Regé-Jean Page had an interesting way of describing his infamous departure from the hit Netflix series Bridgerton.
Page, 31, made waves as Simon, the Duke of Hastings, in the show’s first season. However, when it was revealed he would not return for a second season, fans were furious and brokenhearted to see him go.
Speaking with Variety, the British-Zimbabwean actor reflected on his character and remarked, “Simon was this bomb of a one-season antagonist, to be reformed and to find his true self through Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor).”
In fact, he’s satisfied with how Simon’s story ended, telling the publication, “I think one of the bravest things about the romance genre is allowing people a happy ending.”
And while he wasn’t nervous to leave the show that propelled him into a new level of fame, Page compared his exit to graduating from high school.
“You’re afraid of the unknown, thinking, ‘Oh, my God, I’m never going to make friends as good as the ones I have,’ and then you do,” the actor described, nodding to his upcoming projects The Gray Mana and Dungeons & Dragons.
“I’m pleased that I’ve taken a couple of good first steps into what seems to be an ever-widening pool of possibility, and long may that continue,” he said, noting his excitement to play main characters and heroes on the big screen.
“As Black people, we’re very used to empathizing with the world through white people’s eyes, because they’re the protagonists. I know what it’s like to look at the world and empathize with Superman because I spent my whole life doing that,” said Page. “What’s revolutionary, in its own way, is getting folks to see the world through my eyes, because then they are in my skin and looking at the world through me.”
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