Since news of his exit, fans have been wondering why Regé-Jean Page is leaving Bridgerton after just one season as Simon Basset a.k.a. the Duke of Hastings.
Netflix announced via a statement from Lady Whistledown on Monday, April 5, that Page, who was the male lead of Bridgerton season 1, will not return for season 2. “Dear Readers, while all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s quest to find a Viscountess, we bid adieu to Regé-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings,” the statement read. “We’ll miss Simon’s presence onscreen, but he will always be a part of the Bridgerton family. Daphne will remain a devoted wife and sister, helping her brother navigate the upcoming social season and what it has to offer – more intrigue and romance than my readers may be able to bear.”
Bridgerton season 1 followed Simon’s relationship with Daphne Bridgerton, the fourth child and the eldest daughter of the Bridgerton family. Given that Bridgerton, which is based on Julia Quinn’s book series of the same title, plans to follow a different Bridgerton sibling for each season, it was expected that Page would have a much smaller role in season 2, which will center around Daphne’s older brother, Anthony Bridgerton. So is that why Regé-Jean Page is leaving Bridgerton? Read on or the real reason behind his exit.
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Why is Regé-Jean Page leaving Bridgerton?
So why is Regé-Jean Page leaving Bridgerton? Well, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Page is leaving the Netflix show to pursue a film career. THR reported in April 2021 that Netflix offered Page a deal to return as a guest star for season 2 for three to five episodes at a rate of $50,000 per episode, which he declined. In an interview with Variety, Page said that the Duke of Hastings was written as a “one-season arc” with a “beginning, middle, end” that allowed him to “contribute my bit and then the Bridgerton family rolls on.”
THR reported that Page left Bridgerton to pursue a film career after his breakout role in the Netflix series. Since the premiere of Bridgerton in December 2020, Page has filmed the Russo brothers’ upcoming Netflix movie, The Gray Man, opposite Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas. He was also cast in Paramount’s upcoming Dungeons and Dragons movie alongside Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez. According to THR’s sources, PAge has been “flooded” with film offers after Bridgerton, which led to his decision to leave the show.
Source: Instagram
According to THR, Bridgerton‘s production team knew that Page had signed a one-year deal for the show, but reached out to him in January and February 2021, once the show became a hit and he became a breakout star, with an offer to return, even though season 2 wasn’t meant to include his character.
In a comment on Lady Whistledown’s statement, Page thanked Bridgerton for the “pleasure and privilege” of playing Simon. ” It’s been an absolute pleasure and a privilege! Joining this family – the connection on and off screen, with our cast, our crew, all the incredible fans, has been like nothing I could have ever imagined – the love is real and will just keep growing 
,” he wrote.
Bridgerton is available to stream on Netflix. The Bridgerton book series by Julia Quinn is available on Amazon. Here’s how to read them for free.
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