Simone Ashley, known for her role in Bridgerton, shared her exhilarating experience working on the upcoming Brad Pitt racing drama, F1. She described the production as "amazing" and filled with "adrenaline," particularly due to the unique filming circumstances alongside actual Grand Prix events, as reported by Deadline.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski, renowned for Top Gun: Maverick, the film features a star-studded cast including Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Lewis Hamilton, Javier Bardem, and Sarah Niles, with Brad Pitt headlining.
In an interview with Who What Wear for a cover feature, Ashley detailed the intensity of capturing scenes amidst genuine Grand Prix races, often with extremely limited time. She highlighted the necessity for teamwork, revealing that certain shots were allocated mere minutes due to the constraints of the live races.
"You had to work as a team. Occasionally, 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," she said.
Ashley further emphasised the electric atmosphere, likening it to live theatre. "It was amazing, the adrenaline. It was kind of like theatre. It felt so live ... You hear the crowd and the fireworks and the cars. Everything's just so fast-paced and noisy, and we're all together as a little unit. It was just one of the craziest things I think I've ever been part of," she stated.
The actor also expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to work alongside Brad Pitt and Damson Idris.
"Obviously, with the strikes and delays, we finally wrapped up in Abu Dhabi in December. 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, and yeah, we've toured with the Grand Prix. We were filming at the real races," she disclosed, as per Deadline.
The film's trailer reveals Pitt portraying a former Formula One driver who rejoins the racing world alongside his colleague, Damson Idris, at APXGP, a fictional racing team. Idris, known for his role in Snowfall, plays Joshua Pearce, a race car driver for the fictional APXGP team, where Pitt's character, Sonny Hayes, serves as his mentor, according to People Magazine.
Their characters eventually become teammates. Warner Bros. reports that the film was shot "during authentic Grand Prix weekends as the team competes against established figures in the sport," as reported by People.
Kosinski directs and produces the project alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman of Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner of Plan B Entertainment, and Lewis Hamilton through his Dawn Apollo Films banner.
F1 is scheduled for a global theatrical release on June 27, 2025.
