F1: The Movie star Damson Idris has revealed some more details about Simone Ashley's cut role from the film.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the Formula 1 racing film stars Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Tobias Menzies and Kerry Condon alongside Black Mirror star Idris.
Featuring some real-life Formula One stars, the fictional film follows Pitt as Sonny Hayes, a retired racer who returns to mentor rookie driver Joshua "Noah" Pearce (Idris).
Last week, it was revealed that Ashley's role had mostly been cut from the final film and the Bridgerton star, who is credited as playing herself, would appear briefly on screen without dialogue.
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Asked what he thought about Ashley's role being cut, Idris told Buzzfeed UK: "First of all, I love Simone, not just as a person, but also as an artist. I think she’s stupidly talented."
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"Essentially, the role was more of a cameo kind of role. It was sort of a love interest situation that happened," he explained.
"But, as with many movies, you know the director’s cut. I mean I’ve been cut out of movies, and these things happen."
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Teasing a future collaboration with Ashley, Idris said he hopes to work with the Bridgerton star again, saying: "The joy of it is that I know she’s gonna work with not only Joseph Kosinski again, but definitely with me again."
Meanwhile, Kosinski also touched on the decision to cut Ashley's role in a recent interview with PEOPLE, saying: "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 explained, adding: "But Simone, she's an incredible talent, incredible actress, incredible singer, and I would love to work with her again."
F1: The Movie is released in UK cinemas on 25 June and in US cinemas on 27 June.
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Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
