Bridgerton's Sex Scenes Not as Hot as You Think, According to Rege-Jean Page

Summary

• The relationship between Daphne Basset and Simon Basset is the wildest of the whole Bridgerton family.
• But in reality, the filming process was less steamy than it looked on screen.
• While this may seem to some like a cause for Rege-Jean Page's departure from the project, the real reason is much simpler.

Released on Netflix in December 2021, Bridgerton, an adaptation of Julia Quinn's novel series of the same name, was an instant hit. That's no surprise, as it's a beautifully crafted story with plenty of romantic moments, heartbreaking drama, and gorgeous costume design set in the high society of early 19th-century London. It's also a show full of incredible, fiery passion!

This is especially true of Season 1, which centers on Daphne Basset (Phoebe Dynevor) and her affair with the charming but enigmatic aristocrat with daddy issues, Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page). After all, their story is full of crazy sex scenes, sometimes too problematic, sometimes too detailed even by TV-MA standards. Except, according to Page, the two British actors didn't have the same fervor as their characters during filming: it was much more mundane and a little gross!

Rege-Jean Page Shares Some Nasty Truth

Both Basset and Page had breakout roles in Bridgerton that made them internationally known actors. The latter began to show off his skills more and more, starring in two star-studded projects on the big screen, The Gray Man and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. But the talented actor, it turns out, is not at all arrogant and prefers the filming process to be comfortable for everyone involved. Speaking with Stephen Colbert, Page revealed that while filming the sex scenes, 'Phoebe and I had horrible coffee breath the whole time.'

'You approach your other actor and go, "Hey, so the scenes after lunch, what are our rules? Are we no onions? Are we no garlic? Do I have to get the coffee in early?"'

As it turned out, coffee was the only exception.

'We both are like, "I actually really like coffee so I don’t mind."'

Don't Expect Him to Return to the Show

As we know, Simon Basset, played by Rege-Jean Page, who has won prestigious awards and rave reviews from fans, will not be appearing in future seasons. You'd think the actor would be so repulsed by the prospect of starring in sex scenes with nasty mouth odor, but no, the reason is much more trivial!

'I signed up to do a job and I did the job and then I did some other jobs. That's it. That's the story. I wish it was more glamorous than that. [After] we finished the story, the temptation would be to roll with the distractions and go, "Oh, well, the story went really well so we can kind of change this up and make some other stuff up, I guess." That was never what we'd signed up to do,' the actor told Vanity Fair in February.

Fans familiar with the source material know that Simon's story is covered only in the first novel, and the character does not reappear until the fourth novel, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, which will be the basis for Season 3. But from Page's point of view, his arc is complete, and there is no point in continuing Basset's chapter.

'I have nothing but excitement for Bridgerton continuing to steam train off and conquer the globe,' he said in 2021. 'But there is also value in completing these arcs and sticking the landing.'

Season 3: What We Know So Far

Even before the double Hollywood strikes, it was reported that the show was experiencing a series of delays because the show's All-Mother Shonda Rhimes wasn't happy with the direction the script was taking. Fortunately, the strikes themselves did not directly affect the filming of the British-produced series, and principal photography was completed in March.

Only one thing is known. The show will definitely not be released until 2024 due to the ongoing SAG strike.

Source: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Vanity Fair, Variety.