You can only imagine where Simone Ashley would be today if her parents had not migrated from India to the United Kingdom. She would not have the fame she has today and definitely would not have appeared in Bridgerton and Sex Education. This is not to say she would not have still turned out to be somebody of note like her parents; Latha and Gunasekharan Pillai, who are academicians.
What is Simone Ashley’s Ethnicity?
Simone Ashley is of South East Asian ethnicity, specifically Indian Tamil. Her parents hail from the Tamil region of India and are quite proud of their heritage. They tried to pass it to her via food as well as teaching her Tamil and Hindu languages. While the actress may not have imbibed all these lessons, she has imbibed the most important one, which is to be proud of her heritage.
Ashley is proud of the fact that she is Indian Tamil. Her Southeast Indian origin and noticeably dark skin are nothing to be ashamed of, and the actress encourages others like her to never let these things be their weakness or source of shame.
The Actress Has Been Outspoken About Colorism
Colorism is an issue in almost all industries. Ask any person of color and they have a story to tell you about it. Ashley is outspoken about it in the movie industry, revealing that she has been typecast and even lost roles because of the color of her skin. She, however, refuses to be discouraged and advises others with similar skin types to never give up.
She Has Also Touted The Power of Representation
Simone Ashley has also been speaking about the power of representation. Though she previously only focused on her personality rather than letting her color define her, she accepts that it matters for people to see themselves on the screens. She has even revealed that she was never into the Regency period until she watched a show like Bridgerton that included many actors of color.
What Is Simone Ashley’s Nationality?
Simone Ashley is a British national. Despite her rich South-East Asian heritage, she was actually born in Surrey, England. She has spent all of her life there and also lived in the U.S., specifically California as well. The great strides that Ashley has achieved in her career made Variety list her among the 10 Brits to watch out for in 2021. The Hollywood Reporter also named her among The Great British and Irish Film and TV Breakouts of 2022.
Meet Simone Ashley’s Parents
Simone Ashley’s parents are Latha and Gunasekharan Pillai. The couple are originally from the Tamil region of India where they spent their youthful years before moving to the United Kingdom in pursuit of better opportunities. They made their home in Camberley, Surrey.
It is well documented that Ashely comes from a home of academics, however, the occupation of her mother remains a mystery. Her father Gunasekharan Pillai, on the other hand, is a pharmacist. Ashely is not the only child of her parents as she has an older brother named Sean Pilai.
Simone Ashley’s Parents Inspired Her Love for the Arts
Simone Ashley’s parents inspired her love for the arts. For instance, her pharmacist dad was passionate about film, music, and photography. He had a cool record player while she was growing up and played tracks from the likes of Bob Marley, Fleetwood Mac, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Steely Dan, etc.
Simone’s mom also played Phil Collins too, and all this made the young lady fall in love with music. Another early passion of Simone’s was movies. She got to watch Disney classics such as The Jungle Book with her brother. She also watched classic films from the likes of Quentin Tarantino, such as Kill Bill, and was massively impressed and inspired by Uma Thurman’s work.
They Have Supported Her Career Despite Early Misgivings
Simone Ashley consumed a lot of music and movies as a child. Her parents would be the first to say that it defined her growing up years because she couldn’t do with them. It was therefore not much of a surprise that she ended up pursuing a career in the creative arts.
Simone’s parents were none too happy with her choice. They had come from a background where they didn’t have the luxury of choosing whatever they wanted to be. They hoped for their daughter to choose a safe and stable career. They were thus taken aback when that didn’t seem to be the case. They, however, allowed her to attend theatre school which she later dropped out of to pursue a modeling and acting career.
Thankfully, everything worked out for the good and both Simone and her parents can look back and laugh at all the fighting and tears that came about from their daughter’s decision to rebel and follow her own path.
Simone Credits Her Mom’s Advice for Keeping Her Grounded
Simone Ashley is a head-turner. Her beauty will attract you to whatever she is doing and her talent will bring you back for more. It’s no surprise she has now become one of the most exciting people in British cinema today.
But despite all the fame and success, Ashley remains grounded. You would not expect her to be but that was how she was raised. The actress credits her mom for this, saying she was taught as a kid to have a good heart and understand that being a good person was greater than everything else.
