“It’s like a merit badge.”
If you haven’t already started picturing Bridgerton actor Regé-Jean Page as James Bond, please pause for five seconds and do so. We’ll wait.
Got the mental image squared away? Good, (and, ahem, you’re welcome).
Rumours
The star of the hit Netflix series kicked off a series of rumors that he might be in line to don 007’s infamous tux when he tweeted out a coy message last month to promote Bridgerton’s premiere. “Regency, royalty. Shaken and stirred,” wrote Regé-Jean, making plenty of fans think of one of Bond’s classic catch phrases. From there, the idea of the actor as the iconic character soon took off, and the dream casting only intensified after fans watched him portray the confident (and, let’s be honest here, extremely handsome) Duke of Hastings.
“You would make the perfect Bond,” one fan tweeted, while another pledged to watch their very first 007 movie if Regé-Jean were to take on the title role.
The buzz got so intense that Regé-Jean was finally directly asked about the rumors, and we’re sorry to say that it seems like just a dream — for now. As noted by Entertainment Weekly, the actor discussed the fan theories during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show.
“I think there might be an element of cultural translation to be done here,” Regé-Jean explained. “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. It’s like a merit badge. You get the ‘B’ word merit badge.”
The actor went on to say that, while he’s “very, very glad” to have the badge himself, it’s “just a badge” at the moment — meaning, the rumors probably don’t have very much weight. But, as Regé-Jean himself noted, he’s in pretty good company of other actors who have been rumored to take on the role, including Idris Elba and Harry Styles. It’s yet to be determined who follows in Daniel Craig’s footsteps, but one thing is sure either way: Regé-Jean Page has captured plenty of hearts, and we have a feeling people will be watching out to see what he does next — shaken, stirred, or anything else.