Regé-Jean Page has been having a great couple of months. Following the success of the popular Netflix series “Bridgerton,” the show’s star is making his “Saturday Night Live” debut tonight as host alongside musical guest Bad Bunny.
Unfamiliar with the 31-year-old “Bridgerton” breakout star? Here are five things to know about Page before Saturday’s episode of “SNL.”
Who is Regé-Jean Page?
1. He grew up in Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom
Page was born in 1990 in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, to a nurse and an English preacher, Square Mile reported. The actor spent his childhood in Harare, but his teen years were spent in North London. Page told InStyle in December 2020 that he was a “musical, loud, bouncing-around-the-house kid” growing up. He took up acting as a hobby when he was a kid in order to make enough money to buy himself a Gameboy.
According to WWD, Page went to acting school as a child and was able to book a few roles. He called acting his “favorite hobby which occasionally paid me” before realizing that it was something he could actually pursue. He went to drama school and booked some more roles before catching the attention of Shonda Rhimes.
2. “Bridgerton” was his breakout role
Page portrays the role of Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, a brooding suitor who has sworn he will never marry nor have children. “Bridgerton” was a major success for Netflix, becoming the streaming platform’s biggest original series after debuting on Dec. 25. According to Deadline, the first season of the Regency-era drama was watched by 82 million households globally. The show will be returning for a second season, giving fans even more screentime of Page as the Duke of Hastings.
3. There were recently some 007 rumors
Last month, there was buzz that Page was a potential frontrunner for the next James Bond movie following Daniel Craig’s departure. Sadly, the actor announced that the rumors weren’t true and set the record straight during an appearance on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.”
“I think the internet thinks a lot of things, and that is one of the more pleasant ones, so I can be pleased as far as that goes,” Page told Fallon. “But no, I think there might be an element of cultural translation to be done here. If you’re a Brit and you do something of any kind of renown that people regard well, then people start saying the B-word.”
He said that the “B-word” is almost like a merit badge for actors, adding, “But I don’t think it’s much more than that.”
”I’m very, very glad to have the badge,” he said. “I’m glad to be in such wonderful company of people who have the badge. But it’s a badge.”
4. He’s beloved by Shonda Rhimes
“Bridgeton” isn’t the only time Page has worked with the legendary showrunner. He starred in the Rhimes-produced legal drama “For the People” as the character Leonard Knox, an assistant U.S. attorney. Rhimes recently raved about Page in her introduction of the actor for the Time100 Next List, which released earlier this week.
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“He is that rare actor, one who brings an intensity, an intelligence and a precision to his work, providing endless depth to any scene,” she wrote. “His disappearance into character builds a vibrant world for us to enter, making it impossible to imagine any other actor playing the role. Few actors craft their moments so beautifully—or steal our attention so quickly.”
She continued, adding, “As evidenced by his performance in Bridgerton, Regé is a singular talent whose prospects are limitless.”
5. His next big role will be in “Dungeons & Dragons”
Want more from Page? Aside from season two of “Bridgerton,” Page has another big project coming down the line. The actor has been cast in the upcoming movie adaption of “Dungeons & Dragons,” which is also set to star Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez and Justice Smith, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
