Simone Ashley admits The Devil Wears Prada 2 table read was 'nerve-racking'

Simone Ashley has admitted it was "nerve-racking" attending the table read for The Devil Wears Prada 2.

In her first prominent blockbuster role, the Bridgerton actress plays Amari, the new first assistant for formidable Runway magazine boss Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep.

Ashley first met the film's star-studded returning cast, including Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, at the table read, and she was nervous because she felt she needed to prove why she got the job.

"That was nerve-racking and it was my first time meeting everyone," she shared on The Louis Theroux Podcast. "I actually find it a bit more nerve-racking (than filming) because you're staring at the page, and especially if you're nervous and new, you're really trying to show that you've got the job for a reason. So you're just clinging on to this script, trying to make it sound exciting."

Despite meeting the cast at the table read, Ashley was still "incredibly nervous" on her first day on set and felt "thrown in" the deep end, adding, "I was not relaxed at all."

In a separate interview with The Times, the Sex Education star shared that the sequel wasn't on her radar until she got the call to audition, which she described as a "penny-drop moment".

After the audition and a meeting with director David Frankel, Ashley waited weeks to hear back - and finally found out she'd got the part when she was having dinner with her best friend.

"I was really emotional - I've never reacted that way when getting a role before," she recalled, noting that she packed her bags and moved to New York within a month of booking the job.

The Devil Wears Prada 2, a sequel to the 2006 original, also features newcomers including Kenneth Branagh, Justin Theroux and Lucy Liu. It is now showing in cinemas.