‘Bridgerton’ Star Regé-Jean Page Speaks Out About Movie Star Controversy: ‘Cry Me a River’
Regé-Jean Page shot into stardom with his role as the Duke of Hastings on Netflix’s Bridgerton. Since his exit, he has dodged rumors of his return and quickly made a name for himself in Hollywood.
Page is now trying to bring his success to the big screen. He’s slated to star in the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons movie and is repeatedly mentioned when discussing who will become the next James Bond.
Page takes his fame in stride and recently revealed he isn’t phased by whether or not he’s a so-called “movie star.”
The movie star controversy
In late 2022, Quentin Tarantino, the director of cult classics like Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, went on the podcast 2 Bears, 1 Cave, to discuss the death of the movie star. He told the show’s host, Tom Segura, that the “Marvelization” of Hollywood movies has made the industry stagnant.
“And they’re the only things that seem to generate any kind of excitement amongst a fan base or even like for the studio making them. That’s what they’re excited about. There’s not really much room for anything else. That’s my problem”
While Tarantino came under fire for his comments, Marvel actor Anthony Mackie seemed to agree with him and actually expressed the same opinion long before Tarantino. Yahoo found a video of the actor’s comments during the 2018 London Comic-Con.
“There are no movie stars anymore. Like, Anthony Mackie isn’t a movie star. The Falcon is a movie star. And that’s what’s weird. It used to be with Tom Cruise and Will Smith and Stallone and Schwarzenegger, when you went to the movies, you went to see the Stallone movie. You went to see the Schwarzenegger movie. Now you go see X-Men. So the evolution of the superhero has meant the death of the movie star.”
Regé-Jean Page’s take on being famous
While many actors might be insulted by those comments, it rolls off Rege-Jean Page’s back. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hollywood’s hottest new star puts his job and fame into perspective.
He tells the publication that scripts and sets were all worked on before he was even involved in the process. He is the part that needs to fit in seamlessly, not the other way around. Instead, he wants to keep things simple and enjoy his time on set with his fellow actors.
As for the decline of the movie star, Page had this to say. “I’m not sure that I was ever in love with going to a movie to see the actor. I go to the movies to see the movie. It’s like crying that there are no rock star sound designers anymore. This one department isn’t getting this outsized amount of attention that they got used to for a while? Cry me a river, man.”
Regé-Jean Page’s upcoming projects
While Page is a household name, he isn’t quite a movie star… yet. After appearing in the first season of Bridgerton, Page worked on the action film, The Gray Man.
He also nabbed one of the starring roles in the upcoming Dungeon and Dragons movie, an adaptation of the role-playing game popular in the 1980s that has been rejuvenated thanks to the success of Stranger Things.
In the film, Page will play Xenk the Paladin. The paladins are holy knights that crusade in the name of good and order. They have divine spellcasting abilities.
In addition to this blockbuster movie, Page is reportedly one of the actors discussed to star as the next James Bond. With a role like that, it might make Tarantino and Mackie change their minds about today’s movie stars.
