Regé-Jean Page plays the dashing Duke of Hastings in the bonafide hit show Bridgerton, which is often described as Gossip Girl meets the Regency era.
And the actor received a public apology from Summer House star Paige DeSorbo about comments she made about him during her Giggly Squad podcast earlier this month.
She had said he would make a great James Bond ‘Because…he’s real British, he’s light-skinned,’ per People.
Good looking guy: Regé-Jean Page received a public apology from Summer House star Paige DeSorbo about comments she made about him during her Giggly Squad podcast; Regé-Jean pictured at the dunhill & Dylan Jones pre-BAFTA bash on January 29, 2020 in London
Paige, 28, had gushed about him and ‘voted’ for him to be the next James Bond during their discussion of the wildly popular Bridgerton series on Netflix.
On Sunday – one week after she made the comments, Paige apologized.
She said in the episode that she had ‘described an actor’s skin tone when describing his appearance, and I realize now how that could be offensive.’
Paige added: ‘I wanted to take time to sincerely apologize to anyone that I may have offended.’
Her words: She had said he would make a great James Bond ‘Because…he’s real British, he’s light-skinned,’ per People; Paige pictured September 10, 2019 in New York City
She continued: ‘It was not my intention, and I recognize what I said was wrong. I am completely committed to learning and growing, so I just wanted to take time today and sincerely apologize for my words from last week. I’m very sorry.’
Paige’s Summer House co-star and Giggly Squad co-host Hannah Berner also apologized for being complicit when Paige made the original comments.
Hannah said: ‘Because we are the Giggly Squad and we are a team, I also want to apologize for not saying anything in the moment. But as the Giggly Squad, we own our s**t and we are committed to continue to learn – also to un-learn – and to continue to grow.’
In addition, Hannah said that she and Paige are on a ‘journey to educate ourselves’ and have ‘discovered this amazing documentary called Dark Girls by Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry.’
She said: ‘It’s beautifully made and we can’t just recommend it enough, especially if you want to further educate yourself.’
Regé-Jean, 31, plays the handsome Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings opposite of Phoebe Dynevor, 25, who plays his love interest Daphne Bridgerton.
Stars: Regé-Jean, 31, plays the handsome Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings opposite of Phoebe Dynevor, 25, who plays his love interest Daphne Bridgerton; the duo pictured on the show
The handsome British actor soon after became a frontrunner to be the next James Bond after Daniel Craig.
During his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Regé-Jean said of the James Bond discussions: ‘I think the internet thinks a lot of things, and that’s one of the more pleasant ones, so I can please as a far as that goes.’
He also said that when a British actor gets the James Bond comment, its the way people compliment British actors: ‘I think there might be an element of cultural translation to be done here. Like if you’re a Brit and you do something of any kind of renowned that people regard well, then people start saying the “B” word.’
Adding: ‘It’s like a merit badge, like the “B” word merit badge,’ but says he’s ‘very, very glad to have the badge. I’m glad to be in such wonderful company of people who have the badge,’ referring to other names in the James Bond chatter including Tom Hardy, Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston.
Bridgerton, based on the books by Julia Quinn, was produced by Shonda Rhimes and created by Chris Van Dusen.
The first season of the series dropped on Netflix December 25 and has become a huge hit, with the show’s cast becoming household names; season two has not yet been confirmed.
Dapper: The handsome British actor soon after became a frontrunner to be the next James Bond after Daniel Craig; seen January 29, 2020 in London at the dunhill & Dylan Jones pre-BAFTA party