‘Bridgerton’ Star Turned Down $50,000 An Episode To Return To The Neflix Series

Regé-Jean Page reportedly passed on a sizeable amount of money to return for season 2 of Bridgerton.

via: The Blast

According to multiple reports, the 31-year-old actor was offered a contract to appear in three to five episodes of the upcoming Season 2 of the hit series — but turned it down.

The deal was reportedly worth $50,000 an episode and would have featured him in the popular role of the Duke Of Hastings.

The actor reportedly turned down the lucrative deal to pursue his film career. Interestingly, Page claims he never intended on being a part of the second season. Apparently, the production company reached out to him in January or February — after it was obvious he was one of the breakout stars of the season.

Regé-Jean confirmed his exit and commented about only being on one season of the show. “It’s a one-season arc. It’s going to have a beginning, middle, end — give us a year,” he told Variety.

Apparently, everyone working on the show knew the ‘Bridgerton’ star only had a one-year deal — and the plan was to focus Season 2 on Jonathan Bailey’s character, Anthony Bridgerton, with Page’s role as ‘Simon’ playing no part in the story.

If you are a huge fan of Simon’s, there is still some hope that the characters make a reappearance someday down the line. The showrunner of the hit series said in a recent interview, “I would love to be able to see them again and also at the same time explore the other brothers and sisters of the family.”

Page’s costars have yet to address his departure. Production on season 2 of Bridgerton began in London on March 29 with the first table read.