Brad Pitt and Damson Idris are set to race onto the big screen in F1: The Movie, slated for a late June release, with Bridgerton’s Simone Ashley among the star-studded lineup.
However, it has emerged that Ashley’s role has been dramatically reduced, leaving her with minimal screen presence.
Initially confirmed last summer, Ashley’s appearance in the film is now fleeting, without any spoken lines, and she is simply credited as playing herself.
Director Joseph Kosinski opened up to PEOPLE about the decision to trim Simone’s scenes, stating: “It happens on every film, where you have to shoot more than you can use. There were two or three storylines that ultimately didn’t make [it] into the final cut.”
He also expressed his admiration for Ashley’s abilities: “But Simone, she’s an incredible talent, incredible actress, incredible singer, and I would love to work with her again.”
Simone herself has spoken out about her limited involvement in the movie, describing her experience to ELLE as “crazy” and expressing gratitude despite her “very small part”.
“That was crazy. I have a very small part, but I’m grateful to be in that movie. I got to experience many Grands Prix. I don’t think I’ll ever do anything like that again,” she said.
F1: The Movie features Brad Pitt in the role of Sonny Hayes, a former driver who returns to the sport as a mentor. He teams up with Joshua ‘Noah’ Pearce, portrayed by Damson Idris, on APXGP, a fictional team in the competition.
The star-studded cast also includes Tobias Menzies, Kerry Condon, Kim Bodnia, Javier Bardem, Shea Whigham, Sarah Niles, Samson Kayo, Abdul Salis, Callie Cooke, Will Merrick and Joseph Badlerrama, reports the Mirror.
Real-life F1 champion Lewis Hamilton is listed as a producer for the film, alongside Brad and Jerry Bruckheimer, known for his work on Pirates of the Caribbean, among other projects.
The plot summary states: “Sonny Hayes, a Formula One driver who raced in the 1990s, has a horrible crash, forcing him to retire from Formula One and start racing in other disciplines.
“A Formula One team owner and friend, Ruben, contacts Hayes and asks him to come out of retirement to mentor rookie prodigy Joshua “Noah” Pearce for the Apex Grand Prix team (APXGP).”
F1: The Movie will be released in cinemas on 25 June.
