Actor Regé-Jean Page was not prepared for the feeling he had when he learned of the many sex scenes in the Netflix hit series Bridgerton. The period series starred Page as Simon along with Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne, whose unlikely love story was the central focus of season one. The series dove into the frustration of illicit love, family tensions, and the constraint of circumstance in the Regency period drama.
On the heels of Bridgerton‘s initial success, the show was given a multi-season order. The series is based on Julia Quinn’s wildly popular period novels, each of which follows a different member of the Bridgerton family. The first season focused primarily on Daphne, the oldest daughter of the clan, who unexpectedly fell for Simon and him for her after they used one another to fend off any potential suitors by pretending they were in love. Their ruse did not last long as feelings developed between them. By the end of the season, the couple appeared to be happy and had welcomed their first child.
Page recently spoke to THR during the Drama Actor Round Table event and was asked if his family was prepared for Bridgerton‘s sex scenes. He revealed that not only was his family not prepared, but also that he wasn’t prepared for it himself. Read Page’s full quote below:
No one was sufficiently prepared. I wasn’t sufficiently prepared, and I was there. I think people were grateful for the intensity of the romantic aspects of Bridgerton; I’m not sure how grateful I was to watch it for myself. It was overwhelming. But I think people were looking to be overwhelmed. My family doesn’t want to be overwhelmed by my backside, specifically, too often, but they’ll take it on this occasion because everyone seems to be terribly happy.
Page decided not to return to the series even though it was reported he would have received $50K per episode if he chose to stay. An official statement posted to the show’s Twitter account confirmed the casting change on Friday, April 2, acting as the series anonymous narrator, Lady Whistledown. It explained that the second season of the series would focus on Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s (Jonathan Bailey)’s quest to find a Viscountess. It then announced Page would leave and shared that his on-screen wife, Daphne, would remain an integral part of the series moving forward.
As Simon, Page was truly a one-season antagonist destined to be reformed in his ways by the woman he loved and through their child. If he remained on the show, he would be pushed to the background, and Bridgerton fans would not focus on the next family member whose story would be told in the period drama. While Page’s destiny may have been to be a one-shot superstar for the Shonda Rhimes series, he certainly is not done leaving his mark on the entertainment industry.
No one was sufficiently prepared. I wasn’t sufficiently prepared, and I was there. I think people were grateful for the intensity of the romantic aspects of Bridgerton; I’m not sure how grateful I was to watch it for myself. It was overwhelming. But I think people were looking to be overwhelmed. My family doesn’t want to be overwhelmed by my backside, specifically, too often, but they’ll take it on this occasion because everyone seems to be terribly happy.
Page decided not to return to the series even though it was reported he would have received $50K per episode if he chose to stay. An official statement posted to the show’s Twitter account confirmed the casting change on Friday, April 2, acting as the series anonymous narrator, Lady Whistledown. It explained that the second season of the series would focus on Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s (Jonathan Bailey)’s quest to find a Viscountess. It then announced Page would leave and shared that his on-screen wife, Daphne, would remain an integral part of the series moving forward.
As Simon, Page was truly a one-season antagonist destined to be reformed in his ways by the woman he loved and through their child. If he remained on the show, he would be pushed to the background, and Bridgerton fans would not focus on the next family member whose story would be told in the period drama. While Page’s destiny may have been to be a one-shot superstar for the Shonda Rhimes series, he certainly is not done leaving his mark on the entertainment industry.
