Regé-Jean Page is a British-Zimbabwean actor best known for his role as Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, in the Netflix series Bridgerton. Page’s mother is a Zimbabwean nurse and his father is an English preacher. He was born in London, but spent his childhood in Harare, Zimbabwe before returning to the UK. He graduated from Drama Centre London in 2013 and went on to play Chicken George in the 2016 miniseries ‘Roots,’ a remake of the 1977 series of the same name. Most recently, he starred in Bridgerton, the record-breaking Netflix series about the Regency Era social season. Bridgerton became the most-watched Netflix series ever with an 82 million household viewership. The show was produced by the acclaimed showrunner Shonda Rhimes as part of her multi-year deal with Netflix. In it, Page stars as Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, an eligible bachelor who becomes the love interest of Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Devnor).
Set under the reign of Queen Charlotte, who some historians believe was Black, Bridgerton broke norms of English period dramas by including a racially diverse cast. In an interview with NPR, Page shared his thoughts on Bridgerton’s racial diversity, saying, “I think it’s incredibly important that when we are indulging ourselves in these kind of great, big Cinderella fantasies, that everyone gets to see themselves as worthy of status and glamour and love and redemption.” He shared that in the process of creating the show, he wanted to “ to spotlight Black joy in a period drama, which is relatively unheard of and revolutionary in itself.” Since the release of Bridgerton, Page has hosted Saturday Night Live, was recently cast as the lead in the upcoming ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ film, and is rumored to be in the running for the role of James Bond.
I really appreciate the input here.Often times we are not hearing enough about our celebrity of choice, mind you, Rege Jean Page. He is absolutely an amazing and inspiring individual who has placed himself in everything that he does. This man’s character is first and foremost exceptional and he loves his fan base like no other. We should always appreciate those who show for the movies , watching all of the series and constantly commenting on reels such as Instagram and X . He puts his heart into his characters and he is a gem at heart! So again , thank you Rege Jean Page . May you continue to keep God first , see that love is your motivation in everything you do , and lastly, continue to appreciate those who support you.. because we love you dearly and love your excellent work ethics!
I, too, was disappointed, as were SO MANY black and brown women- to learn of Regé’s SUPER white girlfriend…(dyed blonde hair, SUPER thin, hooked, nose etc) but after careful consideration of all the ugly history that supports such an obvious “selection,” my disappointment became manageable… and I began to view him- as I would any young athlete – who has his pick of every type of woman in the world…and wants to have what he always dreamed of… A VERY white woman… Later, when all the noise lessened- I silently commended him for not selecting what society would have termed a pretty, white woman- rather- he selected an active, healthy, woman who probably complimented his rigorous workout routines and complimented his healthy lifestyle… so for the umpteenth time, instead of shaking my black fists at him- I will relax my hands- and salute him. -Harriett
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