Season 3 of Netflix’s regal drama Bridgerton will be here before we know it, and the story focuses on another Bridgerton sibling. However, fans still can’t get enough of the first season’s love story between Phoebe Dynevor’s Daphne Bridgerton and Regé-Jean Page’s Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings, and their steamy romance. Now despite sticking with his gut, Page is opening up about the temptation to return to Bridgerton.
After Bridgerton was renewed for Season 2, Regé-Jean Page announced that he would not be returning as Simon Basset. While it did make sense since each season focuses on a different sibling, it was still disappointing, considering he turned into a big fan favorite. In an interview with Vanity Fair for their Hollywood Issue, Page opened up about leaving Bridgerton and how it was more simple than one would think:
It’s much simpler than that. I signed up to do a job, and I did the job, and then I did some other jobs. That’s it. That’s the story. I wish it was more glamorous than that. [After] we finished the story, the temptation would be to roll with the distractions and go, 'Oh, well, the story went really well, so we can kind of change this up and make some other stuff up, I guess.' That was never what we’d signed up to do.
Bridgerton Season 2 did do a decent job keeping fans updated on Daphne and Simon’s life since Phoebe Dynevor was still on the series. Every once in a while, we’d get a namedrop and even see cute scenes with their baby. While it would have been nice to see Simon at least once, it’s understandable that Regé-Jean Page felt it was time to move on, as it did work for the story.
The Netflix series doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon, so depending on how the story goes, it’s always possible that we’ll see the return of Simon Basset. However, it may not be Page who portrays the Duke. The Dungeons & Dragons actor shared his thoughts on Simon being recasted and was open to anything that Shondra Rhimes and her team come up with, noting that the two of them had a nice conversation at the end of Season 1. Whether we see Page return to Bridgerton is up in the air, but anything is possible.
Since Page is rumored to be in the running to be the next James Bond, he is keeping busy on other projects and focused on his blossoming movie career. He was part of the cast of The Gray Man on Netflix and the upcoming movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. With his growing career, it’s unlikely we’ll see him as the Duke of Hastings anytime soon back on Bridgerton, but that doesn’t mean we should stop hoping.
Meanwhile, the upcoming third season of Bridgerton will center on Penelope and Colin’s love story, switching the order of the books the series is based on. There have been some delay rumors reported for the regal series, but it doesn’t sound too concerning since Shonda Rhimes and the crew just want to get it perfect. The new season will also see the exit of Phoebe Dynevor, but she did make it sound like there’s potential for her to return in the future. Maybe Regé-Jean Page can do the same thing?
Watch both seasons of Bridgerton now with a Netflix subscription. Check out the Netflix 2023 TV schedule to see what else is coming to the streamer this year.
