By Nick Newling
Controversy has erupted after it emerged that the star of Netflix hits Bridgerton and Sex Education, Simone Ashley, has had all her lines cut from the final edit of the Brad Pitt-led blockbuster F1, directed by Joseph Kosinski.
Originally slated to star in a minor love interest role, Ashley’s part in the film – which lands in Australian cinemas on Thursday – has reportedly been reduced to a lineless cameo, echoing a similar treatment of The Acolyte and The Good Place actor Manny Jacinto by Kosinski in the director’s 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick.
Simone Ashley is said to now appear briefly in two scenes, with no dialogue. Credit: Getty Images for Warner Bros. Pictures
Ashley attended the London premiere of the film this week despite her treatment in the final edit, but has yet to make an official statement. In 2022, when Jacinto was cut from Top Gun: Maverick he told GQ that it “wasn’t shocking” for him to have been cut from the film.
“It kind of fuels you because at the end of the day, Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise. It’s up to us – Asian Americans, people of colour – to be that [for ourselves]. We can’t wait for somebody else to do it. If we want bigger stories out there, we have to make them for ourselves,” Jacinto told the outlet.
F1 co-star Damson Idris told Buzzfeed this week that Ashley’s role “was more of a cameo … it was sort of a love interest situation that happened. But, as with many movies, you know the director’s cut. I mean, I’ve been cut out of movies, and these things happen.”
Idris said he was set to star alongside Ashley again soon, and that she would work with Kosinski in a future project.
Kosinski told People that actors getting cut from final edits “happens on every film” and lauded Ashley’s ability, saying “she’s an incredible talent, incredible actress, incredible singer, and I would love to work with her again.”
The news has caused controversy online with many saying that Kosinski’s removal of Ashley, and earlier Jacinto, was a race issue, while others argue that this is a normal part of the filmmaking process.
An X account dedicated to tracking Australian Formula 1 racer Oscar Piastri said: “It’s frustrating to watch this keep happening, the fact that directors keep using actors of color (sic) as market access points rather than fully realized (sic) characters … Nothing about this is accidental.”
Another Reddit user said “I will be watching this director closely. First Manny Jacinto, now her? I see a disturbing pattern.”
Being cut from films is not a new experience for many actors, big or small. Clueless and Ant-Man star Paul Rudd was cut from hit comedy Bridesmaids after filming scenes as a quirky blind date across from star Kristen Wiig. Director Paul Feig told Entertainment Weekly that the actor’s performance as a foul-mouthed companion on an ice-skating date was “one of the funniest things I’ve ever been a witness to”, but had to be cut for time and to not overcomplicate the story.
Indiana Jones and Star Wars hero Harrison Ford was cut from 1982 classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, where he played opposite actor Henry Thomas as the principal of the young character’s school, as director Steven Spielberg was worried his presence would detract from the story.
Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.