Regé-Jean Page Responded to Reports That He Was Rejected for a Role Because He's Black

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The Hollywood Reporter published a bombshell report on April 6th alleging, among other things, that Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page had auditioned for a role in the Krypton TV series but was passed over because of the color of his skin. And yesterday, Page spoke out on the matter on Twitter.

According to reports, Page had auditioned for the role of Superman's grandfather in Krypton, supposedly because showrunners were open to nontraditional casting—as in, perhaps family member's skin colors didn't need to match, considering that's a very real thing in this very real world we live in. However, sources told THR that Geoff Johns—DC's former co-chairman of film—shut down the casting idea, leading to Page not getting the role.

Johns' rep told THR in a statement that the former DC head "believed fans expected the character to look like a young Henry Cavill." In layman's terms, Page allegedly wasn't cast because he's Black. As these source reports came to the surface, Page took to Twitter to acknowledge that he, too, heard the rumors, and it still hurts now just as much as it did back when he auditioned—before he took the world by storm as the Duke of Hastings in Bridgerton.

Page also wrote, "Still just doing my thing. Still we do the work. We still fly."

The role of Superman's grandfather ultimately went to Cameron Cuffe and Page went on to star in Bridgerton instead. Page hasn't said anything else on the matter—taking the high road exactly as we'd expect him to do. It's an incredibly unfortunate—and hurtful—reality that someone's skin color still affects the roles they're cast for, but we're glad Netflix *didn't* hesitate to cast him in Bridgerton...and that his star is only continuing to rise from here.