Regé-Jean Page says ‘Bridgerton’ team is ‘free to do as they like’ with the Duke
“Bridgerton” star Regé-Jean Page has moved on, and he invites the Netflix series to do the same.
Speaking with Variety at the Los Angeles premiere of “The Gray Man” on Wednesday, the Season 1 heartthrob revealed he has not watched Season 2 of executive producer Shonda Rhimes’ period drama and welcomed the idea of recasting his character, Duke Simon Basset of Hastings.
“They’re free to do as they like,” Page told Variety. “Shonda and I had a wonderful conversation at the end of Season 1. We were quite happy with how we’d stuck the landing on that one. I’m still proud of how we stuck the landing on that one.”
Though Simon Basset was at the center of the romantic drama’s first season, the Duke of Hastings is rarely mentioned in the second.
Asked whether he’s seen the show’s buzzy sophomore season — which did not feature the Duke after Page exited the franchise — the British actor admitted he hasn’t “caught up on it.”
In April 2021, Page shattered the hearts of “Bridgerton” fans ‘round the ton by announcing he would not reprise his beloved role in Season 2. After wrapping up Simon and Daphne’s (Phoebe Dynevor) love story by the end of its freshman run, “Bridgerton” shifted focus to Daphne’s brother, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), and his love interest, Kate (Simone Ashley), for the second season — matching the trajectory of Julia Quinn’s bestselling romance novels.
Though Daphne plays a key supporting role in the latest season, her reformed rake of a husband is nowhere to be seen. (Upon arriving alone at the Bridgerton household in the first episode, Daphne explains that she left her “husband and child at home” to support her brother.)
Regency England’s foremost gossip columnist, Lady Whistledown, broke the devastating news that Regé-Jean Page will not reprise his role as the duke.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to be your Duke,” Page said in a statement announcing his departure from the series last year.
“Joining this family — not just on screen, but off screen too. Our incredibly creative and generous cast, crew, outstanding fans — it’s all been beyond anything I could have imagined. The love is real and will just keep growing.”
While promoting his latest Netflix project, “The Gray Man,” Page said he has had “a lot of conversations” about his on-screen transformation from a “lovely gentleman” in “Bridgerton” to a “super bad character” in the 2022 action thriller. Also among the star-studded cast of “The Gray Man” are Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas.
Joe and Anthony Russo’s pricey adaptation of Mark Greaney espionage novel, “The Gray Man” is a big, noisy nothing.
“We did so well on that redemptive arc [in ‘Bridgerton’], people forget that Simon was kind of horrific for most of that series,” Page told Variety on the “Gray Man” red carpet.
“He was the best example of a Regency f—boy that any of us have come across. And because we brought that ‘round full circle so well — because we stuck that landing — you’re left with this great feeling, and ... you really do have to be brave about ending stories like that.”
In network TV, seeing a breakout star bolt from a hit show would be unusual. In the streaming world, it’s a different story.
During the “Gray Man” premiere, Page also explained his recent decision to stand up for fellow actor Florence Pugh after the “Don’t Worry Darling” star scolded social media trolls who shamed her for wearing a Valentino dress exposing her nipples.
“She made a really good point, and I thought that it was maybe worth saying again,” Page told Variety. “Say it louder for the kids in the back.”
“It’s as simple as that,” he added. “No more, no less. She said something that I thought people needed to hear, and so I said it again.”
“The Gray Man” begins streaming July 22 on Netflix.
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