THE RUNDOWNSimone Ashley spoke about why she and Jonathan Bailey prioritize making appearances on Bridgerton even with their busy schedules.“When we go back, there is that environment of coming home and feeling like we’re part of a family,” she said.She also praised Bailey for flying back and forth between Toronto and London while filming Wicked and Bridgerton.Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey will always find their way back to Bridgerton, no matter how busy their careers get. The actress, who plays Viscountess Kate Bridgerton in the show, appeared on the April 13 episode of The Louis Theroux Podcast and praised Bailey’s dedication to filming the series. (The two stars were the romantic leads of season 2 but have also made appearances in season 3 and 4.) She added that she feels “part of a family” when she’s back on set.Bailey “set a great example of—for lack of a better word—the loyalty to the show. It is a show about family and returning home and returning to the family,” she said. “I think a lot of people follow that suit.”NetflixThe actress added that she has “learned a lot” from working with Bailey on set. “Now when we go back, there is that environment of coming home and feeling like we’re part of a family,” Ashley noted, adding, “I can only comment on what me and Johnny have done. We just really make sure that our schedules can just make it work.”Ashley was particularly impressed by Bailey’s ability to find time for the Netflix series while also filming Wicked. “He flew between Toronto and London back and forth whilst he was filming Wicked. Thank God I’ve not been filming during the start of this year,” she said. “I’ve done like eight cities in one month. So that would have been a bit nuts to figure out. But I would have done it. I would have scheduled it.”The first half of Bridgerton season 4 kicked off with Kate and Bailey’s character, Anthony Bridgerton, away in India after welcoming their baby, Edmund. Anthony and Kate returned in episode 6, with Anthony initially challenging Benedict’s love for Sophie. Anthony eventually accepted their relationship and served as the best man in Benedict and Sophie’s wedding, which Kate also attended.Liam Daniel/NetflixKate at Benedict and Sophie’s wedding.Showrunner Jess Brownell told Teen Vogue in a June 2024 interview that the India storyline gave Ashley and Bailey time to work on other projects.“I think the strength of sending them off to India for a little while is that it does leave the door open for them to come back, schedules allowing,” she explained. “I think, understandably, when any of our lead actors have given over their lives for their season, in future seasons, we want to be supportive of the fact that they do have other projects coming in, and to ask actors to come back just to be in the background is not really fair to them.”Following the premiere of Bridgerton season 4 part 2, Brownell revealed that Kate will play a greater role in a future season, which will explore the character’s dynamic with Eloise.“I also am really partial to the relationship between Kate and Eloise. That’s something that I’d like to continue following in the future,” she told People. “So when we eventually get to Eloise’s season, Kate is someone I’ll be very interested to have around, if I can.”