Everything to Know About Simone Ashley, the Breakout Star of 'Bridgerton' Season 2

Simone Ashley is the "diamond" of Bridgerton season 2.

The British actress, 26, joins the cast of the hit Netflix series as Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey)'s love interest, Kate Sharma, this season and she's sure to wow audiences with her star power.

While this is her first time stepping into the exciting and dramatic world of Bridgerton, she's been in the spotlight for quite some time now.

In fact, you might recognize her from another hit Netflix series, Sex Education.

In addition to having a few big acting roles under her belt, she also has a background in performing arts (and one special connection to the famous voice of Lady Whistledown, actress Julie Andrews).

As Bridgerton season 2 unfolds, learn more about the talented actress, ahead.

Simone Ashley has a background in music

On top of being an actress, Ashley is also a talented singer and pianist. Before acting, she actually grew up singing classical music, including Italian opera.

"I grew up singing quite a lot and studied a lot of classical music, and then that kind of led into musical theater and I fell in love with musicals," Ashley previously said in PEOPLE's 2021 Ones to Watch package.

Simone Ashley was inspired to get into acting after watching Quentin Tarantino films

During her interview with PEOPLE, Ashley admitted that when she was studying musical theater, she started watching a lot of movies, "particularly [Quentin] Tarantino films," which eventually led her to shift gears in her career and pursue acting.

"I was really inspired to maybe try screen more," she said of watching the director's work. "I started auditioning for more film and TV screen-based projects and never really continued with musical theater."

Simone Ashley studied at the same school as Julie Andrews

Ashley is one of the many notable stars who have trained in acting at the Arts Educational School in London. In a fun coincidence, the school is also the alma mater of Julie Andrews, who voices Lady Whistledown on Bridgerton. Other former pupils include Samantha Barks (Les Misérables), Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel), and Finn Jones (Marvel's Iron Fist).

Ashley also studied at Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead, whose previous pupils include several notable English actors, including Kate Winslet.

Bridgerton isn't Simone Ashley's first Netflix series

Before scoring a role on Bridgerton, Ashley starred as Olivia Hanan on the hit British series Sex Education.

Ashley's other acting credits include Detective Pikachu and Broadchurch, which coincidentally starred her Bridgerton costar, Jonathan Bailey.

Simone Ashley is a dog lover

Ashley has one big thing in common with her Bridgerton character: they're both big dog lovers. While her character Kate has an adorable corgi named Newton, Ashley has a few dogs whom she regularly posts about on social media.

"I'm really good with dogs, so he responded to me well," Ashley told Entertainment Weekly about working with the dog who plays Newton on Bridgerton. "He was a little bit sass and goes off and does his own thing, but I like to think when we were together, he listened to me. Whenever we would do a line run and Newton was there, he would just get in the middle of the circle and roll on his back and be like, 'Hey, what's up?' That was quite cute."

Being on Bridgerton influenced Simone Ashley's fashion sense

During an interview with Vogue, Ashley revealed that working on Bridgerton helped her express herself more through fashion.

"There was a massive learning curve for me," she told the publication. "Just learning all the designers, exploring their oeuvres, and understanding what makes them unique. Once you know more about their voice, you think, 'Well, what can be my voice, how am I going to use this [knowledge] to express myself?'''

Of her personal style, she said: "I'm a big summer girl, still figuring out how to dress for winters. I love the color of my skin, using moisturizer and highlighter so that it looks glowy, healthy, and chocolatey. I want to have my legs out, wear combat boots with a spaghetti strap mini-dress, or denim shorts with cowboy boots. For a long time, I dressed quite youthfully, but working with my stylist Rebecca [Corbin-Murray] has taught me so much."