Bridgerton star Simone Ashley features in a moving short film from Bastille frontman Dan Smith for his new album, &( Ampersand), which accompanies the original song “Eve & Paradise Lost”.
Directed by Bafta-winning director Dominic Savage, the visuals reflect the song’s theme as Ashley embodies Eve, the first woman, who is consumed by love and loss before going through sadness, betrayal and vulnerability, before she reaches a sense of power.
“The song takes that famous biblical story and literalises it through a real relationship and a modern lens,” Smith explains.
“I had a pretty clear vision to represent it with something visually arresting, raw and unflinching, powerful in its simplicity. I’m a huge fan of both Simone and Dominic’s work, and it’s been amazing to have this opportunity to work with them on bringing this to life.”
He continued: “I loved our many conversations about how to best represent this song and the ideas within it, and I was totally blown away by Simone’s performance on the day which surpasses anything I could have imagined.
“Her incredible ability to take us through so many of the complicated nuances of Eve’s story in a single close-up take totally blows my mind. And seeing Dominic work with her and the crew on the performance, and calmly trusting the spontaneity of the process was massively inspiring, and a day I’ll never forget.”
Many fans will find themselves moved both by Ashley’s performance and the song’s lyrics, which seem particularly pertinent: “So we hid there in the garden, fruit was dripping down our chins/ Who'd have known that I'd be carrying our babies and our sins?/ No one warned what it feels like, had no mother, sister, friend/ You said, ‘Calm down,’ rolled your eyes at pain you'll never comprehend.”
Ashley, who shot to fame first in the hit comedy-drama series Sex Education, and then in her lead role in season two of Netflix’s Bridgerton, said: “When I first heard this song, I immediately felt a connection to it.
“I loved working with Dan and Dominic and feel so proud of what we have created.”
Savage said, “I was so taken by the deeply felt emotions, empathy and truth within this song that Dan Smith has beautifully created.
“Working with the amazing Simone Ashley to express these powerful feelings visually, proved to be an inspiring and wonderful exploration.”
Smith’s album & (Ampersand) is out now – listen to him talking about the inspirations behind the record onThe Independent’s new podcast, Good Vibrations.
