Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About Regé-Jean Page

For many, adolescence is a time full of angst and complicated emotions. Regé-Jean Page was no exception to this rule. So how did he cope with his teenage years in London? Well, he turned to music - specifically, punk. He started a punk band with his little brother, and according to an interview with The Fall, it was a transformative experience. Not only did it give him a creative outlet through which he could express himself, it also helped shift his outlook on what it meant to be someone in a creative profession.

What does one do after furiously binge watching “Bridgerton” on Netflix? Google the show’s stars of course! Regé-Jean Page in particular captured many fans’ attention with his performance, and everyone wanted to know more about him. As viewers began digging up information on the actors behind their new favorite characters, a topic of interest became how to pronounce his name. Well, lucky for all of us, the actor cleared up any speculation on the matter way back in 2017 with a tweet! And now everybody not only knows the name Regé-Jean Page, but can pronounce it properly too!

There’s no doubt that Page is an incredibly talented actor. Look no further than the way he made bringing Simon to life on “Bridgerton” seem so effortless. Well, part of what helped him hone his talent was his education. The star studied at the Drama Centre London, an institution with a reputation for being demanding. But that didn’t scare Regé-Jean Page - it intrigued him. And if you’re wondering what other notable actors went to the famous school? Look no further than the likes of Pierce Brosnan and Emilia Clarke, just to name a few! However, it was announced that the Drama Centre would shut down following a report that it created an unhealthy environment for students.

That’s right - Regé-Jean Page is in the Potterverse. Fleur and Bill’s nuptials in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1” are overshadowed by news that the Minister of Magic has been killed and that Voldemort is rising in power. If you pay close attention, you’ll see that as the guests listen, Regé-Jean Page is standing behind Emma Watson, looking concerned. The guests scurry off as the Death Eaters arrive, so we don’t get to see much of him. Granted, it’s a minor appearance, but it’s impossible not to notice him when watching the scene now! And speaking of fantasy franchises, Page has been cast in the lead role for the upcoming “Dungeons & Dragons” movie.

Shonda Rhimes has created quite a media empire - one that’s given many actors the chance to find success. Everyone knows that “Bridgerton” was produced by Rhimes, but what you might not have realized is that Regé-Jean Page was previously on another one of her shows! Before playing Simon, he was Leonard Knox in "For the People", a show about young lawyers. Naturally, drama abounds as they learn how to navigate their jobs and private lives. Thanks to this experience, he already trusted the Shondaland team. So it was a no brainer when the opportunity to play Simon Basset in this steamy period drama came up!

Page didn’t always know that he wanted to be an actor. In fact, for much of his life it was more of a pastime than anything else. But that stopped being the case after he went to the National Youth Theater. He told Interview magazine: “It was the first time I’d ever been in a room with a group of kids who took acting as seriously as I did and went as deep as I wanted to go, I pretty much immediately ran away from university to be an actor.” As for why the actor loves his craft so much? It allows him to visit different worlds and expand his horizons, which resonates with the adventurer inside him.

From the passionate moments between Simon and Daphne, to their explosive arguments, “Bridgerton” is full of intense scenes. But Page told Netflix Queue that it was the rather mundane moment where he’s at dinner with the Bridgertons that was the most challenging. He said: “The kids are there and they’re all happy and playing and being accepted in exactly the warm and loving family that Simon never had. And that is never explicitly mentioned in the script in that moment. No one’s going to say it. But it is the biggest thing about that scene for him.” In other words, while it wasn’t an extravagant scene, it was a complex one.

The fact that Regé-Jean Page was a mixed race child played a significant role in his life. Growing up, he and his family faced a lot of judgment in Zimbabwe. Speaking to Interview magazine, Page described how the country still struggles with the legacy of colonialism. For instance, he says the way he was treated varied depending on which of his parents were with him. He recalls, “I learned from the age of three that I was a walking political statement. Just by walking around with my face, I was saying, ‘My parents did a fairly revolutionary thing that pisses off some of you.’”

Regé-Jean Page’s upbringing gave him a unique outlook on the world. As he told Interview magazine, growing up in Sub-Saharan Africa, far from the self-absorbed cities like L.A., London, and New York, allowed him to see situations from both the “outside and the inside”. “There’s something very useful,” he said, “to not growing up in the center of the world.” He considers that ability crucial in his acting today. As he describes it, “Having a perspective from the outside is very useful to being able to build that picture accurately. It’s the difference between me painting a portrait of you, and you painting a self-portrait. The natural position is from out here I have a really good view of you”.

It goes without saying that “Bridgerton'' casting a Black man in the role of Simon Basset, a high-ranking Duke, was a pretty big deal. And it’s something the actor behind the role considers to be of pivotal importance. For Page, it’s crucial to show Black stories, particularly in other periods, through a happy lens. He told Esquire: “Setting the story in the past doesn't mean that Black folks do nothing but suffer. We’ve always lived and laughed and loved and married and danced and lived the truest expressions of our lives through societal restrictions, just the same as everyone else”. Hopefully, more period pieces will follow this lead!