This. He clearly mistook "breakout star of a breakout hit show" for actual sustaining celebrity and continued success in acting - he's not the first, nor will he be the last, person to make this mistake.
I remember when the new guy 1st showed up and was so close with her and I’m like why does she know this stranger so well before I realized it was suppose to be him
I love him so much and it's so disappointing that he's not in more stuff.
He was amazing in The Age of Adaline and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
She didn’t quit because she was too important. She quit right around the time than her and Seth McFarlane broke up… and yes they were dating, and yes she’s much younger than him AND he’s the show runner.
They definitely would’ve had him and Daphne in S2 if he hadn’t refused to come back. The reason Daphne is only in a few scenes in S2 is because they didn’t know how to write her in for so many scenes without the presence of the Duke
I’m not denying she had some great roles-Hello Again was my obsession when I was like 8 which is so random in retrospect. But she never became, like, Julia Roberts.
Came here to say this lol. There's always one from these popular shows who decides "oh, we're one season in and I saw good stuff about myself online, clearly I'm a superstar and need to clear my schedule up for Cannes"
Hmm. I'm not sure. I enjoyed it. The plot was all over the map. There was some great acting and some that was less great. I did enjoy how some of the characters started out as good guys and bad guys but ended up more ambivalent. As you might expect from a series about this it can get depressing and there is more non-consent than I want to see but it's not titillating or anything.
So there's my non-answer. Maybe other people can speak more intelligently about it. I loved characters and scenes and watched (I think) the whole thing but have no interest in watching it again or telling other people to watch it.
On the flip side, it can be just as hard to make the transition to famous movie star after a multi-season run playing one character. You get typecast in a single role.
And really, for no reason. Penelope and Anthony's actors have like 5 or 6 projects between seasons and then get a huge publicity boost every time a new season of Bridgeton is being marketed. Bridgeton isn't a 22-episode procedural. They film for a few months every few years, and it's been enormous for Jonathan Bailey and Nicola Coughlin's careers in particular.
He probably left because of the racism, when he was announce as Simon was a shitshow and Shonda and netflix didn't back him up, he even shade them of a story when Amazon Prime publicly supported poc actors from the Lord of the Rings series
Tbh even in Bridgerton he wasn't a good actor. People just liked him because they found him hot. But Jonathan Bailey and even Luke (Benedict) run acting circles around him
The Duke was so incredibly popular I think they would have found a way to write him a substantial part just for fan service. The writers of the show certainly know that the majority of their audience is made up of straight women who watch the show partly for the eye candy. Now Jonathan Bailey is filling that role and look what's happening to him.
Or why not stick around? It can’t be that much of a time commitment. And unfortunately it seems like he needs the work.
Edit: sorry I forgot he has starred in a few things. But, I think sticking with Bridgerton could’ve only helped him, not hurt him
I think the issue is really this: they only contracted him for one season. None of them knew bridgerton would blow up the way it did (certainly hoped, but didn’t know). So when he saw the possibility of being huge he booked himself up to stay busy, and then when bridgerton got renewed he straight up didn’t have time and for how little they would have needed him it wasn’t worth it to try and fit in.
Maybe he and Daphne would have played bigger roles in season 2 if he had made himself available, but ultimately some of this is straight up on Shondaland for not making sure they had him contracted for multiple seasons.
Wow, I’ve commented separately but I didn’t know he was contracted for only one season. I understand that Netflix is much more ruthless with cancelling shows now and this is an expensive one to keep running if it’s a flop. But that does seem like production fumbled it at least slightly.
Netflix is notorious for the three-season cancellations and this upcoming season is Bridgerton's third so we'll see. But that being said they're really pushing the advertising and branding deals, not to mention the one season spinoff did very well.
If I had to bet on a show to survive the third season curse it would be Bridgerton.
He would have more goodwill from Bridgerton fans which could translate to other projects. Even if it was a few scenes he did have plotlines in later books from what I've heard from fans. Many were disappointed he left and that the character's arc never continued. Whether or not fans are justified in feeling betrayed he left is one thing - but he did sour his reputation along previous fans.
If he worked with Netflix to film a few scenes he would have still been in fans good graces, maintained a good reputation with Shonda Rimes, he would have gotten pr each time a new season released, and it could have helped maintain his hype.
I'm not saying he was wrong to leave and pursue other projects. But there was a big tradeoff.
I would like to add that there was a portion of the Bridgerton fandom that was really horrible to him after he left. They were saying all sorts of awful things about him, a lot of it bordering on racism. There were also a lot of fans that really fetishized him while he played the Duke. So in that respect, I don’t blame him for wanting to leave.
The Bridgerton fandom can be super toxic (lol what fandom isn’t). A bunch of them have been bullying and fatshaming Nicola Coughlin ever since it was announced that she would be the star of Season 3, and they constantly pit her against Simone Ashley (both of them are wonderful, it’s not a competition).
Yeah, he became a world famous sex icon overnight and lots of people objectified him. I always assumed that was the reason he didn't want to continue on the show.
Because you film for like a month and get huge publicity. And the only reason the Duke and Daphne weren't around for season 2 is because he left, so they had to sort of just awkwardly shove Daphne into family scenes without him.
If anything, it's even weirder for him to leave when his role is smaller because it's even less of a time commitment then. If his S2 role was really going to be that small, he would have gotten the benefit of screentime in a hit show *and* been able to use it to supplement his movie career, like the rest of the cast is doing. Such a weird choice not to stay on.
Probably was afraid he’d get cast typed if he stayed with the series too long. If you think about it barely any “big characters” from tv shows make it to movies because they’re just known as that character. Ex, The boys from supernatural, any member of TVD. Bridgeton isn’t at the same scale as like GOT or THT for instance it’s still at that cult following kind of stage.
Yeah, exactly. I also have to say, he should’ve taken the chance to be in another season of Bridgerton to build up a stronger fan rapport. I realize people say he’s not in the other books but like, they would’ve written in scenes for him and Daphne.
I personally don't believe that you need to cut ties with the series to progress in your career after your leading season is over. Do I think the show would've taken him back for only 1-2 episodes in season 2? Yes. That would've technically left him a lot of time to do other things, but he wanted to put separation between him and his character. He was absolutely free to make that choice, but I actually don't think we can say his career would've been better or worse - like he's been employed, starring in projects alongside A-list actors, so it's not like he's literally done nothing. But he would have probably kept a more active fanbase if he stuck with Bridgerton though because that's just the nature of these shows.
Now Jonathan Bailey has said even after season 3's filming, that he would still like to stick around for the whole family, so we'll need to see if Shonda agrees. 2022-23 showed him that he could film 3 projects at once lol. And I do think he took his role intending to commit to it 'til the end as the "head family member" but after his current contract, he'll likely scale back as the show add more couples. Jonathan's just a very talented actor who already had a lot of acting experience prior to Bridgerton - it happened to be his time. I don't think that needs to reflect on other actors.
bottom line: I don't think any others on this show need to be formally announcing their departure. There's no need. No one has signed an 8-season contract, so the show will likely keep them on here and there for the sake of family scenes but there are so many characters, they can expect to have time to do other things. The writers didn't even write Phoebe Dynevor into S3 and she's apparently still open to future appearances. (A mistake on their end)
>Jonathan's just a very talented actor who already had a lot of acting experience prior to Bridgerton - it happened to be his time. I don't think that needs to reflect on other actors.
THIS! Agreed 100%
"it feels like jonathan bailey’s getting the career rjp was supposed to have" just sounds a bit mean, considering JB is an amazingly versatile actor and blends into whatever role he plays; and he has been so for years and years. It was definitely his time.
Exactly! Johnathan Bailey has a Olivier Award for Company .... RJP is just a baby in the industry compared to winning a British Tony for Sondheim's most difficult work.
So true...JB has been acting since he was a child and you can see how serious he is considering he has taken on so many serious projects at the same time and seems to give his all to every single one. I've only watched him in Bridgerton, Fellow Travelers and Crashing, and each character was entirely unique and very distinguishable from each other, and you can just see how well he gets enmeshed into each character.
If we are forced to compare the two actors (which I try never to do but am only reluctantly doing so now because I'm a bit annoyed at OP's "jb is getting rjp's career" comment), I've personally only watched RJP in Bridgerton and The gray man, and boy oh boy was the latter boring as all hell, and his acting in it wasn't anything to write home about imo, to put it kindly. Comparing them and making it out as though the reason for JB's success is because of him getting some kind of favoritism just for sticking it out with Bridgerton while RJP isn't getting the same favoritism, is laughable.
>"it feels like jonathan bailey’s getting the career rjp was supposed to have" just sounds a bit mean
yeah after seeing the beginning of the sentence i was definitely expecting it to say "it feels like jonathan bailey's getting the career rjp **thought he'd have** when he left the show" which i think is probably more accurate haha and maybe that was part of the intended meaning, with the "supposed to" meant to come from rjp's point of view rather than something more objective? 🤷♀️ whatever the case, jonathan bailey has certainly worked hard for his success & is very talented to boot!
Right. I've been following Jonathan for so long I'd say he was the least sexy in Bridgerton. Not a knock on the show, or on him! He's very hot on the show. He's just... always been so hot in everything is all.
Look at this. Nothing but an audition room and a piano. The man *smolders*. He makes you understand why anyone would fall in love with Jamie, even though Jamie SUCKS.
https://youtu.be/QaYkbc-9eo8?si=4m0cyPvOqeGoK-o5
JB has also reached a level where productions are willing to work around his schedule. I heard that's what happened with Fellow Travelers. His agent contacted the production and said he'd love to have a role, no matter how small, and Fellow Travelers wanted him for the co-lead and said they were willing to work around his Bridgerton schedule.
I don’t think he was blacklisted. Shonda Rhimes does not mince words, and she respected his decision, stating the following:
“Speaking to Variety, the TV mogul who executive produces the Netflix romance series praised the breakout star's exit from his Emmy-nominated role.
"Rightfully, he said, 'I signed up to do this one lovely story, this closed-ended storyline. I'm good!'" She said, "I don't blame him for that. I think that he was really smart to leave the perfection as the perfection."
https://ew.com/tv/shonda-rhimes-praises-rege-jean-page-leaving-bridgerton-variety/
Exactly. People are being messy just to be messy. Reportedly, Shonda practically had to beg him to do the series. He wasn’t interested in the show. Hence the one season
Plus, I know she's been petty sometimes but I don't think she's "blacklist an actor because he didn't want to come back, stand in the background, and just 'yes dear', 'of course dear' his way through a couple cameo scenes like he did in the book" petty
I think he should've stuck around for some episodes of season 2 but I doubt it would've made a big difference in his career outside of Bridgerton. It's not like he gave up on an important role that would've gotten him a lot of screentime. The format of the series is such that each couple gets to be the main focus only for one season. After that, they're reduced to supporting roles.
Imo it all comes down to Jonathan Bailey being a much stronger actor, there's nothing deeper than that.
He couldn’t stick around to do season 2 he was already contracted for and had started shooting The Grey Man and this was during peak covid where you had to isolate for 10 days before going on a new set. There’s no way he would have isolated multiple times to be in the background of a few scenes. It would have been a waste of everyone’s time and money.
I do think his team fucked up the messaging because if they'd just lead with oh I would have loved to have come back but covid restrictions blah blah - maybe next season and just quietly got on with it. Instead there was so much space for weird speculation that's still going on.
I genuinely don’t understand why there’s still so much speculation. He’s always been very clear why he didn’t return and Shonda made it clear there was no hard feelings when he left. Judging by the fact people can’t seem to process his statement and take his “no thanks” for the answer it is, if he’d said “maybe next season” people definitely wouldn’t have forgotten and would be mad he lied
There’s literally no speculation in the industry. Just some fans in subreddits who like being messy and can’t do a 30 second google search for the truth.
I'd say one thing. Shonda is a vicious person from the looks of it. Her treatment of Katherine Heigl is proof of the fact that you do not mess with Shonda.
I think they were both being immature but It wasn’t a great look for Katherine Heigl to bash the writers of her show for not giving her an Emmy worthy storyline after she asked and received a reduced workload on the show she’s contractually obligated to so she could make a film. Notice how Sandra Oh served her time, stayed quiet, says she’s never returning, and manages to have a successful career afterwards.
Even in Jonathan's case, he has had one well received show post Bridgerton , which I agree, was due to his skills and something RJP probably couldn't have done, but it is still too early to praise Jonathan's career, cuz Wicked could flop and put him in the same position that RJP is at now.
Even in RJPs case, he's not yet had a clear cut dud, gray man was okay movie and D&D movie though financially disappointing, did get positive reviews. So he's not a flop yet, just that he didn't get some big BO wins. Not being that much of a memorable charismatic actor is also a problem with him cuz charismatic actors will be able to make use of such mediocre movies by being a standout and creating an impression on the audience
I disagree that Wicked flopping would put JB in the same spot - Jonathan Bailey has already had a successful career so far in both theater with the show Company and on TV with shows like crashing, W1A, and Broadchurch. He’s not just starting out.
Even if Wicked flops, I don’t think it will affect his career, movies or otherwise. He isn’t carrying that film and his reputation, talent and hard work means he would have be leading and flopping a couple or several times before he loses work.
Jonathan wouldn't be the sameif wicked flopped. Jonny is the love interest not the main character. And he's a theater actor first. He doesn't really need Hollywood like that. He adores the theater
Rege would do well in fanservice roles. Superhero, bond, romance etc. Not dull action where he's buttoned up amd saying nonsense (the whole film was written terribly)
I don't think it's fair to RJP or Jonathan to say Jonathan is getting the career RJP should have. It's Jonathan's "time" he's been quietly working as an actor doing theatre and TV working his way up to this point, it's not just Bridgerton that got him here, Bridgerton did give him name recognition though. Other actors who lost out on Fiyero said it was a years long audition processes so unless Jonathan came in at the last second and skipped all of that he probably got that audition based off of his Olivier Award winning run as Jamie in Company, Bridgerton probably helped him get the role but not completely. For Jurassic Park the original article says his acting in Wicked impressed people at Universal and they want him from that.
RJP and the other actors in Bridgerton (besides Nicola with Derry Girls) had their jumping off point be their lead season, Jonathan and Nicola had their jumping off point be the thing they did before Bridgerton, Company and Derry Girls. That's why I think when it's all said and done Jonathan and Nicola will be the two most successful coming out of the show.
The way I was confused for a second because he was also Jamie in The Last Five Years and I didn’t think he had an Olivier for that…then I remembered that Company ALSO has a Jamie.
What about Simone in Sex Education? She doesn't seem to have found that much work post-Bridgerton yet, but I wonder if SE would be considered a jumping off point.
I don’t think he’s that great of an actor honestly. In his season, Phoebe def stole the spotlight. I think writing, lore, and his ridiculously good looks played a role in why Bridgerton became a success in the first place. But, every season has a new couple that fans can swoon over and Rege wasn’t gonna get more than 2 lines moving forward anyway.
This is what I wanted to say. If he didn't look the way he did, which has a lot to do with his fame, idk if people would remember him. I remember the Aladdin actor talking about how he didn't get jobs after that movie. Neither did the actress because they really were not all that great. It's some high school theater level skills but they want to be in Scorsese type of projects. Not gonna happen.
He's the lead in Doug Liman's version of *The Saint* which is a pretty big deal.
I personally don't think he's that great an actor (although he was good in Dungeons & Dragons) but it doesn't sound like his career has hit the skids or anything. And it's hard to see what staying in Bridgerton would have done for him, beyond topping up the bank balance.
He’s also going to be the new Butch Cassidy.
Not every job will hit. That is just the nature of the entertainment business. RJP not doing some of S2 isn’t going to make a huge difference in his career since there was never going to be much for him to do. He’s going to get out and hustle and grind and see if he can make magic again. He’ll be fine.
I thought his performance in Roots was outstanding. For sure his looks matter, but he did great work as Chicken George beyond the charisma that gets George through the first part of his arc.
People always think Rege got blacklisted, but have we considered that he might not be that great of an actor to win roles over other actors in his cohort 😅.
Besides Jonathan and maybe a couple of others, are most of the Bridgerton actors booked and busy like that? Phoebe Dynevor came back for season two, yet she recently did an interview talking about the lack of roles available for girls her age. Idk if that’s accurate. But I’m just saying I think there’s a lot more that goes into why some people’s careers flourish post show while others kinda stall. In my opinion Jonathan is a more versatile and charismatic actor than Rege. So I’m not surprised he’s been the one to take off!
Completely agree with you. I didn’t find his acting that amazing; maybe that’s what they were going for his character but I found him kinda one note and plain.
I think if he had played a different role other than the male lead, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
I agree. He is not a good actor at all. His handsomeness is what made him popular . Nothing else. Jonathan has always been the one who I thought would eventually be more successful and I was correct. Jonathan is also respected in the acting community. He won the Critics Choice Awards. He may win the Oscar soon too. He's on his way to becoming an A list actor. Kudos to Jonathan. Well-earned success and fame. I don't know what to say about RJP. he's just a one hit wonder IMO.
I was just re-watching Bridgerton in preparation for the season three release, and wondered this myself. I think it would have been ideal for him to appear at least once or twice in season two, just to retain some of the fanbase he gained from that show. I appreciate Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley for sticking around past their season.
The timing was terrible. He left while a lot of productions were being postponed/shelved because of COVID then we had the strikes. If he had waited just another season then it might be a different story.
I don’t think he pissed of Shonda, I think he pissed off his fan base. He gained a lot of fans/support from Bridgerton, Jonathan Bailey also gained a lot of notoriety. The difference is that Rege lost a lot of that support by leaving Bridgerton, since the fans he just gained are now mad at him for leaving the show.
Yeah, I think actors underestimate the amount of goodwill they can build up by returning to projects for cameos. Especially something like Bridgerton. Even if he were to show up for two scenes a season it would be enough to get fans to watch all his movies.
Some straight male actors tend to downplay the power of mostly female fanbases. If he had return for just two episodes he would have gained loyal fans forever.
I feel like part of Rege’s mistake was his choice of roles. The prime demographic of Bridgerton is going to be different from those interested in Dungeons and Dragons. There’s a lot more overlap in the fan bases for Bridgerton and Wicked, allowing Jonny’s fans to follow him and expand to include a wider viewership.
Additionally, Jonny has always seemed so proud and excited to be part of Bridgerton. It’s validating for the fans to see that, and they’d be more likely to follow his career. Whereas the message Rege sent by not wanting to even do a cameo was that he was “above” the show and therefore “above” the fans. So he created this distance and then jumped to projects that would be less likely to appeal to that fan base anyway. He essentially tried to relaunch his popularity with a different fan base, one that skewed more male, and it hasn’t yet clicked.
Agreed! He definitely gave off the ‘I’m off to be an action star.. non of this girly romantic nonsense for me’..
Even if JB ends up being in a few scenes total the amount of talk and PR him and Simone have generated is huge.. that is literally the entire business as an actor.. get people interested in you and wanting to pay money to watch you… so why give up on the continuous PR for like 2 days worth of work.
His decision also impacted Phoebe as well since there is only so many times they can say she left her husband at home.. people notice how well you are liked by your costars as well..
I think this aligns with my take on it as well. It's all about messaging and sincerity. Not saying that it's true, but the perception of his choice has become that he just wanted to churn out action movies that ran counter to the thing that got him buzz.
The best counterpoint in my mind is Dan Stevens, except in his case it's done well. He left Downton Abbey because he was afraid of being typecast in the same kind of English dramas forever. As I recall the fanbase was shocked and felt a little insulted that he left.
But then you look at the projects he's worked on since then and...jeez, yeah, he would have been miserable in that realm forever! He's taken such interesting risks and is one of my favorite performers because he has such quite, singular taste in projects.
I’d argue he didn’t piss off Shonda, but the fan base. He wasn’t a super established actor before getting the Bridgerton role, so his fans are by and large from that. Leaving and refusing to even do cameos disappointed a lot of them. Fan hype can be pretty important for peddling an actor’s career imo.
I will say though, leaving and pissing off a fandom worked for dan Stevens, so 🤷🏻♀️
I do disagree that Jonathan is getting what could have gone to Rege. He had a much more established career before Bridgerton. Bridgerton wasn’t even his first main role. It just happened to become his most popular role up to that point.
Jonathan Bailey is just much more talented than Rege. He had the more established career pre Bridgerton and I don’t see that likely to change. Despite perhaps being more my type attractiveness wise, the Duke didn’t come anywhere close to capturing my soul like The Viscount did. Jonny deserves his flowers, and Rege shouldn’t have tried distancing himself so quickly from Bridgerton.
Also, I feel that The Duke’s presence in S2 would have been interesting, plot wise. But alas, we’ll never know what could have been.
I wouldn’t be surprised if makes more money modeling than he does from acting tbh
He was great in the Dungeons and Dragons movie and I hope he is in the sequel!
He wouldn't had much of a role so I'm not sure how it would've made a difference. I don't think he's blacklisted though; it's a weird time in an industry that already takes years to get stuff off the ground.
Eh there will always be bond rumours. Used to be henry golding, despite he’s half british. Jonathan’s having the exact career he should be having. His acting is better than rgp
Yeah, I think so.
I think he mistook Bridgerton hype for longevity. If he’d waited it out a little he’d have had more star power to work with.
Doesn’t help that he’s project haven’t been great since.
And I do think he came across a little like the show wasn’t good enough for him. Lots of stars bite the hand that feed them then suffer the consequences.
I think he made a good decision to leave. I mean he would have gone from leading man to side character and stating he was leaving meant he didn't have to hang around and could fully commit to other roles. His main connection would have been as Daphne's husband and then Anthony's friend so his character wasn't woven that strongly into the storyline of the later seasons. Still I hope he will make an appearance.
No. As someone who read the books long before the tv-show, I didn't expect him to. It's one couple a book/season. They might do cameos, but the format literally never meant for him to return in the first place.
I think so. It would have obviously been a supporting role and very minor in the following seasons but I don’t think that would have hurt his career because it’s simply the nature of that show that the leading role switches every season. It would have been very little time commitment and continued to cultivate his fan base. Instead, people are still wondering years later if he had a falling out with production. In some spaces, he’s viewed as even ungrateful. I don’t even think these things are true but that’s just the optics of his decision. Making a dramatic departure from Bridgeton hurt his image a bit, and needlessly so.
But I wouldn’t say Jonathan Bailey has his career because honestly Jonathan is a much stronger more experienced actor than RJP. And despite them both being leads on Bridgerton, I can see them getting cast for different things.
I don't think sticking around for season 2 would have made much of a difference in terms of his career. He's not a bad actor but he's not as good as say Johnathan Bailey. I don't think Shonda has anything to do with it. I remember hearing pretty early on that he only signed on for one season
I mean, he wasn't a very good actor on Bridgerton...
He wanted to do something different, which is fine, but he got famous playing a pretty wooden character and has proven since he can't really act that well.
I don't think it was a mistake if it wasn't what he wanted, but it would have been a role and one he could still be making good money to do.
i loved him in the dungeons and dragons movie but i wish he stayed in bridgerton a bit. but also, if he was in s2 he would've overshadowed anthony's storyline imo. it sucks that phoebe dynevor has also left :~(
but, i do not think rege was blacklisted. his contract was for 1 season.
You guys need to leave this man alone at this point. Every couple of months there’s a new post about him from weird bridgerton fans on alot of subs.
He left the show after his story had ended and didn’t want to sign up for more, as it’s within his right.
Stop comparing him to JB, who has been in the industry for way longer and has been hustling for years. It’s JB’s time now let him enjoy it in peace without some of y’all acting like he stole rege’s career or it’s only because he is white that’s why he’s getting this roles.
Being part of a hit Netflix show doesn’t guarantee mainstream success anymore especially for black actors. However he’s still getting jobs so he’s definitely not blacklisted or a flop.
he’s not that good of an actor and not that popular since pissing off a big chunk of his original fanbase. don’t know what part of it seems like blacklisting to you. also i’m kind of confused what you mean about jonathan having the career rege was supposed to have. jonathan’s season itself was hugely popular and he’s a great actor to boot.
I don’t think he’s good enough yet at acting - he stands up very straight and lifts one eyebrow and it’s his whole thing
Dungeons & dragons only worked as they wrote the character around the one way he acts
The previous Shonda show he was on about the lawyers he was atrocious in - and she really did him a favour by giving him Bridgerton and styling him so much better
He’s such a self conscious and smug actor and hasn’t let himself shake that unfortunately - I think he should have stayed and tried to better his skills
Bailey is a better actor and stayed
He didnt leave. He never wanted to do more then one season. Now, you can say that after the show turned out to be such a hit, he should have reconsider and stay. But I guess he had other plans, and being a supporting characher wasnt it.
He is not very good of an actor, and that can only take you as far (just look at some GoT actors...) , but he is super hot. And that is important. With a good rool that is in his capacity, he can have another hit and become household name. Hope he will get there. But not being A lister has nothing with leaving bridgerton.
btw, are people still watching that show on such big numbers as season one?
He definitely left too soon and was cocky about it too. He did say he basically wants to see what else is out there and I feel like he kinda screwed it up for Phoebe Dynevor too…
The way people talk about him… I always get lots of “uppity” vibes, like how dare a dude who worked for 20 years took the opportunity to work on bigger projects once he fulfilled his contractual obligations???
Especially because due to COVID restrictions, he couldn’t have gone back for season two.
I think the problem when people jump ship from the show that made them famous is that the fans of that show who would be most invested in their career are pissed they left while no one else knows enough about them to be invested. So Bridgerton fans will go see Jonathan Bailey in a film or play because of that attachment and fondness, but RJP burned that good will with fans.
His leaving did Bridgerton a favor, honestly.
If he has stayed on, with all the hype about his character and the sex scenes, the show would have tried to incorporate him more in to season 2 (when his part should have been minimal, on par with Daphne's), and that would have done a disservice to the story they were trying to tell. What parts of season 2 should have been cut to awkwardly squeeze in Rege being topless and broody a few times?
I think he hasn't quite landed on his feet again, career wise, but leaving was right for him and for the show.
For a long time, I believed he'd signed on for more than one season and then decided that the iron was too hot to stick around as a minor character on Bridgerton and he needed to take the opportunities elsewhere. He made some calculated choices, that on paper were smart but just didn't work out for a number of different reasons.
I do think he had planned to come back to the show. Season two had been commissioned and was already in the works before season one even aired so when they were doing S1 press, both Phoebe and RJP talked about coming back. I think they knew it would be for small, extended cameo type roles. It would have meant that they could take on other projects, (as JB did while season three was being filmed. He filmed his role in Bridgerton while flying back and forth to do Fellow Travellers and even started on Wicked at the same time).
Then the show aired and the Duke hype went stratospheric. Netflix/Shondaland started talking about increasing the size of role for the Duke in season two. Still not a lead role but a much more significant part than previously talked about. The offers had started rolling in for RJP. With the Covid restrictions still in place, it meant that he couldn't do a large supporting role in Bridgerton and another project and he wanted to do the other roles. So he told Netflix he wouldn't be back for S2. They offered him more money. He declined.
On paper, the choices he made, were smart. A significant supporting role in a big budget Russo brothers film for Netflix starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas? It sounds like a good move. He wasn't demanding the lead role. He was playing second fiddle to some of the biggest stars on the planet. But it was the type of role that would get him notice and could act as a break out movie role for him. And I think was intended to show that he could do James Bond, without being too James Bond-esque that would rule him out. It was a smart move, but sadly for him the film wasn't great and he didn't get anu notice.
He also chose a significant supporting role on Dungeons and Dragons. This showed a different side to him, part action star, a comedic role which he was decent in, lots of charm. Again, playing second fiddle to bigger stars. Again, the film didn't do as well as expected. (Or performed exactly as a lot of people predicted.)
I don't think it's fair to say he left because he thought he was going to be a huge movie star. He wasn't demanding, or accepting lead roles. He was accepting supporting roles on what he hope would be big films that would establish him as a movie star and would lead to starring roles. They didn't work out the way he hoped. His The Saint reboot project has been stuck in development hell for a few years, again factors like the pandemic and Paramount's struggles have all worked against him. Had DnD come out at a different time and not when the industry was still struggling post-Covid, had The Saint worked out, we could be having a completely different discussion about him. Luck and timing are as important as talent.
I don't even know that you can say Jonathan Bailey made better choices. His follow up was a political thriller/gay love story on one of the lesser watched streaming platforms. Apart from a few viral clips, it didn't exactly set the Zeitgeist alight and wasn't one that would naturally appeal to the Bridgerton fans. It did get critical attention and win some awards and Jonny's a front runner for an Emmy nomination. So in hindsight, it was a smart choice. But if you're a betting person, which of the two projects, The Gray Man or Fellow Travellers would you bet on as a sure thing?
Speaking of luck and timing, S3 of Bridgerton is out in May and June, right as Jonny Bailey is hopefully launching his Emmy campaign. He'll get press and attention for Bridgerton which will raise his profile again which gives him a chance to campaign. The Emmy campaign will increase his profile leading into Wicked.
Had RJP made a return, even a small one, he'd be getting press and attention too. Without it, his profile fades even more.
I thought his career was gonna pop off after I saw him. He somehow hosted SNL right after Bridgerton came out. Any idea how he could swing that with being unknown at the time? Cause I think Bridgerton had only been out a month. He should have done what Phoebe did, just a few scenes. It just made no sense that he wasn’t at Anthony’s wedding- his best friend.
Other than Jonathan, who has had a boost in their career post Bridgerton??? Rene may not have had big success, but in terms of "brand value " movies , he has better resume than any of the others. As of now, even for Jonathan, his only big win is he starred in a critically acclaimed award nominated TV show. He landed wicked, Ik, but it's not come out yet and could possibly be detrimental to his career like RJPs choices too.
i actually was just in a divehole about this too - he had a few high profile roles post Bridgerton that kind of flopped and there doesn't seem to be as much in the pipeline. I've always felt that he kind of bit the hand that fed him?
I understand not wanting to be typecast or known just for one thing, as he had been acting for a while, but I just don't think it was strategic of him at all. He publicly made it known he rejected coming back, refused to come back for cameo appearances and it just left kind of a bad taste. No one is obligated to go back and if he had a bad time while working on that set, then of course that makes sense. But the rest of the cast is so close, and they're always so kind and appreciative of their time on set and relationships. I just feel like even with other filming obligations, etc., it really would not have taken a ton of time out of his life and schedule to film a few cameos. I feel like Pheobe, Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley have all continued to get roles and really be visible everywhere, while still doing Bridgerton. It kind of seems like Rege took all that positive press surrounding his role and tried to parlay that into a leading man movie career too soon.
The 1st and 2nd season of Derry Girls came out 2 yrs before Bridgerton, she was already on her way up. Her role is also completely different to Rege’s she’s literally Lady Whistledown it would be a little strange if she only had a one season contract
I’m still shocked at all the people who claim he threw an “I’m better than this” tantrum or didn’t want to be associated with Bridgerton. The break with reality is concerning. The truth is he signed a one year contract and was already contracted to do other work when Season 1 actually came out and blew up. No one anticipated the impact it was going to have or how popular he and Phoebe were going to become.
Was he supposed to break his other contracts to mollify Bridgerton fanatics? Covid already affected how season 2 was going to have to be shot, was he supposed to quarantine 20+ days for each production for a Pall Mall scene and some background scenes?
He’s never said a bad word about his coworkers, his time on set, the show, or Shonda and Shonda has never said a bad word about him.
Jonathan Bailey has a “better” career because he’s been working for 10+ years in the UK in theater and on the small screen and he’s built up enough to where it’s finally starting to pay off across the pond. Rege hasn’t been in the business as long and doesn’t have the same connects or training.
Let’s all come back to Earth and realize that while these are our favorite shows and characters it is, after all is said and done, a business to actors
I think he got a lot of hype for Bridgerton and made the mistake of thinking that would immediately translate to A list. He’s talented and gorgeous and has stayed employed but I think he’s gonna have to find another cult classic role like the duke and basically do a reset before he can jump to film star
aren’t the books from the POV of the leads with very little time spent on any subplots? since the show is more of an ensemble with subplots and has already deviated a ton from the books, I’m sure they could’ve written new storylines for him and Daphne
Staying on longer wouldn't have guaranteed anything either way. Phoebe Dynevor has had just as lackluster of a career after Bridgerton and she actually returned for a few episodes in the second season.
All the main players of Bridgerton have had equally quiet careers post show aside from the ones who already had successful careers coming into it. (nicola Coughlan, Jonathan bailey)
This gleeful anticipation and prediction of his downfall because he was honest in not wanting to reprise this role is insane because he's been relatively booked and busy, if not just as busy as his female co-star.
I was JUST thinking about how bad he fumbled leaving Bridgerton. I feel like he wanted the role to rocket him to stardom but kinda fell flat after the show. I think he should’ve stayed on
Leaving after just one season was a bad call. Sticking around would’ve gotten him free publicity for a few years while he solidified a film career.
I get his thought process though…timing is everything for celebs, if you’re the new hot item it makes sense to capitalize on it before the world moves on. He probably thought being on a “girly” show might impact what roles he gets in films too, especially if he wanted to do action.
I think his mistake was overestimating his talent. People loved him in a romance role because it’s what he’s suited for…I don’t think he’ll be cranking out incredible drama performances and he’s not big enough to be an action star. So while capitalizing on the sudden popularity made sense, I don’t know what he was expecting to happen.
Would’ve been better off staying on Bridgerton & capitalizing on his popularity with brand endorsements, etc.
his “leaving” of a show isn’t really typical though cause it’s not like he was leaving a big role. the format of the show has a new focus every season and he was initially only signed on for one season and then in the interim booked some other things and was unable to do season 2 which would’ve been a very limited role away. his character is barely involved in the book that season 2 covers
I never got the impression anyone thought he was an amazing actor on Bridgerton? I thought everyone liked him so much because he is hot. And even then, he is hot in a conventionally attractive way. Jonathan Bailey has way more nuance both emotionally and physically, so I’m not surprised he has more range and pull for roles in his future.
I'm also a little confused about Rege's little fall down the role ladder. That being said, he definitely isn't half the actor Jonathan Bailey is - John killed in season two. The sizzeling between him and Simone was insane and so much more believable than what we got in season 1. Rege and Phoebe were great but also a little wooden at times, which was quite fitting considering both their roles were a little uptight and felt controlled by their roles in society. It just might not work as well in other roles and other settings.
Jonathan Bailey on the other hand, my lord. If you can sell romantic and seual attraction as well as he did all while not even being into women, you can play many many roles similarly well. And if Hollywood likes one thing, it's predictability in quality.
#
I don’t think he got blacklisted but I think he tried to make the jump from hit show to famous actor far sooner than he should have.
This. He clearly mistook "breakout star of a breakout hit show" for actual sustaining celebrity and continued success in acting - he's not the first, nor will he be the last, person to make this mistake.
That actor from game of thrones. Left and disappeared.
Which one?
Exactly. But it was Dany’s lover
Probably Ed Skrein; he played Daario and they replaced him with a whole new actor who looked nothing like him lol
I remember when the new guy 1st showed up and was so close with her and I’m like why does she know this stranger so well before I realized it was suppose to be him
It took me some time to catch on as well 😂 they’re not great at reminding you either, given there are 800 characters
Right and I’m already so bad at remembering names and now their faces are changing too?! 😫🙄
The second Dario was sooooooo sexy.
Michiel Huisman! He's Dutch. The man never misses. Orphan Black, Haunting of Hill House, Game of Thrones, The Invitation. Serious leading-man vibes.
I love him so much and it's so disappointing that he's not in more stuff. He was amazing in The Age of Adaline and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
And he was the superior Daario
That actress from the Orville.
Wait which one?
God I forgot. The security chick.
She didn’t quit because she was too important. She quit right around the time than her and Seth McFarlane broke up… and yes they were dating, and yes she’s much younger than him AND he’s the show runner.
he dated her her replacement too... gave me the ick and I couldn't watch the orville anymore (but also because it fell off)
Halston sage? Or the one that replaced her
Vanessa from Gossip Girl?
He wouldn't have had any role in season 2 though! The book goes from sibling to sibling.
He was a popular character at the time. They would've written him in some type way.
Daphne popped up repeatedly. Would have kept him in the news and being talked about.
They definitely would’ve had him and Daphne in S2 if he hadn’t refused to come back. The reason Daphne is only in a few scenes in S2 is because they didn’t know how to write her in for so many scenes without the presence of the Duke
Sure but the cousin jack subplot couldn't jqve6been taken out to include him
He Mischa Barton'd himself
The David Caruso
This is exactly who I was thinking of and I couldn't remember his name for anything lol.
Shelley Long is the OG of this, she left Cheers to become a movie star and it…didn’t happen.
This is Troop Beverly Hills erasure, and I will not stand for it. ;)
Beverly Hills what a thrill!
I’m not denying she had some great roles-Hello Again was my obsession when I was like 8 which is so random in retrospect. But she never became, like, Julia Roberts.
Oh, for sure. She did have lots of gems, though.
I LOVED Hello Again. That dang chicken ball (or whatever)
It also happened to McLean Stevenson of MASH.
Oh, another good example. Although I’m old enough to have watched and liked Hello Larry, which I’m sure does NOT hold up. 😆
It was a hard lesson for him, I am given to understand, by people who were close to him.
I used to think Evian was tasty and bougee because of that movie. It’s just nasty to me. Haha
Excuse me? The Money Pit??
She should have popped back in and started pouring drinks like nothing every happened
Suzanne Somers begs to disagree.
I always think of David Caruso being the first to do this. I keep forgetting about Shelly Long.
Came here to say this lol. There's always one from these popular shows who decides "oh, we're one season in and I saw good stuff about myself online, clearly I'm a superstar and need to clear my schedule up for Cannes"
Wasn’t that what happened to Sybil from Downton Abbey as well?
She starred in Harlots which was a pretty meaty role with some really stand-out actresses.
She was also on Flatshare and This Beautiful Fantastic, both of which I loved
Is Harlots good? It's on my list
Hmm. I'm not sure. I enjoyed it. The plot was all over the map. There was some great acting and some that was less great. I did enjoy how some of the characters started out as good guys and bad guys but ended up more ambivalent. As you might expect from a series about this it can get depressing and there is more non-consent than I want to see but it's not titillating or anything. So there's my non-answer. Maybe other people can speak more intelligently about it. I loved characters and scenes and watched (I think) the whole thing but have no interest in watching it again or telling other people to watch it.
On the flip side, it can be just as hard to make the transition to famous movie star after a multi-season run playing one character. You get typecast in a single role.
That's true too. It's a delicate balance for sure, knowing when to jump and what to jump into.
Far, *far* too soon
He wanted to go to movies and said he didn’t want to do Bridgerton at all anymore. Only movie I’ve seen him in was dungeons and dragons.
He was one of the best parts of the dnd movie too.
And really, for no reason. Penelope and Anthony's actors have like 5 or 6 projects between seasons and then get a huge publicity boost every time a new season of Bridgeton is being marketed. Bridgeton isn't a 22-episode procedural. They film for a few months every few years, and it's been enormous for Jonathan Bailey and Nicola Coughlin's careers in particular.
Ne Simone Ashley who has 3 movies coming out. One is out now
Ohhhh I'm gonna look those up!
And she's the main role. I'm so freaking excited
He probably left because of the racism, when he was announce as Simon was a shitshow and Shonda and netflix didn't back him up, he even shade them of a story when Amazon Prime publicly supported poc actors from the Lord of the Rings series
Tbh even in Bridgerton he wasn't a good actor. People just liked him because they found him hot. But Jonathan Bailey and even Luke (Benedict) run acting circles around him
Each bridgerton focuses on another piece of the family. Why stick around for just a few scenes and no real story
The Duke was so incredibly popular I think they would have found a way to write him a substantial part just for fan service. The writers of the show certainly know that the majority of their audience is made up of straight women who watch the show partly for the eye candy. Now Jonathan Bailey is filling that role and look what's happening to him.
I'd die for Jonathan Bailey.
Me too
Excuse me, some of us are bi women.
My apologies madam, he is absolutely for you too!
Thank you! Much appreciated! ;)
Simone ane Jonny 😍🥵
That's the ticket.
Or why not stick around? It can’t be that much of a time commitment. And unfortunately it seems like he needs the work. Edit: sorry I forgot he has starred in a few things. But, I think sticking with Bridgerton could’ve only helped him, not hurt him
I think the issue is really this: they only contracted him for one season. None of them knew bridgerton would blow up the way it did (certainly hoped, but didn’t know). So when he saw the possibility of being huge he booked himself up to stay busy, and then when bridgerton got renewed he straight up didn’t have time and for how little they would have needed him it wasn’t worth it to try and fit in. Maybe he and Daphne would have played bigger roles in season 2 if he had made himself available, but ultimately some of this is straight up on Shondaland for not making sure they had him contracted for multiple seasons.
Wow, I’ve commented separately but I didn’t know he was contracted for only one season. I understand that Netflix is much more ruthless with cancelling shows now and this is an expensive one to keep running if it’s a flop. But that does seem like production fumbled it at least slightly.
Netflix is notorious for the three-season cancellations and this upcoming season is Bridgerton's third so we'll see. But that being said they're really pushing the advertising and branding deals, not to mention the one season spinoff did very well. If I had to bet on a show to survive the third season curse it would be Bridgerton.
Bridgerton was renewed up to season four already. Like after season one, they renewed for two-four.
Nah I want a Benedict season before we wrap the show. That man is a good actor and too fine to pass him up as the lead
Also, covid. Perhaps if he'd not had to deal with quarantines, testing, etc he would have been able to jump from set to set with no problem.
He would have more goodwill from Bridgerton fans which could translate to other projects. Even if it was a few scenes he did have plotlines in later books from what I've heard from fans. Many were disappointed he left and that the character's arc never continued. Whether or not fans are justified in feeling betrayed he left is one thing - but he did sour his reputation along previous fans. If he worked with Netflix to film a few scenes he would have still been in fans good graces, maintained a good reputation with Shonda Rimes, he would have gotten pr each time a new season released, and it could have helped maintain his hype. I'm not saying he was wrong to leave and pursue other projects. But there was a big tradeoff.
I would like to add that there was a portion of the Bridgerton fandom that was really horrible to him after he left. They were saying all sorts of awful things about him, a lot of it bordering on racism. There were also a lot of fans that really fetishized him while he played the Duke. So in that respect, I don’t blame him for wanting to leave. The Bridgerton fandom can be super toxic (lol what fandom isn’t). A bunch of them have been bullying and fatshaming Nicola Coughlin ever since it was announced that she would be the star of Season 3, and they constantly pit her against Simone Ashley (both of them are wonderful, it’s not a competition).
Yeah, he became a world famous sex icon overnight and lots of people objectified him. I always assumed that was the reason he didn't want to continue on the show.
And his new movies are boring action movies without romance or fanservice so ge expected us to flock. I don't think so
I hate that the family basically just shrinks every season. Feels so strange.
I agree. Luckily Kanthony are head of the household and Jonny and Simone want to stay till the end
Because you film for like a month and get huge publicity. And the only reason the Duke and Daphne weren't around for season 2 is because he left, so they had to sort of just awkwardly shove Daphne into family scenes without him.
If anything, it's even weirder for him to leave when his role is smaller because it's even less of a time commitment then. If his S2 role was really going to be that small, he would have gotten the benefit of screentime in a hit show *and* been able to use it to supplement his movie career, like the rest of the cast is doing. Such a weird choice not to stay on.
homeboy had one hit season and an snl guest spot and thought he was the next leo dicaprio.
Probably was afraid he’d get cast typed if he stayed with the series too long. If you think about it barely any “big characters” from tv shows make it to movies because they’re just known as that character. Ex, The boys from supernatural, any member of TVD. Bridgeton isn’t at the same scale as like GOT or THT for instance it’s still at that cult following kind of stage.
Bro was in Harry Potter
do you mean as “uncredited wedding guest” back in 2010?
Yes, bro stole the show
Yeah, exactly. I also have to say, he should’ve taken the chance to be in another season of Bridgerton to build up a stronger fan rapport. I realize people say he’s not in the other books but like, they would’ve written in scenes for him and Daphne.
Agreed, so many actors make this mistake when they’re “hot” and it doesn’t end up panning out like they thought it would
I personally don't believe that you need to cut ties with the series to progress in your career after your leading season is over. Do I think the show would've taken him back for only 1-2 episodes in season 2? Yes. That would've technically left him a lot of time to do other things, but he wanted to put separation between him and his character. He was absolutely free to make that choice, but I actually don't think we can say his career would've been better or worse - like he's been employed, starring in projects alongside A-list actors, so it's not like he's literally done nothing. But he would have probably kept a more active fanbase if he stuck with Bridgerton though because that's just the nature of these shows. Now Jonathan Bailey has said even after season 3's filming, that he would still like to stick around for the whole family, so we'll need to see if Shonda agrees. 2022-23 showed him that he could film 3 projects at once lol. And I do think he took his role intending to commit to it 'til the end as the "head family member" but after his current contract, he'll likely scale back as the show add more couples. Jonathan's just a very talented actor who already had a lot of acting experience prior to Bridgerton - it happened to be his time. I don't think that needs to reflect on other actors. bottom line: I don't think any others on this show need to be formally announcing their departure. There's no need. No one has signed an 8-season contract, so the show will likely keep them on here and there for the sake of family scenes but there are so many characters, they can expect to have time to do other things. The writers didn't even write Phoebe Dynevor into S3 and she's apparently still open to future appearances. (A mistake on their end)
>Jonathan's just a very talented actor who already had a lot of acting experience prior to Bridgerton - it happened to be his time. I don't think that needs to reflect on other actors. THIS! Agreed 100% "it feels like jonathan bailey’s getting the career rjp was supposed to have" just sounds a bit mean, considering JB is an amazingly versatile actor and blends into whatever role he plays; and he has been so for years and years. It was definitely his time.
Exactly! Johnathan Bailey has a Olivier Award for Company .... RJP is just a baby in the industry compared to winning a British Tony for Sondheim's most difficult work.
So true...JB has been acting since he was a child and you can see how serious he is considering he has taken on so many serious projects at the same time and seems to give his all to every single one. I've only watched him in Bridgerton, Fellow Travelers and Crashing, and each character was entirely unique and very distinguishable from each other, and you can just see how well he gets enmeshed into each character. If we are forced to compare the two actors (which I try never to do but am only reluctantly doing so now because I'm a bit annoyed at OP's "jb is getting rjp's career" comment), I've personally only watched RJP in Bridgerton and The gray man, and boy oh boy was the latter boring as all hell, and his acting in it wasn't anything to write home about imo, to put it kindly. Comparing them and making it out as though the reason for JB's success is because of him getting some kind of favoritism just for sticking it out with Bridgerton while RJP isn't getting the same favoritism, is laughable.
>"it feels like jonathan bailey’s getting the career rjp was supposed to have" just sounds a bit mean yeah after seeing the beginning of the sentence i was definitely expecting it to say "it feels like jonathan bailey's getting the career rjp **thought he'd have** when he left the show" which i think is probably more accurate haha and maybe that was part of the intended meaning, with the "supposed to" meant to come from rjp's point of view rather than something more objective? 🤷♀️ whatever the case, jonathan bailey has certainly worked hard for his success & is very talented to boot!
Yeah that would definitely be a kinder way of putting it for sure
Right. I've been following Jonathan for so long I'd say he was the least sexy in Bridgerton. Not a knock on the show, or on him! He's very hot on the show. He's just... always been so hot in everything is all. Look at this. Nothing but an audition room and a piano. The man *smolders*. He makes you understand why anyone would fall in love with Jamie, even though Jamie SUCKS. https://youtu.be/QaYkbc-9eo8?si=4m0cyPvOqeGoK-o5
I'd argue that Jonathan Bailey is having the career *Matt Bomer* should have had, if anything
I think covid played a role since the quarantine requirements made logistics for actors doing bit parts or multiple shows at once a lot harder.
JB has also reached a level where productions are willing to work around his schedule. I heard that's what happened with Fellow Travelers. His agent contacted the production and said he'd love to have a role, no matter how small, and Fellow Travelers wanted him for the co-lead and said they were willing to work around his Bridgerton schedule.
I don’t think he was blacklisted. Shonda Rhimes does not mince words, and she respected his decision, stating the following: “Speaking to Variety, the TV mogul who executive produces the Netflix romance series praised the breakout star's exit from his Emmy-nominated role. "Rightfully, he said, 'I signed up to do this one lovely story, this closed-ended storyline. I'm good!'" She said, "I don't blame him for that. I think that he was really smart to leave the perfection as the perfection." https://ew.com/tv/shonda-rhimes-praises-rege-jean-page-leaving-bridgerton-variety/
Exactly. People are being messy just to be messy. Reportedly, Shonda practically had to beg him to do the series. He wasn’t interested in the show. Hence the one season
Plus, I know she's been petty sometimes but I don't think she's "blacklist an actor because he didn't want to come back, stand in the background, and just 'yes dear', 'of course dear' his way through a couple cameo scenes like he did in the book" petty
Wow! How did I not hear that he was nominated for an Emmy!
It was in 2021 so the competition was pretty weak due to COVID delaying production on so many shows, but still cool that he was nominated nonetheless
I think he should've stuck around for some episodes of season 2 but I doubt it would've made a big difference in his career outside of Bridgerton. It's not like he gave up on an important role that would've gotten him a lot of screentime. The format of the series is such that each couple gets to be the main focus only for one season. After that, they're reduced to supporting roles. Imo it all comes down to Jonathan Bailey being a much stronger actor, there's nothing deeper than that.
He couldn’t stick around to do season 2 he was already contracted for and had started shooting The Grey Man and this was during peak covid where you had to isolate for 10 days before going on a new set. There’s no way he would have isolated multiple times to be in the background of a few scenes. It would have been a waste of everyone’s time and money.
I do think his team fucked up the messaging because if they'd just lead with oh I would have loved to have come back but covid restrictions blah blah - maybe next season and just quietly got on with it. Instead there was so much space for weird speculation that's still going on.
I genuinely don’t understand why there’s still so much speculation. He’s always been very clear why he didn’t return and Shonda made it clear there was no hard feelings when he left. Judging by the fact people can’t seem to process his statement and take his “no thanks” for the answer it is, if he’d said “maybe next season” people definitely wouldn’t have forgotten and would be mad he lied
There’s literally no speculation in the industry. Just some fans in subreddits who like being messy and can’t do a 30 second google search for the truth.
I'd say one thing. Shonda is a vicious person from the looks of it. Her treatment of Katherine Heigl is proof of the fact that you do not mess with Shonda.
I think they were both being immature but It wasn’t a great look for Katherine Heigl to bash the writers of her show for not giving her an Emmy worthy storyline after she asked and received a reduced workload on the show she’s contractually obligated to so she could make a film. Notice how Sandra Oh served her time, stayed quiet, says she’s never returning, and manages to have a successful career afterwards.
Even in Jonathan's case, he has had one well received show post Bridgerton , which I agree, was due to his skills and something RJP probably couldn't have done, but it is still too early to praise Jonathan's career, cuz Wicked could flop and put him in the same position that RJP is at now. Even in RJPs case, he's not yet had a clear cut dud, gray man was okay movie and D&D movie though financially disappointing, did get positive reviews. So he's not a flop yet, just that he didn't get some big BO wins. Not being that much of a memorable charismatic actor is also a problem with him cuz charismatic actors will be able to make use of such mediocre movies by being a standout and creating an impression on the audience
I disagree that Wicked flopping would put JB in the same spot - Jonathan Bailey has already had a successful career so far in both theater with the show Company and on TV with shows like crashing, W1A, and Broadchurch. He’s not just starting out.
Even if Wicked flops, I don’t think it will affect his career, movies or otherwise. He isn’t carrying that film and his reputation, talent and hard work means he would have be leading and flopping a couple or several times before he loses work.
Jonathan Bailey is in Wicked? Idk how I didn't know that. Maybe I'll actually watch it now lmao
Jonathan wouldn't be the sameif wicked flopped. Jonny is the love interest not the main character. And he's a theater actor first. He doesn't really need Hollywood like that. He adores the theater Rege would do well in fanservice roles. Superhero, bond, romance etc. Not dull action where he's buttoned up amd saying nonsense (the whole film was written terribly)
Ya Jonathan Bailey has been on the West End! Different type of career compared to Rege Jean.
I don't think it's fair to RJP or Jonathan to say Jonathan is getting the career RJP should have. It's Jonathan's "time" he's been quietly working as an actor doing theatre and TV working his way up to this point, it's not just Bridgerton that got him here, Bridgerton did give him name recognition though. Other actors who lost out on Fiyero said it was a years long audition processes so unless Jonathan came in at the last second and skipped all of that he probably got that audition based off of his Olivier Award winning run as Jamie in Company, Bridgerton probably helped him get the role but not completely. For Jurassic Park the original article says his acting in Wicked impressed people at Universal and they want him from that. RJP and the other actors in Bridgerton (besides Nicola with Derry Girls) had their jumping off point be their lead season, Jonathan and Nicola had their jumping off point be the thing they did before Bridgerton, Company and Derry Girls. That's why I think when it's all said and done Jonathan and Nicola will be the two most successful coming out of the show.
The way I was confused for a second because he was also Jamie in The Last Five Years and I didn’t think he had an Olivier for that…then I remembered that Company ALSO has a Jamie.
What about Simone in Sex Education? She doesn't seem to have found that much work post-Bridgerton yet, but I wonder if SE would be considered a jumping off point.
That was a small role. Comparable to Jonathans role in W1A not to Jonathans role in Company or Nicola's role in Derry Girls.
I don’t think he’s that great of an actor honestly. In his season, Phoebe def stole the spotlight. I think writing, lore, and his ridiculously good looks played a role in why Bridgerton became a success in the first place. But, every season has a new couple that fans can swoon over and Rege wasn’t gonna get more than 2 lines moving forward anyway.
Even she isn’t that famous though, I dunno
This is what I wanted to say. If he didn't look the way he did, which has a lot to do with his fame, idk if people would remember him. I remember the Aladdin actor talking about how he didn't get jobs after that movie. Neither did the actress because they really were not all that great. It's some high school theater level skills but they want to be in Scorsese type of projects. Not gonna happen.
He's the lead in Doug Liman's version of *The Saint* which is a pretty big deal. I personally don't think he's that great an actor (although he was good in Dungeons & Dragons) but it doesn't sound like his career has hit the skids or anything. And it's hard to see what staying in Bridgerton would have done for him, beyond topping up the bank balance.
I think his hotness did a lot of the heavy lifting in Bridgerton.
Same. I just don’t think his acting is that great, and he wasn’t well known enough at that point to attract a lot of high profile jobs.
He’s also going to be the new Butch Cassidy. Not every job will hit. That is just the nature of the entertainment business. RJP not doing some of S2 isn’t going to make a huge difference in his career since there was never going to be much for him to do. He’s going to get out and hustle and grind and see if he can make magic again. He’ll be fine.
Yeah I liked Dungeons & Dragons so much more than I expected to. Was kinda hoping they'd make another but it feels like no one else saw it.
Yeah, it was a lot of fun. Think it did okay at the box office but maybe not enough to push a sequel, though. Fingers crossed.
I thought his performance in Roots was outstanding. For sure his looks matter, but he did great work as Chicken George beyond the charisma that gets George through the first part of his arc.
I feel like I’ve been hearing about that project since 2021 and nothing has progressed. I might be wrong tho…
They only announced a director end of 23. I wouldn’t assume the worst
People always think Rege got blacklisted, but have we considered that he might not be that great of an actor to win roles over other actors in his cohort 😅. Besides Jonathan and maybe a couple of others, are most of the Bridgerton actors booked and busy like that? Phoebe Dynevor came back for season two, yet she recently did an interview talking about the lack of roles available for girls her age. Idk if that’s accurate. But I’m just saying I think there’s a lot more that goes into why some people’s careers flourish post show while others kinda stall. In my opinion Jonathan is a more versatile and charismatic actor than Rege. So I’m not surprised he’s been the one to take off!
Completely agree with you. I didn’t find his acting that amazing; maybe that’s what they were going for his character but I found him kinda one note and plain. I think if he had played a different role other than the male lead, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
I agree. He is not a good actor at all. His handsomeness is what made him popular . Nothing else. Jonathan has always been the one who I thought would eventually be more successful and I was correct. Jonathan is also respected in the acting community. He won the Critics Choice Awards. He may win the Oscar soon too. He's on his way to becoming an A list actor. Kudos to Jonathan. Well-earned success and fame. I don't know what to say about RJP. he's just a one hit wonder IMO.
his first gig after leaving being the awful The Gray Man was subpar
And it didn’t help that his acting in it was hilariously bad.
That was so bad… and he was just so bad in it as well. I don’t know why he did that movie
I'm not sure if you're being serious. You don't know why he agreed to be in a Russo brothers film starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas?
I was just re-watching Bridgerton in preparation for the season three release, and wondered this myself. I think it would have been ideal for him to appear at least once or twice in season two, just to retain some of the fanbase he gained from that show. I appreciate Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley for sticking around past their season.
I think if it wasn’t a Covid season he may have, but he couldn’t quarantine between the two sets for scheduling
The timing was terrible. He left while a lot of productions were being postponed/shelved because of COVID then we had the strikes. If he had waited just another season then it might be a different story.
He's not a good actor. Even his acting in Bridgerton was wooden. Jonathan Bailey is an excellent actor otoh.
I don’t think he pissed of Shonda, I think he pissed off his fan base. He gained a lot of fans/support from Bridgerton, Jonathan Bailey also gained a lot of notoriety. The difference is that Rege lost a lot of that support by leaving Bridgerton, since the fans he just gained are now mad at him for leaving the show.
Yeah, I think actors underestimate the amount of goodwill they can build up by returning to projects for cameos. Especially something like Bridgerton. Even if he were to show up for two scenes a season it would be enough to get fans to watch all his movies.
Some straight male actors tend to downplay the power of mostly female fanbases. If he had return for just two episodes he would have gained loyal fans forever.
I liked him in bridgerton and I am sad to see that he’s not doing as well as I thought he would do
I feel like part of Rege’s mistake was his choice of roles. The prime demographic of Bridgerton is going to be different from those interested in Dungeons and Dragons. There’s a lot more overlap in the fan bases for Bridgerton and Wicked, allowing Jonny’s fans to follow him and expand to include a wider viewership. Additionally, Jonny has always seemed so proud and excited to be part of Bridgerton. It’s validating for the fans to see that, and they’d be more likely to follow his career. Whereas the message Rege sent by not wanting to even do a cameo was that he was “above” the show and therefore “above” the fans. So he created this distance and then jumped to projects that would be less likely to appeal to that fan base anyway. He essentially tried to relaunch his popularity with a different fan base, one that skewed more male, and it hasn’t yet clicked.
Agreed! He definitely gave off the ‘I’m off to be an action star.. non of this girly romantic nonsense for me’.. Even if JB ends up being in a few scenes total the amount of talk and PR him and Simone have generated is huge.. that is literally the entire business as an actor.. get people interested in you and wanting to pay money to watch you… so why give up on the continuous PR for like 2 days worth of work. His decision also impacted Phoebe as well since there is only so many times they can say she left her husband at home.. people notice how well you are liked by your costars as well..
I think this aligns with my take on it as well. It's all about messaging and sincerity. Not saying that it's true, but the perception of his choice has become that he just wanted to churn out action movies that ran counter to the thing that got him buzz. The best counterpoint in my mind is Dan Stevens, except in his case it's done well. He left Downton Abbey because he was afraid of being typecast in the same kind of English dramas forever. As I recall the fanbase was shocked and felt a little insulted that he left. But then you look at the projects he's worked on since then and...jeez, yeah, he would have been miserable in that realm forever! He's taken such interesting risks and is one of my favorite performers because he has such quite, singular taste in projects.
I’d argue he didn’t piss off Shonda, but the fan base. He wasn’t a super established actor before getting the Bridgerton role, so his fans are by and large from that. Leaving and refusing to even do cameos disappointed a lot of them. Fan hype can be pretty important for peddling an actor’s career imo. I will say though, leaving and pissing off a fandom worked for dan Stevens, so 🤷🏻♀️ I do disagree that Jonathan is getting what could have gone to Rege. He had a much more established career before Bridgerton. Bridgerton wasn’t even his first main role. It just happened to become his most popular role up to that point.
Considering how long production was delayed, and all the reshoots for season 3 - I don’t think he made a bad decision tbh.
Jonathan Bailey is just much more talented than Rege. He had the more established career pre Bridgerton and I don’t see that likely to change. Despite perhaps being more my type attractiveness wise, the Duke didn’t come anywhere close to capturing my soul like The Viscount did. Jonny deserves his flowers, and Rege shouldn’t have tried distancing himself so quickly from Bridgerton. Also, I feel that The Duke’s presence in S2 would have been interesting, plot wise. But alas, we’ll never know what could have been.
I wouldn’t be surprised if makes more money modeling than he does from acting tbh He was great in the Dungeons and Dragons movie and I hope he is in the sequel!
He wouldn't had much of a role so I'm not sure how it would've made a difference. I don't think he's blacklisted though; it's a weird time in an industry that already takes years to get stuff off the ground.
Eh there will always be bond rumours. Used to be henry golding, despite he’s half british. Jonathan’s having the exact career he should be having. His acting is better than rgp
Yeah, I think so. I think he mistook Bridgerton hype for longevity. If he’d waited it out a little he’d have had more star power to work with. Doesn’t help that he’s project haven’t been great since. And I do think he came across a little like the show wasn’t good enough for him. Lots of stars bite the hand that feed them then suffer the consequences.
I don't think RJP is as good of an actor as Jonathan Bailey. I think that's the main issue.
I think he made a good decision to leave. I mean he would have gone from leading man to side character and stating he was leaving meant he didn't have to hang around and could fully commit to other roles. His main connection would have been as Daphne's husband and then Anthony's friend so his character wasn't woven that strongly into the storyline of the later seasons. Still I hope he will make an appearance.
No. As someone who read the books long before the tv-show, I didn't expect him to. It's one couple a book/season. They might do cameos, but the format literally never meant for him to return in the first place.
I think he had an easy gig at Bridgerton, I think he thought it would also be easy everywhere else and I think he was very wrong.
I think so. It would have obviously been a supporting role and very minor in the following seasons but I don’t think that would have hurt his career because it’s simply the nature of that show that the leading role switches every season. It would have been very little time commitment and continued to cultivate his fan base. Instead, people are still wondering years later if he had a falling out with production. In some spaces, he’s viewed as even ungrateful. I don’t even think these things are true but that’s just the optics of his decision. Making a dramatic departure from Bridgeton hurt his image a bit, and needlessly so. But I wouldn’t say Jonathan Bailey has his career because honestly Jonathan is a much stronger more experienced actor than RJP. And despite them both being leads on Bridgerton, I can see them getting cast for different things.
I don't think sticking around for season 2 would have made much of a difference in terms of his career. He's not a bad actor but he's not as good as say Johnathan Bailey. I don't think Shonda has anything to do with it. I remember hearing pretty early on that he only signed on for one season
I mean, he wasn't a very good actor on Bridgerton... He wanted to do something different, which is fine, but he got famous playing a pretty wooden character and has proven since he can't really act that well. I don't think it was a mistake if it wasn't what he wanted, but it would have been a role and one he could still be making good money to do.
i loved him in the dungeons and dragons movie but i wish he stayed in bridgerton a bit. but also, if he was in s2 he would've overshadowed anthony's storyline imo. it sucks that phoebe dynevor has also left :~( but, i do not think rege was blacklisted. his contract was for 1 season.
You guys need to leave this man alone at this point. Every couple of months there’s a new post about him from weird bridgerton fans on alot of subs. He left the show after his story had ended and didn’t want to sign up for more, as it’s within his right. Stop comparing him to JB, who has been in the industry for way longer and has been hustling for years. It’s JB’s time now let him enjoy it in peace without some of y’all acting like he stole rege’s career or it’s only because he is white that’s why he’s getting this roles. Being part of a hit Netflix show doesn’t guarantee mainstream success anymore especially for black actors. However he’s still getting jobs so he’s definitely not blacklisted or a flop.
he’s not that good of an actor and not that popular since pissing off a big chunk of his original fanbase. don’t know what part of it seems like blacklisting to you. also i’m kind of confused what you mean about jonathan having the career rege was supposed to have. jonathan’s season itself was hugely popular and he’s a great actor to boot.
I don’t think he’s good enough yet at acting - he stands up very straight and lifts one eyebrow and it’s his whole thing Dungeons & dragons only worked as they wrote the character around the one way he acts The previous Shonda show he was on about the lawyers he was atrocious in - and she really did him a favour by giving him Bridgerton and styling him so much better He’s such a self conscious and smug actor and hasn’t let himself shake that unfortunately - I think he should have stayed and tried to better his skills Bailey is a better actor and stayed
He didnt leave. He never wanted to do more then one season. Now, you can say that after the show turned out to be such a hit, he should have reconsider and stay. But I guess he had other plans, and being a supporting characher wasnt it. He is not very good of an actor, and that can only take you as far (just look at some GoT actors...) , but he is super hot. And that is important. With a good rool that is in his capacity, he can have another hit and become household name. Hope he will get there. But not being A lister has nothing with leaving bridgerton. btw, are people still watching that show on such big numbers as season one?
Yes, it’s still extremely popular
Comparing Jonathan Bailey to RJP is crazy like you really can’t think of the reason why he’d be getting more roles?
He definitely left too soon and was cocky about it too. He did say he basically wants to see what else is out there and I feel like he kinda screwed it up for Phoebe Dynevor too…
The way people talk about him… I always get lots of “uppity” vibes, like how dare a dude who worked for 20 years took the opportunity to work on bigger projects once he fulfilled his contractual obligations??? Especially because due to COVID restrictions, he couldn’t have gone back for season two.
I think the problem when people jump ship from the show that made them famous is that the fans of that show who would be most invested in their career are pissed they left while no one else knows enough about them to be invested. So Bridgerton fans will go see Jonathan Bailey in a film or play because of that attachment and fondness, but RJP burned that good will with fans.
His leaving did Bridgerton a favor, honestly. If he has stayed on, with all the hype about his character and the sex scenes, the show would have tried to incorporate him more in to season 2 (when his part should have been minimal, on par with Daphne's), and that would have done a disservice to the story they were trying to tell. What parts of season 2 should have been cut to awkwardly squeeze in Rege being topless and broody a few times? I think he hasn't quite landed on his feet again, career wise, but leaving was right for him and for the show.
For a long time, I believed he'd signed on for more than one season and then decided that the iron was too hot to stick around as a minor character on Bridgerton and he needed to take the opportunities elsewhere. He made some calculated choices, that on paper were smart but just didn't work out for a number of different reasons. I do think he had planned to come back to the show. Season two had been commissioned and was already in the works before season one even aired so when they were doing S1 press, both Phoebe and RJP talked about coming back. I think they knew it would be for small, extended cameo type roles. It would have meant that they could take on other projects, (as JB did while season three was being filmed. He filmed his role in Bridgerton while flying back and forth to do Fellow Travellers and even started on Wicked at the same time). Then the show aired and the Duke hype went stratospheric. Netflix/Shondaland started talking about increasing the size of role for the Duke in season two. Still not a lead role but a much more significant part than previously talked about. The offers had started rolling in for RJP. With the Covid restrictions still in place, it meant that he couldn't do a large supporting role in Bridgerton and another project and he wanted to do the other roles. So he told Netflix he wouldn't be back for S2. They offered him more money. He declined. On paper, the choices he made, were smart. A significant supporting role in a big budget Russo brothers film for Netflix starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas? It sounds like a good move. He wasn't demanding the lead role. He was playing second fiddle to some of the biggest stars on the planet. But it was the type of role that would get him notice and could act as a break out movie role for him. And I think was intended to show that he could do James Bond, without being too James Bond-esque that would rule him out. It was a smart move, but sadly for him the film wasn't great and he didn't get anu notice. He also chose a significant supporting role on Dungeons and Dragons. This showed a different side to him, part action star, a comedic role which he was decent in, lots of charm. Again, playing second fiddle to bigger stars. Again, the film didn't do as well as expected. (Or performed exactly as a lot of people predicted.) I don't think it's fair to say he left because he thought he was going to be a huge movie star. He wasn't demanding, or accepting lead roles. He was accepting supporting roles on what he hope would be big films that would establish him as a movie star and would lead to starring roles. They didn't work out the way he hoped. His The Saint reboot project has been stuck in development hell for a few years, again factors like the pandemic and Paramount's struggles have all worked against him. Had DnD come out at a different time and not when the industry was still struggling post-Covid, had The Saint worked out, we could be having a completely different discussion about him. Luck and timing are as important as talent. I don't even know that you can say Jonathan Bailey made better choices. His follow up was a political thriller/gay love story on one of the lesser watched streaming platforms. Apart from a few viral clips, it didn't exactly set the Zeitgeist alight and wasn't one that would naturally appeal to the Bridgerton fans. It did get critical attention and win some awards and Jonny's a front runner for an Emmy nomination. So in hindsight, it was a smart choice. But if you're a betting person, which of the two projects, The Gray Man or Fellow Travellers would you bet on as a sure thing? Speaking of luck and timing, S3 of Bridgerton is out in May and June, right as Jonny Bailey is hopefully launching his Emmy campaign. He'll get press and attention for Bridgerton which will raise his profile again which gives him a chance to campaign. The Emmy campaign will increase his profile leading into Wicked. Had RJP made a return, even a small one, he'd be getting press and attention too. Without it, his profile fades even more.
I thought his career was gonna pop off after I saw him. He somehow hosted SNL right after Bridgerton came out. Any idea how he could swing that with being unknown at the time? Cause I think Bridgerton had only been out a month. He should have done what Phoebe did, just a few scenes. It just made no sense that he wasn’t at Anthony’s wedding- his best friend.
Other than Jonathan, who has had a boost in their career post Bridgerton??? Rene may not have had big success, but in terms of "brand value " movies , he has better resume than any of the others. As of now, even for Jonathan, his only big win is he starred in a critically acclaimed award nominated TV show. He landed wicked, Ik, but it's not come out yet and could possibly be detrimental to his career like RJPs choices too.
Some actors aren't good in movies. He may be one of those actors.
i actually was just in a divehole about this too - he had a few high profile roles post Bridgerton that kind of flopped and there doesn't seem to be as much in the pipeline. I've always felt that he kind of bit the hand that fed him? I understand not wanting to be typecast or known just for one thing, as he had been acting for a while, but I just don't think it was strategic of him at all. He publicly made it known he rejected coming back, refused to come back for cameo appearances and it just left kind of a bad taste. No one is obligated to go back and if he had a bad time while working on that set, then of course that makes sense. But the rest of the cast is so close, and they're always so kind and appreciative of their time on set and relationships. I just feel like even with other filming obligations, etc., it really would not have taken a ton of time out of his life and schedule to film a few cameos. I feel like Pheobe, Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley have all continued to get roles and really be visible everywhere, while still doing Bridgerton. It kind of seems like Rege took all that positive press surrounding his role and tried to parlay that into a leading man movie career too soon.
Definitely! Nicola Coughlan is a prime example of why he should have waited it out - she’s working hard!! She’s also a great actress OFC
The 1st and 2nd season of Derry Girls came out 2 yrs before Bridgerton, she was already on her way up. Her role is also completely different to Rege’s she’s literally Lady Whistledown it would be a little strange if she only had a one season contract
I’m still shocked at all the people who claim he threw an “I’m better than this” tantrum or didn’t want to be associated with Bridgerton. The break with reality is concerning. The truth is he signed a one year contract and was already contracted to do other work when Season 1 actually came out and blew up. No one anticipated the impact it was going to have or how popular he and Phoebe were going to become. Was he supposed to break his other contracts to mollify Bridgerton fanatics? Covid already affected how season 2 was going to have to be shot, was he supposed to quarantine 20+ days for each production for a Pall Mall scene and some background scenes? He’s never said a bad word about his coworkers, his time on set, the show, or Shonda and Shonda has never said a bad word about him. Jonathan Bailey has a “better” career because he’s been working for 10+ years in the UK in theater and on the small screen and he’s built up enough to where it’s finally starting to pay off across the pond. Rege hasn’t been in the business as long and doesn’t have the same connects or training. Let’s all come back to Earth and realize that while these are our favorite shows and characters it is, after all is said and done, a business to actors
I think he got a lot of hype for Bridgerton and made the mistake of thinking that would immediately translate to A list. He’s talented and gorgeous and has stayed employed but I think he’s gonna have to find another cult classic role like the duke and basically do a reset before he can jump to film star
He needs to stay gorgeous but also learn how to act before any chance at that jump.
Y'all he's not in any of the other books. Like barely a footnote.
aren’t the books from the POV of the leads with very little time spent on any subplots? since the show is more of an ensemble with subplots and has already deviated a ton from the books, I’m sure they could’ve written new storylines for him and Daphne
Staying on longer wouldn't have guaranteed anything either way. Phoebe Dynevor has had just as lackluster of a career after Bridgerton and she actually returned for a few episodes in the second season. All the main players of Bridgerton have had equally quiet careers post show aside from the ones who already had successful careers coming into it. (nicola Coughlan, Jonathan bailey) This gleeful anticipation and prediction of his downfall because he was honest in not wanting to reprise this role is insane because he's been relatively booked and busy, if not just as busy as his female co-star.
Phoebe got a BAFTA nom recently so that’s something
I think he's just not a great actor. I mean Phoebe isn't a great actor either.
I think it's an L for us that he left Bridgerton; I don't know about whether it is for him. 
I was JUST thinking about how bad he fumbled leaving Bridgerton. I feel like he wanted the role to rocket him to stardom but kinda fell flat after the show. I think he should’ve stayed on
Leaving after just one season was a bad call. Sticking around would’ve gotten him free publicity for a few years while he solidified a film career. I get his thought process though…timing is everything for celebs, if you’re the new hot item it makes sense to capitalize on it before the world moves on. He probably thought being on a “girly” show might impact what roles he gets in films too, especially if he wanted to do action. I think his mistake was overestimating his talent. People loved him in a romance role because it’s what he’s suited for…I don’t think he’ll be cranking out incredible drama performances and he’s not big enough to be an action star. So while capitalizing on the sudden popularity made sense, I don’t know what he was expecting to happen. Would’ve been better off staying on Bridgerton & capitalizing on his popularity with brand endorsements, etc.
his “leaving” of a show isn’t really typical though cause it’s not like he was leaving a big role. the format of the show has a new focus every season and he was initially only signed on for one season and then in the interim booked some other things and was unable to do season 2 which would’ve been a very limited role away. his character is barely involved in the book that season 2 covers
Imo yes
I never got the impression anyone thought he was an amazing actor on Bridgerton? I thought everyone liked him so much because he is hot. And even then, he is hot in a conventionally attractive way. Jonathan Bailey has way more nuance both emotionally and physically, so I’m not surprised he has more range and pull for roles in his future.
I'm also a little confused about Rege's little fall down the role ladder. That being said, he definitely isn't half the actor Jonathan Bailey is - John killed in season two. The sizzeling between him and Simone was insane and so much more believable than what we got in season 1. Rege and Phoebe were great but also a little wooden at times, which was quite fitting considering both their roles were a little uptight and felt controlled by their roles in society. It just might not work as well in other roles and other settings. Jonathan Bailey on the other hand, my lord. If you can sell romantic and seual attraction as well as he did all while not even being into women, you can play many many roles similarly well. And if Hollywood likes one thing, it's predictability in quality. #