5 things you should know about British-Zimbabwean actor Regé-Jean Page, star of Netflix’s new hit series Bridgerton

He wants inclusive casting for period pieces

Bridgerton was set inside the lavish world of Georgian high society but the period drama comes with an “on-screen Regency romance that feels made for the modern era”, according to a review. Page, who is a huge fan of romance as a concept, believes inclusivity is key for period dramas. “I think it’s immensely important for people to be able to see themselves at their highest elevation,” he told Esquire. “To see that you are worthy of love, romance, glamour, and status. Everyone is worthy of all of those things, and it’s our job in the creative industries to create an environment that reflects it.”

He said in the same interview that “It’s perfectly possible to spotlight Black joy over Black suffering.”

“Setting the story in the past doesn’t mean that Black folks do nothing but suffer. We’ve always lived and laughed and loved and married and danced and lived the truest expressions of our lives through societal restrictions, just the same as everyone else.”