The Duke of Hastings, Simon Basset. There; you just had a reaction, didn’t you? Even if you weren’t as fascinated by the first season of Bridgerton as, well, the rest of the known world, you still know who Simon is, and were probably very passionate about the person who brought him to life on screen, less often Jean Page. Of course, fans came in droves to the 2nd season of “Bridgerton” (which was one of the many TV premieres of 2022), but many of them really missed watching Duke Page frolic, court, marry and spend the whole day listening to Taylor Swift songs. So, should Bridgerton remake Simon before season three? Page himself has his own opinion on this.
What did Jean-Jean Page say about the remaking of Simon Bassett in “Bridgerton” season 3?
While I’m sure everyone involved in the first season of Bridgerton hoped it would be well received, I bet few expected the romantic adaptation of Regency to be the major hit it became when it debuted. Obviously, much of the excitement around the sexy series was caused by the work of Jean-Jean Page in the role of Simon, so when it became known that the nominee for the Emmy Award would not return, fans almost rebelled. When Variety magazine recently asked if Bridgerton should just remake Simon to bring Duke back to the fans, Page said:
They are free to do what they want [laughs]. Shonda [Rimes] and I had a great conversation at the end of the first season. We were very happy with how we landed in this. I’m still proud of how we landed on this.
good. good. Calm down, people! Look, what Page said may sound a little arrogant in print, but if you watch the video of the interview, you’ll see that his laughter at the end of his answer that those behind Bridgerton can do whatever they want with his former character just seems like sincere, relaxed the attitude of “I’m not involved, so it’s none of my business.” After all, Page spoke of his stay at Bridgerton only in complimentary terms.
As Page pointed out, one of the reasons fans love his character so much is how well the series reflected his story. Simon went from a rake who decided not to continue his surname, to a good friend of Daphne Bridgerton, to a loving husband and father, and all this without his development ever seeming hasty or stressful. But Paige thinks the good work they did developing Duke may have blinded some fans to his character, you know, character:
We did so well with this redemption arch that people forgot that Simon was terrible. He was the best example of a Regency fucker any of us had ever encountered. So, since we’ve come full circle so well, because we’re stuck on this landing, you’re left with this great feeling. You really have to be brave to finish such stories.
I like what Jean Page did less often in the role of Simon in the first season of Bridgerton, as well as the next fan, but he makes a very good point. Fans love him as a character so much that to see him show up to say a couple lines (if Bridgerton’s producers could even convince Page to be a guest star) would be disappointing, and any new actor playing the role would probably just have to face it. the anger of many fans and has no real chance to prove themselves.
It’s best to leave Simon with his happy ending so we can all move on to watching Anthony and Kate enjoy married life (and possibly having a baby or two), while Bridgerton season 3 finally brings us the love of Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton. A story that has been brewing for two seasons.
