Simone Ashley's Scenes Were Cut From F1 — Here's Why
She was cast as a bigger part, but now she has no lines in the movie.
Any Bridgerton fans that were hoping to see their fave on the big screen this summer are in for a huge letdown. Although Simone Ashley was previously announced as a cast member in the big-budget racing drama F1, she’s been almost completely erased from the movie in final edits. Ahead of its premiere, the blockbuster’s director revealed why Ashley’s part had been cut down to a mere blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo.
Ashley’s involvement in F1 was announced in July 2024, after she was spotted filming with star Damson Idris at the British Grand Prix during that summer. While details about Ashley’s role were never fully disclosed, it was believed her storyline was closely tied to Idris’ character — the rookie Formula One driver who gets mentored by Brad Pitt’s veteran racer. Potentially, she may have played a love interest opposite Idris, but director Joseph Kosinski has confirmed that Ashley’s character is now almost entirely removed from the movie.
“It happens on every film, where you have to shoot more than you can use. There were two or three storylines that ultimately didn't make into the final cut,” Kosinski told People on June 16. “But Simone, she's an incredible talent, incredible actress, incredible singer, and I would love to work with her again.”
Per the outlet, Ashley still briefly appears in the final version of F1, although it’s only for a quick scene and she has no speaking lines.
Ashley described her experience filming F1 in a March Who What Wear profile. “I mean, this film, gosh, has been going for years. … I met for this movie, I think, before Bridgerton even came out,” Ashley said. “It's been a long time, and you know, it's Damson and Brad's movie. I'm just so grateful that I can be part of it, and yeah, we've toured with the Grand Prix. We were filming at the real races. You had to work as a team. Sometimes, we literally had one take for certain shots. Like, you'd see on the call sheet eight minutes to get this one thing because we were shooting alongside the races. ... It was amazing, the adrenaline. It was kind of like theater. It felt so live.”
F1 speeds into theaters on June 27.
