Regé-Jean Page shares the ‘unglamorous’ reason why he left Bridgerton after one season

Regé-Jean Page has given some insight into his decision to leave Bridgerton after season one.

The actor was one of the key figures of the romantic period drama series in its debut season, back in 2020.

He played Simon, Duke of Hastings, who pursued a fake relationship with Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) before they eventually fell in love.

Their romance was one of the most-discussed points of the programme and sparked countless fan tributes to the Duke on social media.

However, Page didn’t return for Bridgerton’s second season and has no further plans to feature in the show.

In a new interview with Vanity Fair, the actor was asked whether his decision to move on from the show was his attempt to avoid being pigeonholed.

Page replied by saying that his true reason was “much simpler” than suggested.

“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,” he explained.

“I wish it was more glamorous than that,” he continued.

“[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.”

Last month, Dynevor said that she wouldn’t be returning for the show’s forthcoming third season, following her guest appearances in season two.

However, she kept the door open for a comeback in further runs, adding: “Potentially in the future. But season three, I’m just excited to watch as a viewer.”

Elsewhere in the interview, published on Wednesday (15 February), Page spoke out on rumours of him being the next Bond, and claimed that it wasn’t something he paid much attention to.

“It’s not a thing that is fully occupying my thoughts,” he stated. “I’ve got enough on my plate at the moment.”

Season three of Bridgerton is expected to be released later in 2023.