Bridgerton star Simone Ashley’s role in Brad Pitt’s F1 cut from final film

A Netflix star has been cut from Brad Pitt’s new blockbuster, just weeks after revealing how excited she was to star in the film alongside him.

Left in the dust.

Simone Ashley’s role in Brad Pitt’s upcoming F1 racing movie has been cut from the final film – even though the Bridgerton star shot an entire storyline for the project.

Director Joseph Kosinski explained the reason behind the surprising news in an interview published today.

“It happens on every film, where you have to shoot more than you can use,” Kosinski, 51, told People. “There were two or three storylines that ultimately didn’t make it into the final cut.”

Simone Ashley’s role in Brad Pitt’s upcoming F1 movie has been cut from the final film. Picture: Remy Steiner/Getty Images for IWC

Ashley was set to appear in a larger role alongside Pitt in the racing movie. Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

She does, however, briefly appear on screen but has no lines. Still, the director praised the Netflix star for her acting chops.

“But Simone, she’s an incredible talent, incredible actress, incredible singer, and I would love to work with her again,” he added.

Brad Pitt with F1 director Joseph Kosinski on the grid in Northampton, England, back in 2023. Picture: Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Big-name Hollywood star Javier Bardem also stars in the film. Picture: Paramount

It was first announced that Ashley, 30, was cast in the Formula 1 racing drama in July 2024.

Earlier this month, before it was revealed that her role had been almost completely cut, the Sex Education actress spoke highly of her “crazy” time on the high-octane movie set.

“I have a very small part, but I’m grateful to be in that movie,” she told Elle on June 6. “I got to experience many Grands Prix. I don’t think I’ll ever do anything like that again.”

Ashley also said that production on F1 had been “going for years” during an interview with Who What Wear in March.

“I met for this movie, I think, before Bridgerton even came out,” she told the outlet. “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.”

Pitt and director Kosinski with stars Damson Idris and Kerry Condon and producer Jeremy Kleiner pose for a photo in Mexico on June 9. picture: Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images

Even more surprising was the Picture This star’s revelation that F1 filmed certain scenes both during and alongside actual Formula One races.

“You had to work as a team,” Ashley said. “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.”

“It was amazing, the adrenaline,” she added. “It was kind of like theatre. It felt so live.”

The Post has reached out to Ashley’s reps for comment.

Ashley’s acting breakthrough came when she was cast as Kate Sharma in Season 2 of Bridgerton on Netflix. Picture: Liam Daniel/Netflix

She played Jonathan Bailey’s love interest that season. Picture: Liam Daniel/Netflix

F1 stars Pitt as Sonny Hayes, a retired Formula 1 racer who comes out of retirement to mentor a young rookie prodigy named Joshua “Noah” Pearce (Damson Idris) for the Apex Grand Prix team.

The movie also stars Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Kim Bodnia and Javier Bardem.

“There’s a peacefulness in the car,” Pitt, 61, told Entertainment Tonight during the red carpet premiere of F1 in Mexico City on June 9. “There are some days when you’re off mentally, and you’re just a fraction of a second behind on your turning point.”

“Or if you’re having an uneasy day, and you’re not committed to the car, trusting the car, you get it all wrong,” he added. “And then there are these days where it is so sublime, you just cannot believe what these cars can do.”

This article originally appeared in New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Bridgerton star Simone Ashley’s role in Brad Pitt’s F1 cut from final film