‘Bridgerton’ Star Regé-Jean Page Said His Horse Twiglet Was a ‘Diva’
Regé-Jean Page rose to prominence in late 2020 thanks to his role as one of the stars in the Netflix original Bridgerton. The actor has been honest about his experience filming the period romance, with one of his highlights being working with his horse, Twiglet.
In an interview published in 2020, around the same time as Bridgerton Season 1 debut, the actor discussed the filming process, calling his horse on the show a “diva.”
Regé-Jean Page portrayed The Duke of Hastings in ‘Bridgerton’
In December 2020, when Bridgerton aired on Netflix, few pop culture enthusiasts were familiar with the gorgeous actor who portrayed Simon Basset, The Duke of Hastings. However, it wasn’t long before everyone was talking about him. Page’s portrayal of the handsome yet conflicted duke caused a stir, and many hailed him as the breakout star of the successful series.
Although Page did not return for Season 2, he is still strongly identified with the world of Bridgerton, and many fans hope he will return to the character he made so popular.
But as much as viewers would like to see Page return to Bridgerton, the actor appears happy with his current situation. In an interview with Good Morning America, Page said that he and Shonda Rhimes are incredibly happy about how they stuck the landing after Season 1’s cliffhanger.
Given that his and Daphne’s characters have tied the knot and seem to be living happily ever after, Page said the makers of Bridgerton “aren’t going to touch” the character of Simon Basset. Still, he doesn’t mind if the showrunners recast his role.
Regé-Jean Page said his horse Twiglet was a diva
The premiere of Bridgerton on Netflix in 2020 was both a dream come true and a wonderful feast for the eyes of viewers who enjoy period dramas. The show takes place during the Regency period, and to accurately portray this era, a good number of the characters are frequently seen either riding horses or on horse-pulled carriages.
To shoot the show, the actors had to work with several equine stars—with actors being assigned their own horses. In an interview with Shondaland, Page was asked to describe his horse-riding experience in Bridgerton. In response, the actor called his horse a diva, saying:
“Every moment on Twiglet, my horse in Bridgerton, was memorable. That horse was a diva. Halfway through takes, the show’s horses would decide they’d had enough and wander back to their trailer. Bear in mind, Twiglet would do this whether I was riding him or not.”
Regé-Jean Page revealed that some of the horses seen in ‘Bridgerton’ were fake
Along with beautiful dresses, fancy fans, and a few lessons on why it’s not a good idea to go on a promenade without a chaperone, Bridgerton’s large cast of equine stars was a real treat for the eyes. But while some horses like Twiglet were real, others weren’t.
Page reflected on the unique experience of shooting the Bridgerton carriage sequences in a December 2020 interview with Still Watching Netflix—admitting that many horses in the series are fake. “They’re not actually horses at all,” he said.
“We filmed the carriage scenes in the studio. Usually, it’s just like three grips … you’re just sat there, and you have a green screen in the background, and it’s just like, ‘OK, make the horses go faster,’ and then you hear three guys go ‘ugh….'”
Despite the tricks involved in filming the carriage scenes, the results were believable onscreen; in fact, many viewers found the tender moments shared by Daphne and Simon in the carriage to be the show-stopping high points of the first season of Bridgerton.
