A million girls would kill for Simone Ashley’s most recent role. The actor joined the cast of The Devil Wears Prada 2 as Amari Mari, the new first assistant of Runway Editor in Chief Miranda Priestly. Ashley’s character in the sequel to the beloved comedy isn’t just another Emily. She’s hyper-competent, equally stylish, and never (visibly) loses her cool.
“I felt so proud and honored to be part of something that globally brought people together and just brought so much joy. People were so excited to see us filming it and [there was such a huge] lead up to it being released,” Ashley tells TZR over Zoom from the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival, dressed in a vibrant turquoise dress, with radiant soft glam makeup and her natural curls styled in a deep side part. “If I can be part of things that bring people joy and make people happy and excited, then I feel like I’m doing something good with my career.”
After a whirlwind global press tour for DWP2, Ashley, along with her L’Oréal Paris ambassador cohorts including Andie MacDowell and Aja Naomi King, have descended upon the South of France to take in Cannes and represent the legacy makeup brand, the official makeup partner and a primary sponsor of the film festival.
TZR virtually caught up with the actor and singer the day after she walked the festival red carpet at a screening of Karma in red strapless archival Alexander McQueen gown.
On What L’Oréal’s “Because I’m Worth It” Tagline Means To Her
“Since I was a little girl, self-worth has always been about self-belief for me. Right now, whenever I want to dim the noise or the distractions around me. I always come back to my self-belief, my self-confidence and, my self-worth. It’s amazing because it’s a journey and sometimes the meaning of it can change depending on what you’re going through or what’s happening in your life at the time.”
On How She Maintains Her “Self-Worth” Mindset
“Knowing what I want to do in my life and what I want to do with my work makes it much easier to have that [self-worth] focal point and that objective with everything. I can just always bring it back to my work or to my craft or the kind of message I want to deliver. Also, taking a break and not putting pressure on myself and spending time with my friends and family is also very confidence-boosting.”
On How She Practices Self-Care
“I love working out. I love going to the sauna and having a spa day with my friends. Just the obvious, normal things, like walking my dog and I love going out with my friends.”
On How She Lands On Her Red Carpet Looks
“It really depends. I did the carpet last night and I wore archival Alexander McQueen. We wanted to do something that was different to what I’ve done before. I’ve never really worn a big dress before. And it felt like the right moment after the Devil Wear’s Prada press tour. You have to pivot and adapt depending what’s happening in your moment at that time.
For hair and makeup, it’s about [choosing] the right look and pairing our whole thing together and working with a creative team. It really depends on what the mood is and what I want to say. I will always look at references and it just depends on what it is that we’re doing.”
On Her Travel Beauty Essentials
“Water. I keep lots of water with me. If I’m not going to wear any makeup, I always love using my L’Oréal Paris lip glosses and my Colour Riche lipsticks just to make me feel like I’m put together a little bit. I try to not wear too much makeup when I’m not working. And if I do want to put something just to make myself feel a bit put together, I’ll put on a lipstick or a lip gloss.”
On The Beauty Look That Makes Her Feel The Most Confident
“Something natural. I love wearing my curly hair. Whenever I have my hair curly, I really feel like myself.”
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