Congrats To The SAG Awards For Being On The Right Side Of Bridgerton History

The Screen Actors Guild apparently burns for a scandalous period drama. Netflix's Bridgerton received two SAG Awards nominations on Thursday, about 24 hours after being snubbed by the Golden Globes. The hit Regency-era show is nominated for Best Drama Series Ensemble alongside The Crown (last year's winner), Lovecraft Country, Ozark, and Better Call Saul. Meanwhile, Regé-Jean Page's steamy performance as Duke Simon Hastings earned him a slot in the Male Actor in a drama series category.

Bridgerton's nods are vindication for fans of the wildly-popular Shondaland series, which has been streamed by a record 82 million viewers and renewed for a second season. The show failed to receive any recognition from the Hollywood Foreign Press (HFPA), a move that received backlash on Twitter alongside snubs for Michaela Coel's I May Destroy You and Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods. All three projects received nominations from the SAG Awards.

Page will compete in his respective category against both veterans and newbies. Josh O'Connor, a fellow first-time nominee, received a nomination for playing young Prince Charles in The Crown's splashy fourth season. Jason Bateman is nominated for his performance in Netflix's Ozark after winning the award in 2018. Sterling K. Brown is also up for his role in NBC's This Is Us, following his 2017 victory in the category. Bob Odenkirk still has yet to win for playing Saul Goodman in Better Call Saul, despite scoring his fifth nomination this year.

Bridgerton showrunner Chris Van Dusen voiced his excitement over the show's SAG nominations on Instagram, writing, "Could not be prouder of this entire dream team of a cast! Congratulations, fam! And a very special shout-out to the incomparable @kvhcasting." Several of the Bridgerton cast, all of whom will receive trophies if the show wins for Best Drama Series Ensemble, celebrated on social media. Phoebe Dynevor, who plays Daphne, wrote on her Instagram Story, "So proud!" Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington, captioned her post, "In utter shock!"

Page also shared news of his nomination on his Instagram Story. As for his grid, Page celebrated another awards milestone yesterday. He and Bridgerton received multiple NAACP Image Awards nominations. Page was recognized for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, Adjoa Andoh was nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category, and the show itself earned a slot in the Outstanding Drama Series race. "To all the royalty who see themselves more," he wrote on Instagram, adding, "To the power of stories that advance us all💫."

It's been a breakout year for Page, 31, who also starred in 2020's Sylvie's Love alongside Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha. "Every single time I step on stage or on screen, I am contributing to a culture in which there's a dearth of people representing folks that look like me, or that have our context," he recently told InStyle. “Every time you are representing people, you owe them the wholeness of their humanity. I mean, I think that's universal. It’s the same for white actors ... Just as importantly, you owe everyone who doesn't look like you a full representation of yourself. Because half of the point of culture is to understand each other better, to get to know people we don't know.”

Whether or not Page or Bridgerton will take home SAG Awards won't be revealed in the pages of Lady Whistledown's must-read gossip column. Instead, the honors will be handed out on Sunday, April 4, which you can watch on TNT or TBS at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.