On Tuesday, we told you about the eye-opening revelation that #BridgertonBae Regé-Jean Page was allegedly passed on for a role on Syfy’s Krypton due to the lackluster, unimaginative nature of former DC Entertainment exec Geoff Johns (whose problematic nature we’ve also been keeping you in the loop about in regard to actor Ray Fisher).
Well no less than 24 hours after that initial ruckus, Page is speaking out, seemingly in response to the reports.
“Hearing about these conversations hurts no less now than it did back then,” he wrote in a tweet. “The clarifications almost hurt more tbh [to be honest]. Still just doing my thing. Still we do the work. We still fly.” (I know that’s right, Your Grace! We fly, no lie, you know this!)
However, in a statement obtained by People, Geoff John’s rep says this entire matter is really an “oversimplification” and just an attempt to “get headlines.” Per People:
The statement said Page never progressed past his early audition for the role and that “he never got to the stage where he would be selected by producers to be sent to the studio nor did he ever officially test for WBTV.”
“The role was for Superman’s grandfather–which came after the Justice League movies and the decision was made that the role was supposed to mirror Henry Cavill and his father which was played by Russell Crowe in the movie,” the statement continued.
“The actor being cast as such was supposed to resemble either actor,” the statement said. “This is being twisted to be something that it is not and someone throwing a name out there to get headlines.”
Seeing as how Krypton only got two seasons, I’d say Page dodged a bullet. Bridgerton’s Simon Basset aka Duke of Hastings was clearly made with him in mind—no seriously, it was—so all’s well that ends well, I suppose.
Speaking of endings, we’ve just learned a little bit more about Regé-Jean’s decision to depart from the Shondaland series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, while the Duke was only meant to have “a one-season arc,” the actor was allegedly offered the opportunity to appear in about three to five episodes in season two at $50,000 per episode. But he declined, sources say, so that he could spend more time honing in on his film career. (Which already looks to be hella promising.) Whatever his reasons, we here at The Root and all the welps in Welpington are confident Page’s star is only going to continue to rise.
Let us know when you want that exclusive sit-down with Lady Welpington for your next big project, Regé. We’ll have her people call your people.