Phoebe Dynevor explains how 'Bridgerton' season 2 will work around the duke's absence following Regé-Jean Page's departure
- Phoebe Dynevor discussed how "Bridgerton" will handle Regé-Jean Page's departure on season two.
- The actress told The Wrap on Wednesday that the duke, Page's character, will be "referred to a lot."
- She said the show will focus more on her character Daphne Bridgerton's relationship with her family.
Regé-Jean Page will not return for season two of "Bridgerton," but his costar Phoebe Dynevor confirmed that there will still be traces of his character, the Duke of Hastings, in the Regency romance.
On Wednesday, Dynevor, who plays Page's foe-turned-spouse Daphne Bridgerton, spoke to The Wrap about how the show will move forward without its season-one frontman.
"I think he'll definitely be referred to a lot," the "Snatch" actress, who began filming season two of "Bridgerton" in the UK this spring, explained.
"I think we'll see the baby," she continued, referring to the newborn Daphne and Simon Basset welcomed at the tail end of season one. "And we'll just focus more on her relationship with the Bridgerton family."
After Page announced his departure from "Bridgerton" in early April, explaining to Variety that he signed a one-season contract out of the gate, many of the show's fans found the news unfathomable. Some went as far as threatening to boycott future seasons if they didn't feature the Duke of Hastings.
Dynevor told The Wrap that she's talked to Page about the strong reactions to his exit. And more than anything, she said they're both just surprised by the show's impact and the "ownership" people feel over the on-screen characters.
"We're also both working actors and we're just plodding along. I think it's just funny, but also lovely, that people feel so close to them both. It's such a compliment and it's lovely. And I can't wait to see what Regé does next in his career," she said.
Since wrapping season one of the record-breaking Netflix original series, Page has landed roles in major films like "Dungeons & Dragons" and "The Gray Man."
Last month, Dynevor addressed Page's move away from the show for the first time on a podcast episode. "I had a bit of a heads up so I knew but yeah, I guess it is a spanner," she remarked.
She pointed out that the show, already renewed through season four, is following the sequence laid out in Julia Quinn's eight Bridgerton books, each of which tells a different Bridgerton sibling's story.
"I think maybe the fans of the books were more aware of that happening than the fans of the show," she said.
Like Quinn's second book "The Viscount Who Loved Me," season two of "Bridgerton" will follow protagonists Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley), moving Daphne into a supporting role.
Admittedly, the next installment of episodes is "definitely different" from the first, Dynevor told The Wrap.
"No two seasons will be the same and they'll have a different excitement," she said. "And I think every season is just going to be really different and magical in its own way."
Netflix is also expanding the "Bridgerton" universe beyond Quinn's books by giving Queen Charlotte, a character that does not appear in the Bridgerton novels, her own spinoff.
In May, the streaming giant shared plans for a limited series about the royal's origin story. Characters including Violet Bridgerton and Lady Danbury will also be featured in the Shonda Rhimes-written and executive-produced show. A release date has not yet been announced.