Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey aren’t ready to bid Bridgerton adieu just yet!
During a press meeting at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival on Saturday, June 15, the actress, 29, discussed whether she and Bailey, 36, will reprise their onscreen romance once again in the Netflix series’ fourth season.
When asked whether the pair, who play Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma, will return in the upcoming season, Ashley told reporters, “I really hope so.”
“Both Johnny and I, we adore our characters, Kate and Anthony, so much and their relationship and what they mean for the show,” she said, adding, “I think we’ll do all we can with our schedules to make it work so that we can, hopefully.”
Liam Daniel/Netflix
Kate and Anthony were the central couple in Bridgerton season 2. They appeared in both parts of season 3, during which — spoiler — their characters decided to travel from the Bridgertons’ London residence to Kate’s hometown in India to welcome their first child.
Two other Bridgerton characters, Anthony’s sisters Eloise and Francesca Bridgerton, are also heading away from London, the show’s primary location, after the events of season 3, and it is still unclear which sibling will become the primary focus in season 4.
Like the Julia Quinn novels on which the drama series is based, each Bridgerton season centers around a different member of the Bridgerton family and their journey to love — and Netflix has yet to announce the season 4 lead.
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Luke Thompson, who plays Benedict Bridgerton, recently revealed on The View that when it comes to whether his character will take center stage next season, his “honest answer” is “I don’t know.”
Liam Daniel/Netflix
Like Ashley and Bailey, he is simply happy continuing Benedict’s story, stating that “one of the best things about a TV job is you get to really explore a character long-form like that and fill him in slowly.”
“So as long as I keep getting to do that,” he said, adding, “Obviously, it would be great to dive in at one point, but we’ll have to wait and see!”
Season 3 of the regency-era drama centered on the love story between Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and ahead of their episodes, Ashley made sure to offer her support to the first-time leads.
At the hit series’ New York City premiere on May 13, Ashley told PEOPLE she was “just there to make sure that they had someone, that they had a friend.”
“Me and Nicola would check in on each other,” the Sex Education star continued. “She is such an inspiration to me and I learned so much from her, and there were times she was giving me advice.”
Added Ashley: “So, it was just what an amazing thing to have in your work environment.”
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Bridgerton seasons 1 through 3 are streaming now on Netflix.
