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Simone Ashley reveals surprising details about steamy Bridgerton scenes

A lot of preparation went into the intimacy scenes of season two.
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When Bridgerton was first released, fans lost their minds over the steamy regent-era series. 

The show, which is based on a series of books by Julia Quinn and is in production on season three quickly became a cult classic.

And although fans may love the hot and heavy romance, Simone Ashley has dished on what it’s really like filming the intimacy scenes of the show. 

Related: First Look At ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3

The 27-year-old actress, who plays Kate Sharma in the show revealed recently to The Sunday Times that she shot all the intimacy scenes of season two “in one week.”

“We had champagne after we finished the sex scenes in Bridgerton,” she shared with The Sunday Times. “It felt like we’d done the hardest bit of the whole 11-month shoot.”

Ashley also revealed how she prepared to film the scenes, sharing, “It’s a lot, gearing up for that every day and making sure you have enough sleep, doing whatever you have to do to make you feel ready. I am confident in myself and my body.”

Ashley previously spoke with PEOPLE about how she felt confident filming the sex scenes of the show. 

“I felt very safe. I felt very protected,” she said. “I was very excited to be doing these scenes where we can show a dark-skinned woman and her body and not be so taboo about it. Especially a dark-skinned Indian woman where maybe they’re represented in a conservative way sometimes.”

She also credited Jonathan Bailey with making her feel even more comfortable.”Johnny was an amazing co-partner to work with,” she explained. “We worked with an amazing intimacy coordinator who ensured that it was choreographed and it was a safe space where we could communicate and make sure that we knew exactly what was going to be happening on the day. And I think that’s something that Johnny and I had throughout the whole series.”

“We always had each other’s backs and made sure that each other, as much as we were doing our own work and we were on our own journeys, we would always check in with one another and make sure that they were okay.”

Bridgerton
(Credit: Netflix)

Last year, one lead write revealed what it was really like to work on the show. 

Jess Brownell, a writer-producer on the period drama spoke to the Sunday Times, describing the process of writing the show’s steamy scenes as “awkward.” 

“[It was] one of the most awkward moments of my career … I was having fun but then I remembered my boss would read them … he had asked for them to be detailed.”

Season one of Bridgerton raised eyebrows when it was first released, showcasing overtly sexual sequences, and whilst the show quickly made a name for itself, season two took on a much different tone, taking on a “slow burn” approach. 

“Every character’s romantic life is different,” explained Shonda Rhimes. 

“It would be weird if everybody had the same kind of sex life…What is great about season two is it is about longing.”

Bridgerton
(Credit: Netflix)

As fans patiently wait for season three to arrive, many are curious about what direction the story will take. 

“There’s eight Bridgerton siblings, so we’re planning on following each one of the siblings’ romantic stories,” Shonda told Entertainment Tonight of the next season. “We’re not necessarily going in order but we are going to be seeing each of the siblings and their stories.”

“[We] got a little bit creative so we’re already hard at work writing season 3. That is already in progress and you’ll see. Give it time,” she adds.

Related: How the cast of Bridgerton would describe Season 2

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“I really feel like it’s Colin and Penelope’s time,” Jess adds in a new interview with Variety. “Because we’ve been watching both of these actors on our screens since Season 1, we’ve already invested in them a little bit. We know who they are as people.

“I feel like, especially in the last season, there are these moments of tension between them where it’s like, Colin walks up to the line of almost realizing that Penelope has feelings for him but doesn’t quite get there. Instead of treading water on that dynamic, we wanted to push it into their season. It really felt like the perfect moment to tee it up.”

Related: What happens in Bridgerton Season 3? All the steamy details you want to know

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