Unless you've been hiding under a very well-protected rock (and most of us wouldn't blame you for that right now), you probably realize that Netflix's Bridgerton has taken the world by storm. The sexy, romantic drama was watched in a whopping 82 million households just in the first month of it being available, and, since then, fans have been eager for any and all information regarding what's coming up next for the eight Bridgerton siblings. Unfortunately, the fandom was rocked by the news that Season 1 star Regé-Jean Page wouldn't be back for more, and now his co-star, Phoebe Dynevor has finally talked about her hopes for Bridgerton Season 2 after Page's exit.
Even though the Bridgerton Season 2 cast will be packed with plenty of returning favorites and several new soon-to-be stars, many viewers were left confused, heartbroken and even outraged when they heard that Regé-Jean Page's Simon, Duke of Hastings, wouldn't return. But, his wife and new-ish mother to his child, Daphne Bridgerton, will be around as her siblings begin to find their forever loves. Phoebe Dynevor, who plays Daphne, recently spoke with Variety's Awards Circuit podcast, and when asked her thoughts about Page leaving and the public reaction to it, said:
I had a bit of a heads up so I knew but yeah, I guess it is a spanner. But again, the show centers around the Bridgertons and there are eight books. I think maybe the fans of the books were more aware of that happening than the fans of the show. I think fans of the books know that every [book] is about a different sibling. And we’re very much passing on the baton to the lovely Johnny, who plays Anthony...So, we were all aware of that, but, obviously, it’s sad to to see [Page] go but I’m looking forward to being reunited with my family.
From what Phoebe Dynevor said, it does sound like pretty much everyone knew that the chances of Page being around for subsequent seasons of Bridgerton would at least be slim. But, as she and others have noted since the news came out that he wasn't returning, the idea of having each season of the show focus on a different couple is something which readers of the Bridgerton novels (or most romance series) would be used to.
As someone who does read romance novels, I can tell you that it would be very easy to include brief glimpses of former lead characters in later books. However, series executive producer Shonda Rhimes was right when she said that doing such a thing on the TV show "doesn't make sense." Do we really want to see Simon lurking in the background of scenes and maybe having 10 lines for the entirety of Season 2? No. We do not. So, this was the best way to go, for now, at least.
This does beg the question, though, of what will be in store for good ol' Daphne now that she's found herself booed up and babied. Like Dynevor said, Season 2 will focus on her character's oldest brother, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), finding love with new character Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley), and she hopes that Daphne will be able to play a part in that story, because now that she's been through the process of finding a love match "she knows what's gonna go down, so hopefully she'll be of some help."
Dynevor also has high hopes for how Daphne could grow in Season 2, and added:
I've only seen a few episodes so I don't know what the full picture is, but I would imagine we see some baby action...I'd like to just see her evolve as a mother and as a woman, and what this next chapter means for her. She's got her prince charming and her child, and everything she ever wanted at the beginning of Season 1, so what's next? Where does someone go when they get everything they want? Does it go how they expect, or not? There are so many things to explore with Daphne, I think, so I'm excited to see what the writers have in store.
You and everyone else, Phoebe! You and literally everyone else!
Phoebe Dynevor is currently hard at work on Season 2 of Bridgerton with the rest of the cast and crew, who will (we can assume right now) be back for the already greenlit Seasons 3 and 4, as well. We don't know when Bridgerton Season 2 will debut, but you can check our 2021 summer TV schedule for more to watch in the coming weeks!
