On the red carpet: style, grace, and a hard cut
Simone Ashley stepped onto the Leicester Square carpet for the London premiere of F1: The Movie and did what few actors manage after a tough break—she owned the moment. Her role was significantly reduced in the final edit, but there she was, smiling for cameras, cheering on her castmates, and turning the premiere into a fashion headline.
The Bridgerton star wore a gold, sculptural Balmain gown from the house’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection—a futuristic piece that looked engineered as much as designed. Built using 3D-printing techniques over four months, the dress came with a halter neckline, a sharply flared peplum, and rectangular, crocodile-like tiles that caught the lights along the carpet. The accessories stayed in the same metallic language: gold Jimmy Choo strappy sandals, a matching watch, and Skydiamond hoops and a ring.
She kept the metallic theme going at the after-party, switching to a gray ruched minidress with gold hardware at the neck, plus a gold clutch and heels. The styling, credited to Rebecca Corbin-Murray, tracked with Ashley’s red carpet pattern—bold silhouette, balanced by clean lines and smart finishing.
Her mood stayed upbeat throughout. Director Joseph Kosinski confirmed to People that her character’s storylines didn’t survive the edit, yet he called her “an incredible talent” and said he hopes to work with her again. On Instagram after the screening, Ashley wrote about the joy of reuniting with the team in her hometown, said the Balmain gown made her feel radiant, and encouraged fans to see the film, calling it “a must see ride and speed like you’ve never seen before.”
A quick rundown of the looks people were talking about on the night:
- Gold 3D-printed Balmain gown with halter neckline, peplum, and geometric tiles
- Gold Jimmy Choo sandals and a coordinated timepiece
- Skydiamond jewelry—hoops and ring—to echo the metallic palette
- After-party switch: gray ruched minidress with gold hardware, gold clutch, and heels
In a behind-the-scenes clip with Harper’s Bazaar, Ashley called the Balmain look “quite loud”—probably the loudest thing she’s worn—and sounded genuinely thrilled to wear it. The transparency helped. It framed the night as what it was: a celebration of a huge project she contributed to, even if her scenes aren’t on screen the way she’d hoped.
Why scenes get cut—and why showing up matters
If you’ve followed big-budget filmmaking, you know edits like this aren’t rare. Once a production hits the finish line, storylines get trimmed for pace, tone, and running time. Entire characters sometimes vanish. Adrien Brody famously saw his part shrink in The Thin Red Line. Shailene Woodley shot as Mary Jane Watson for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, then her material was set aside. The same logic appears to have guided F1: The Movie. Kosinski’s quote hints at a standard, if tough, call: the film found its rhythm without Ashley’s storyline.
That puts the spotlight on how she handled it. Turning up, congratulating the team, and posting support does more than tick a box. It signals she’s a pro who plays the long game. Studios notice. Directors remember. And audiences tend to respect candor over silence.
The film itself is a headline machine. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the filmmaker behind Top Gun: Maverick, the production has been filming at actual Formula 1 events, capturing real speed, real circuits, and real race-week energy. The story centers on a veteran driver and a rising star, with Brad Pitt and Damson Idris fronting the cast, and with Formula 1 figures involved behind the scenes to keep the racing authentic. Shooting at live Grands Prix has been a calling card, with sequences captured at circuits such as Silverstone to blend cinema with the sport’s real atmosphere.
That blending—cinema scale, F1 realism—explains why the edit tightened. Racing films live and die by rhythm. The cut has to flow like a lap that never lifts, which means anything that slows the momentum risks getting blue-penciled, even if it’s well-acted. It’s not a knock on the performer; it’s a physics problem. The faster the film, the leaner the story beats.
Ashley’s response also fits her trajectory. She broke out in Sex Education, then became a global face as Kate Sharma in Bridgerton, carrying Season 2 with a slow-burn romance that pulled in record audiences for the period drama. She’s stage-trained, sings, and has leaned into fashion as part of her public persona—working with designers who know how to build a moment without losing her shape or presence.
Fashion-wise, the Balmain choice mattered. Luxury houses have been exploring 3D printing for structure and surface for years, but this gown made the tech visible. Instead of hiding engineering under fabric, it turned the technique into the look: tile by tile, like golden armor. Pairing that with Skydiamond—known for lab-grown stones made with captured carbon—gave the ensemble a future-facing note that matched a film about speed and design. It read modern without feeling cold.
The London setting added to the mood. Leicester Square premieres are their own theater—fans stacked along barriers, flash after flash, the city noise melting into a single hum. Afterward, the NoMad London party kept the industry energy going: quick congratulations, trade gossip, and those quiet, meaningful conversations that lead to the next call sheet.
Behind the scenes, edits like these are paperwork-heavy but common. Contracts allow for changes. Credits stay, but screen time moves. The smart play is what Ashley did—be present, be gracious, and keep momentum. It preserves relationships with the director and producers and keeps the door open for a future role. Kosinski saying he wants to work with her again is exactly the sentence actors want to hear after a tough cut.
Fans seemed to get it. Social posts under her premiere photos leaned supportive, with many praising how she handled the night and the risk-taking gown. Red carpet watchers highlighted the balance between high-tech construction and classic glamour. And the message she left—“Go see this movie”—didn’t just back the project; it nudged the conversation from disappointment to celebration.
In short, the London premiere showed two truths at once: films change in the edit, and reputations are made in public. Ashley’s role may be smaller than planned, but her presence loomed large when it counted.