Regé-Jean Page Says Watching Himself in Bridgerton Sex Scenes Was ‘Overwhelming’

Bridgerton may have been known for its…steamier moments, but there was at least one person who struggled to watch those parts: the Duke of Hastings himself, Regé-Jean Page.

Page spoke about how it felt “overwhelming” to watch his sex scenes with his scene partner Phoebe Dynevor, who played Daphne Bridgerton. “No one was sufficiently prepared. I wasn’t sufficiently prepared, and I was there,” Page said at The Hollywood Reporter’s latest actor roundtable. “I think people were grateful for the intensity of the romantic aspects of Bridgerton; I’m not sure how grateful I was to watch it for myself. It was overwhelming. But I think people were looking to be overwhelmed.”

He continued, “My family doesn’t want to be overwhelmed by my backside, specifically, too often, but they’ll take it on this occasion because everyone seems to be terribly happy.”

In fact, Page might even argue people were so focussed on his “backside,” they remembered an iconic line incorrectly. During a new interview with Variety, the actor pointed out that he never actually said the line “I burn for you,” which was spoofed on Saturday Night Live. “I do not say, ‘I burn for you,’ it’s not my line!” Page said, adding, “Everyone clearly was feeling very burned for, which I’ll take as a compliment.” 

Unfortunately for many fans, Regé-Jean Page will not appear in the second season of Bridgerton. Dynevor recently revealed how the series will deal with the absence of the broody, spoon-licking royal. “I think he’ll definitely be referred to a lot. I think we’ll see the baby,” Dynevor told The Wrap in June. “And we’ll just focus more on her relationship with the Bridgerton family.”

“It’s definitely different,” she said of filming without her former costar. “And I’ve said it before, but I think the fans who have read the books and know the books are aware that every season will focus on a different sibling’s journey. And it might be a little bit more of a—not shock, but like a surprise for the fans that love Daphne and Simon’s story so much. But I think that’s honestly the joy of the show in the long-term, getting to see these different love stories play out.”