If Emily Blunt set the standard for bitchy, couture-wearing fashion assistants in the first “The Devil Wears Prada” 20 years ago, Simone Ashley is giving the role a fresh, Gen-Z makeover for the sequel.
As Amari Mari in David Frankel’s “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” released Friday by 20th Century Studios, the “Bridgerton” breakout plays Miranda Priestly’s latest assistant (becoming another Brit to rule over the Runway editor’s diary).
Like Blunt’s Emily Charlton, Mari is impeccably dressed throughout and spits out zingy, cutting one-liners (one of which Ashley wrote herself) at anyone she views as an underling. But Mari is also imbued with a deep self-confidence and appears largely unfazed by the seismic task of dealing with the most demanding woman in fashion. For her inspiration: Rihanna and, perhaps more surprisingly, Richard Gere.
It’s the biggest role in a major movie yet for Ashley and it’s one that saw her step into Mari’s designer heels off-set too, literally moving to New York permanently. It was also there where, while not shooting, she recorded her first EP, called “Songs I Wrote in New York” to help document a period she says was “probably the happiest I’ve ever been.”
How did this role come your way and what were the first discussions about Amari?
About this time last year, I got an email saying that they were making a sequel, and then David Frankel wanted to meet with me, which was really exciting. They made it really clear to not mimic Emily Blunt’s portrayal of the first assistant In the first movie, which I really respected. It’s obvious that with Emily’s character in the first the comedy came from this ball of anxiety. She really wanted to go to Paris Fashion Week. She wanted it so bad and all the comedy work from there. But for Amari, yes, we wanted to do all the political things, representing the younger generation who are now coming into this movie 20 years on. But I thought it was quite cool to play a character that had this quiet self-confidence and was just always five steps ahead. Reading the lines, I understood this was a character similar to Miranda, who could get away with these sharp, cutting one-liners.
Was there anyone you used as inspiration?
I was like: Who can say anything and get away with it? So I YouTubed best moments of Rihanna, and I just watched 20 minutes of her, not to mimic her, just to give me this inspiration, like a bit of energy before I went into it. She’s someone that has that sass and confidence and kind of cheekiness, and I kind of brought that into the role. And then the character really developed in the costume and hair and makeup fittings. I’d constantly be in conversations with (screenwriter) Aline (Brosh-McKenna) about this character, because I wanted to make sure that I was doing as much as I could with what was given. We had all these ideas. But Aline then just went, ‘Go watch Richard Gere in American Gigolo.’ I hadn’t seen it, but she said, ‘He does nothing. There are shots of him where he just does nothing. And I think you can really do this for this character — less is more. Just let the costumes carry it, let the world around you carry it.”
Amari is perhaps at her finest when it comes to those mean, snarky one-liners. How easy were those to do? I’m assuming you’re not at all like this and it was purely phenomenal acting on your part and not something that came naturally?
I’d like to think so! But playing the first assistant is separating business and emotion. So I think her relationship with (second assistant) Charlie was a lot of that. And I guess there’s that power dynamic. It was kind of awesome to play a young woman in an office and really playing with that. All the comedy was that flick of the wrist writing and the way that the lines were conveyed. We also had this like unsaid narrative that she could potentially be the next Miranda and that she’s following in her footsteps.
Of all her lines, was there a particular standout that was the most fun to say?
I loved the ‘Who gives away Chanel?’ line. I actually wrote that! We wanted to reference the Chanel boots from the first movie in the scene. And originally, I think the line was like, ‘not the Chanel boots.’ And I actually had a story of when I did give away Chanel shoes — naively — a few years ago. The comedy in this movie work so well, and I got this from observing Stanley and Meryl, because they’re not making fun of the lines or the characters, they are playing them with the utmost sincerity. And that’s what makes it so funny. So I just offered that line and it worked.
You’ve obviously worked with great actors before, but this is absolute top tier with Meryl, Anne, Stanley and Emily. Did you manage to keep it cool?
I did. I am a professional. I was obviously genuinely very excited and expressed that. But this was a dream. And it was kind of a master class to watch them work and I just wanted to soak up as much as possible. So I did keep my cool. When I’m filming other projects, especially something like ‘Bridgerton,’ I was very disciplined and going to bed early, with a green juice, yoga, fitness vibes, and just coming in with that A Game, which I think was required for that project. But this was ‘Devil Wears Prada 2.’ It’s in New York City, it’s a comedy, there’s a lot of improvisation and there’s a lot of confidence required for this to kind of go toe-to-toe with these Academy Award winning actors. So I actually moved to New York. I live there now. It changed my life. And I was just like, I’m just gonna go with the flow. And I really encouraged myself and went out, met new people, made new friends.
Living like Amari?
Totally. Within reason. But I would bring that energy to set, that excitement, that thrill of being in the city, and it really helped me bring my confidence.
I’ve noticed that you’ve got quite a sizeable fanbase online and they’re often campaigning for you to get roles in projects when they’re announced. You must be aware of them? Did this start with ‘Bridgerton’?
‘Bridgerton’ changed my life and opened doors for me in so many ways. I’m learning this with my music as well as movie making, but it’s the art for a portion of time, and then once it’s out there, it’s about community and bringing people together, which is actually what I love the most about my job. And the fact that there’s this community of people, girls that predominantly look like me or look up to me, that have come together… it’s really awesome, and it makes me feel so proud. So it’s a motivation for me, how I carry myself, the kind of message I want to deliver, the kind of projects I want to attach myself to. It’s something I’m very, very grateful for.
Do your fans have a name yet?
We’re working on that. There are a few. But I think that’s something that maybe I’ll let the people decide.
Your fan base was understandably upset when they found out that your role had been cut from ‘F1.’ There was quite a lot of noise about that at the time, but what was that experience like for you as an actress, when you were just about to be in your first major film?
I absolutely loved working with Joe Kosinski. He’s one of the most incredible directors. I mean, we were filming at the live Grand Prix with athletes who were there doing their job. I traveled all over the world and went to six or seven grand prix races. And I am a fan of the sport, so that was incredible. And I got to work with an amazing cast and crew, and Joe and Jerry Bruckheimer. I was just so thrilled to be part of it, and I learned every job. I learned so much from Joe’s support and kindness and generosity, and I would absolutely love to work with him again.
So the experience made up for any disappointment about not making the final film?
Yeah, I had the best memories filming that. Every job I do changes my life in a way, and that one certainly did. I got to see the world and really learn more about a sport than I am passionate about. And the F1 Academy, I love everything Susie Wolff is doing. I want to see more women being involved in sports. So to be there was just such an honor.
You mentioned music. You’ve had your debut EP out recently. Is this a hobby running alongside acting or something more than that?
It’s definitely not just a hobby. And that’s something I would just love to be out there, that it’s not a hobby. I’ve been training and singing since I was seven. And I started out classically singing opera, doing lead, Italian piano, playing music theory, like writing and reading music. And then as I grew up, I went more into soulful pop. And it was always something I wanted to do professionally and I think now felt like the right time. I’ve been working with Fraser T Smith for a few years now and Mark Robinson at Universal, he really believed in me, and I signed with them recently. So yeah, the EP has come out and my debut album will be releasing towards the end of the year, and I just absolutely love it. I feel so privileged to be able to do what I love for a living. But most importantly, especially with the music, I just have so much fun doing it. I’m really proud of it. And it’s just the beginning — I’m really excited to see how it evolves over the years.
The EP is called ‘Songs I Wrote in New York,’ which I took to mean ‘Songs I Wrote While Shooting The Devil Wears Prada.’ Was that the case?
Exactly! I’ve been developing my music with Fraser for a few years before that, and then when I moved to New York for this movie, whilst filming and outside of filming, I just had the most incredible experiences. It was probably the happiest I’ve ever been. And I do think happiness is something that’s worth documenting. That energy and that inspiration was something it was a gift to bring into the studio. And then suddenly, lyrics were coming out, ideas were coming out. And yeah, I would film on the movie, wrap and go and do night shifts at the studio, or on my days off go and record at the studio in Brooklyn. Or if Fraser was in town, we’d go to a studio uptown. And, yeah, I just felt like that was the moment where it was like a catalyst, and it really created a story and an arc of all the songs.
In a perfect world, would you like to combine both film and music… so perhaps star in a musical?
I would absolutely love that. But which one it is, I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s going to be an original musical or something like ‘Ragtime,’ or something that’s historically known being made into a movie. But yeah, I really hope that does happen. I’m manifesting it.
What is coming up next on screen?
I just wrapped on ‘Peaked.’ It’s an A24 movie. Molly Gordon stars and directs it, written by herself and Ali Levitan from ‘SNL.’ Emma Mackey starring in it, we’re reunited after ‘Sex Education’? Absolutely. But also Dua Lipa, Connor Storrie… the whole cast. It was just such a fun experience to do something that had real adult, sophisticated comedy and like the strongest ensemble, and we just had a blast working on it. I think I felt like it’s going to be badass, so I’m excited.
And with ‘Bridgerton,’ do you plan to keep appearing in the series?
I think the beauty about ‘Bridgerton’ is what makes us so special is that in each season the spotlight is on a different love story. So once Johnny and I had done ours, we knew that we’d be coming back to support the family and to support our cast mates. And, I can only speak for myself, but I definitely want to be returning until the end. That show gave me so much. Staying loyal to it is definitely something I value.
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