Over the past six months, we've collectively uncovered our unique 'Roman Empires'. For some, it's deliberating over why Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams broke up. For others, it's trying to figure what really happened in the elevator between Jay Z, Solange and Beyoncé that fateful MET Gala evening in 2014.
And then there's a section of humanity that just can't stop thinking about what happened to Regé-Jean Page after he left Bridgerton.
A recent TikTok has reignited interest in the trajectory of Page's career, with many wondering what has become of the Bridgeton star, who looked destined to be a bonafide A-lister before he just sorted of... faded out of the spotlight.
It was all rather polite — but the public weren't buying it.
The Hollywood Reporter ran a story claiming Page even turned down a whopping pay increase of $77,000 per episode to return for season two of Bridgerton — an offer he allegedly declined.
In a February 2023 cover interview with Vanity Fair, the 35-year-old offered a little more insight into his decision to leave the show, alluding to the fact that he believed his character's story arc had done its dash.
"We finished the story," he said. "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.
"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."
Hmmm... something tells us Shonda Rhimes could've and would've squeezed at least two more seasons' worth of storylines out of Daphne and the Duke's relationship, but hey, each to their own.
Public response.
It's safe to say that when Page announced he would be leaving 'The Ton' people had some...feelings. Didn't we mention everyone was obsessed with the Duke and Daphne?
Fans were devastated. But they got it.
Kim Kardashian was forlorn:
And some people wanted the US government to step in and rectify the situation:
But overwhelmingly, the one thing fans wanted to know was summed up in a Reddit thread:
"Was leaving worth it?"
The internet was in yet another collective meltdown and everyone was wondering how to move forward with Bridgerton missing its favourite Duke.
Whispers of stepping into James Bond's shoes.
As the dust settled on Page's shock decision, we all began to read between the lines and came to the realisation that Page wasn't interested in being typecast as one character. Rather, he was quite ready to go big in Hollywood.
However, since leaving the hit Netflix show he hasn't added a whole lot to his CV. While he's had steady work on films including Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves and The Gray Man, as well as voiceover credits on Surviving Paradise: A Family Tale, nothing has really taken off quite like Bridgerton.
Which begs the question: did he skip out on The Ton too soon, before fully earning his stripes?
In 2023, it was rumoured that Page was in contention for the coveted role of James Bond, which would see him take over from Daniel Craig. While this would be a huge coup for the actor, and a guaranteed ticket to the top of Hollywood A-lists, it's still a big 'what if'.
Currently, there are a number of other actors vying for the role, including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult, Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston. It's a stacked race and, at this point, the job could be anyone's.
Where doth he go now?
Look, we may never know what really happened behind closed doors on the set of Bridgerton. Perhaps Page made a personal decision that had nothing to do with ideas about making it big in Hollywood.
While his career hasn't quite hit the same highs he saw with his breakout success on Bridgerton, maybe it's just not that important to him. Success looks different to everyone so what might be a feather in the cap to you and me could mean something else to Page.
And from previous interviews, it's clear Page is all too aware that fame can be fleeting — he's just here for the ride and is grateful to be working in whatever capacity.
"I enjoy the striving," he told Vanity Fair. "I enjoy the discovery of how high this thing goes, of how far this thing goes, of how wide this thing goes, because it doesn't just go up. It goes up, down, sideways, and in every other direction. I don't think I'll ever stop thinking about the next job.
"A good 90 per cent of my industry is out of work at any given time. You know what I mean? We're living a charmed life and I don’t think we get to take the charm for granted at any point."
The public's idea of success might not align with Page's and honestly? He seems entirely unbothered by it.
Whether he lands the James Bond gig, continues to take on smaller parts or finds his Duke 2.0 role, Page is doing Hollywood his way.
Feature Image: Getty/Netflix.
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