We Literally Had One Take, Bridgerton Star Simone Ashley Recalls Craziest Experiences She Had While Filming Brad Pitt’s F1

The ‘Bridgerton’ star Simone Ashley, who is set to star in Brad Pitt’s high-octane racing drama ‘F1’ described her experience of working in the movie as “amazing” and “adrenaline” filled as they shot the scenes alongside real Grand Prix races during the shoot, reported Deadline.

Helmed by the ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ director Joseph Kosinski, the film stars actors like Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Lewis Hamilton, Javier Bardem and Sarah Niles, along with Brad Pitt in the lead role.

Speaking to ‘Who What Wear’ for a cover story, Simone Ashley, as quoted by Deadline, said the rush came from filming and touring alongside real Grand Prix races for limited minutes at a time. The Bridgerton star said that certain shots had only one take as they were being shot alongside the real races.

“You had to work as a team. Sometimes, we literally had one take for certain shots. Like, you’d see on the call sheet eight minutes to get this one thing because we were shooting alongside the races,” she said.

Simone continued, “It was amazing, the adrenaline. It was kind of like theater. It felt so live … You hear the crowd and the fireworks and the cars. Everything’s just so fast-paced and noisy, and we’re all together as a little unit. It was just one of the craziest things I think I’ve ever been part of.”

The ‘Bridgerton’ star also expressed gratitude for being part of a Brad Pitt and Damson Idris movie.

She said, “Obviously, with the strikes and delays, we finally wrapped in Abu Dhabi in December. It’s been a long time, and you know, it’s Damson and Brad’s movie. I’m just so grateful that I can be part of it, and yeah, we’ve toured with the Grand Prix. We were filming at the real races” as quoted by Deadline.
According to the trailer, Pitt plays a former Formula One driver who returns to the grid with his colleague (Damson Idris) at APXGP, a fictitious team.

‘Snowfall’ star Idris, 33, plays race car driver Joshua Pearce of the fictional APXGP team, for whom Pitt’s Sonny Hayes comes out of retirement to mentor, as per People Magazine.

The pair eventually become teammates. The movie was filmed “during actual Grand Prix weekends as the team competes against the titans of the sport,” according to Warner Bros, the People reported.

Top Gun: Maverick filmmaker Kosinski directs and produces the film alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman of Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner for Plan B Entertainment, and Lewis Hamilton under his Dawn Apollo Films banner.

F1 is set to release in theatres worldwide on June 27, 2025.

(With Inputs From ANI)