I'm sure by now you've heard of Bridgerton, the wildly successful Netflix adaptation of Julia Quinn's romance novels.
Besides having an incredible cast, beautiful costumes and an addictive Gossip Girl meets Downton Abbey-esque plot, the show — which is set during the Regency era in London — gained a lot of fans for its diverse characters and cast.
Well, in another win for representation, it's been revealed that the part of Kate Sharma (known as Kate Sheffield in the books) will be played by Simone Ashley.
Now, if you haven't read the books, let me give you a bit of background about who this character is and what to expect in Season 2 of Bridgerton.
According to Netflix, Season 2 will follow the second novel in the Bridgerton series, The Viscount Who Loved Me, which revolves around Anthony (our elusive bachelor) in his search for the perfect match.
A spanner is thrown into the works when it's revealed that Anthony is ready to marry, but that his future wife's older sister, Kate Sheffield, is determined to stop the wedding from going ahead. So, you can see how pivotal the role will be in the upcoming second season.
In response to the casting of Ashley, Bridgerton fans were elated. But it was on a whole other level for South Asians, who took this moment as a huge win for representation and to feel "seen" in the industry.
@shondaland The fact that a desi girl is gonna be representing all us Anthony Bridgerton fans and gets to make out with that gorgeous specimen of a man just makes me so emotionally joyful, THE EUPHORIA
@bridgerton thank you for making all of us brown girls happy today #bridgerton
@bridgerton I'm a brown girl and practically losing my sanity right now because you guys are amazing.
@chrisvandusen thank you for casting so diversely it's so lovely to see cuz for so long period romance dramas never let POC be seen in them, even if it's a reimagined world etc, it's still so lovely and important 💕
@bridgerton Me as a little Indian girl who grew up watching costume dramas with my mum
While some were also confused about the change in Kate's last name, other fans took the time to point out why it made sense, as well as the beautiful significance of "Sharma".
@FordMiss @shondaland it’s just a last name being south asian and having “sheffield” as a name makes no sense anyways it’s not a big deal
@shondaland @bridgertonarts sharma means in brahmin hindu joyfulness and comfort it's a beautiful new surname for kate since we know how much comfort and joy she brought to anthony's life!
@shondaland Ya’ll getting pressed over a surname change. She’s South Asian and not gunna have surname of Sheffield. Stop whitewashing, Sharma is fitting
@mchiwhitly @shondaland Yes they changed it to fit the character better, it’s a such a minor detail, don’t see the problem really.
Like seriously, if you have a problem with Kate's name being changed, I suggest you look inwards and think about why you're so mad about it.
@TessaDare @chrisvandusen Yes! An Indian surname is GREAT! Representation matters! This is amazing! The name Sheffield has zero significance in the books and even if it did, the show is it's own thing. Let it breath and grow.
To be honest, I was a casual fan of Bridgerton — but after hearing this news, as a fellow South Asian, I am so, so, SO excited to see how Season 2 will play out.
