Simona Grew Up in Peckham in South-East London

Simona grew up in Peckham in southeast London, and she still lives in the area today. In an interview with Essence ahead of the release of the Channel 4 show Kiss Me First, she said she has fond memories of growing up in the area [4]. "Growing up in Peckham was fun for the most part," she said. "I did experience some bullying in primary school, but oddly enough being isolated was somewhat of a relief. Being part of the cool clique was too stressful. I think that's when I really got into reading and creating my own short stories."

She Attended the Same Drama School as John Boyega

Much of Simona's life and career has taken place in England's capital city, having trained at The Identity School of Acting in London. Simona is in good company as an alumnus of the school, since it was also attended by John Boyega, who has starred in the Star Wars franchise, and Chance Perdomo, who you may know as Sabrina's wise but sassy cousin in Netflix's The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Her First Major Role Was, Well . . . Pretty Major

Simona's first major role was in the TV adaptation of J.K. Rowling's book The Casual Vacancy [5], where she appeared in all three episodes as Gaia Bawden. As far as first major acting roles go, this one was a hugely important one.

The cast was stacked with heavy hitters in the entertainment industry, like Keeley Hawes, who has also appeared in massive shows like Line of Duty [6], Bodyguard, and recent hit It's a Sin, and Sir Michael Gambon, who played Professor Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter [7] and the Prisoner of Azkaban onwards.

Simona Was as Starstruck as We'd Be Acting Opposite Olivia Colman

In 2016, Simona starred in the BBC adaptation of the John le Carré novel The Night Manager alongside Olivia Colman [8], and it turns out she was just as affected by the fellow southeast Londoner as we would be. "It was exciting to be involved with that [9]," she told The Resident at the time.

"And I think I was in a state of shock for the whole filming process as I was just sat opposite Olivia Colman and I've always watched her on-screen . . . She's a really great, warm character to be around. And then Hugh Laurie would just stroll up with cakes for everyone — I used to watch him in Stuart Little! It was bizarre to be around so many big acting names and it was great to watch and observe and take it all in as a valuable learning experience."

This Is the First Time Simona Has Played a Mother

Simona admitted that Louise in Behind Her Eyes is the first time she's portrayed a mother. "In preparation for the role, I babysat my niece and nephew for two days straight — taking them to all their gymnastics classes, feeding them, changing their sheets, forcing them to eat the food they say they don't want even though they asked for it," she said in a statement released by Netflix. "And so I am a bit like 'Okay, I'm done.'"