'Mr. Malcolm's List' star Zawe Ashton says she helped 'Bridgerton' actor Regé-Jean Page get his US visa
- "Mr. Malcolm's List" star Zawe Ashton said she met Rege-Jean Page before his "Bridgerton" stardom.
- She told Insider that they met on the UK show "Fresh Meat" and she offered to help with his career.
"Mr. Malcolm's List" star Zawe Ashton told Insider that watching "Bridgerton" was a "full-circle moment" because she once helped lead actor Regé-Jean Page to get his US visa.
Ashton previously told Variety that she sought out a role in a period drama after watching "Bridgerton," which led to her starring in "Mr. Malcolm's List."
In an interview with Insider, Ashton said that she had previously met Page when he had a small role in a UK show she starred in called "Fresh Meat."
"We just started talking and he was clearly extremely hard working and really inspiring," Ashton said. "We swapped contacts and I said, 'Look, if you want a soundboard for the journey that you are on right now, it's hard out there especially for actors of color, so you just gimme a text.'"
Ashton continued: "And I actually had helped him write this series of letters for when you're applying for a US visa. Didn't think any more about it. I just thought, 'I hope that guy does what he wants to do.' And then I turn on 'Bridgerton' and I'm like, 'This is so phenomenal.' Full-circle moment."
Ashton said she was "so refreshed" by the show that she messaged her team: "Get me in a corset ASAP. The tide is finally turning."
Ashton said that her message worked out because "Mr. Malcolm's List" had just lost one of its lead actors and Freida Pinto, who had worked with Ashton before, recommended her for the role.
"I had 24 hours to make a decision, two weeks of quarantine in Ireland to get into character, and then we were rocking and rolling," Ashton added.
Director Emma Holly Jones, who makes her feature-film debut with "Mr. Malcolm's List," told Insider that Ashton made the movie "a thousand times better" by pitching her role as "the Bridget Jones of 1818."
"I realized that this really dramatic shift in this production was probably the universe doing me a favor and pushing me to do something different," Jones said. "She's a brilliant writer-director, and no actor has ever pushed me harder, but I couldn't be more grateful for it because she brought the film alive. I don't think we'd all be sitting here today without her."
The director added: "It's like the biggest silver lining to the scariest professional moment of my life."
"Mr. Malcolm's List" is in theaters now.