Now that “Bridgerton” fans have come to terms with the fact that Regé-Jean Page is not in season two (or any future seasons), let’s dive into the real reason behind his departure. After Lady Whistledown herself announced Page’s exit from the beloved Netflix series on Twitter on April 2, 2021, the 34-year-old actor told Variety later that month that it was always the plan for Simon Basset to have a “one-season arc.” In fact, that was one of the draws of the role for him.
“There is also value in completing these arcs and sticking the landing.”
“It’s going to have a beginning, middle, end — give us a year,” Page said, recalling previous conversations with Shondaland producers. “[I thought] ‘That’s interesting,’ because then it felt like a limited series. I get to come in, I get to contribute my bit, and then the ‘Bridgerton’ family rolls on.”
Page explained that one of the things he loves about the anthology is that each book is dedicated to a different character’s love story. “One of the things that is different about this [romance] genre is that the audience knows the arc completes,” he explained. “They come in knowing that, so you can tie people in emotional knots because they have that reassurance that we’re going to come out and we’re going to have the marriage and the baby.” The actor made it clear that he has “nothing but excitement for ‘Bridgerton’ continuing to steam train off and conquer the globe,” adding, “But there is also value in completing these arcs and sticking the landing.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Page was offered an opportunity to guest star in three to five episodes of season two at a rate of $50,000 per episode, but he declined.