s death. Lady Whistledown previously revealed in her society papers that Anthony is “intended to dominate the social season” in Season 2 of the scandalous period drama, which begins production this spring.
“We’re actually going to be with the eldest Bridgerton brother next season, our Viscount Lord Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey,” showrunner Chris Van Dusen revealed while announcing the Season 2 renewal on TODAY. “We left him at a crossroads at the end of the first season, so I’m really looking forward to diving in and finding out how he fares on the marriage market.”
Could Kate be the one? Here’s what we know about Anthony’s romantic interests:
Who is Kate Sheffield in Bridgerton?
Kate Sheffield makes her London debut at the ripe age of 20: After her father’s death, the country family is broke, so her stepmother can only afford to pay for both Kate and her half-sister, Edwina, all at once. But luckily for them, the beautiful Edwina is the “unparalleled” of the season—just in time to catch the attention of Viscount Bridgerton, who has finally decided it’s time to settle down and produce an heir. But for him, marriage is a transaction, and love is not on his mind. Kate considers herself more plain and straightforward than her beautiful sister, and she’s not too keen on getting married, especially to superficial men of the upper class.
What will happen to Kate in the Bridgerton books?
Kate first meets Anthony when he starts courting her sister, as Edwina has said she won’t marry anyone without her sister’s approval. Unfortunately, Kate knows Anthony’s reputation as a “womanizer” (the 19th century version of a playboy) and disapproves, even though his wealth and status would secure a future for her and her stepmother, as well as Edwina.
Will Kate Sheffield and Anthony Bridgerton fall in love in the Bridgerton books?
With witty banter and plenty of misunderstandings, Kate and Anthony develop a relationship, and, we don’t want to spoil it, but you can guess what happens next. And let’s just say that like Daphne and Simon, marriage itself isn’t the end of the story.
Will the show follow Kate’s storyline in the books?
There’s no guarantee that the series will follow the books exactly, so viewers can expect some differences. “I think [creator and executive producer] Chris Van Dusen has this amazing ability to continue Julia Quinn’s incredible books and her amazing world that she so skillfully filled with excitement and sexiness. And he takes it to the next level,” Bailey told Entertainment Tonight on January 21. “So the fact that we’re following Anthony’s journey to love means that you know there’s definitely going to be some similarities.”
