Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page Celebrated His “Highest Honor” At The NAACP Image Awards

Bridgerton is finally getting awards season recognition. On Saturday, March 27, Regé-Jean Page won outstanding actor in a drama series at the NAACP Image Awards for his role on the hit Netflix series, saying the role and win are “the highest honor.” The actor gave a virtual acceptance speech after his name was announced, saying the award “goes out to all the incredible people on our team who made something so unique.”

Page, who is a breakout star from the popular Shondaland series, beat out Sterling K. Brown of This Is Us, Jonathan Majors of Lovecraft Country, Keith David of Greenleaf, and Nicco Annan of P-Valley. The Bridgerton star emphasized the importance of representation during his speech and told fans how much of a pleasure it was to portray such a complex and nuanced character.

“It is the highest honor to represent us in the fullness of our humanity, of our beauty, of our joy, of our glamour, of our splendor, of our royalty, of our romance, of our love,” he said. “It is the highest honor to represent that and to represent the people I do represent and I will do my absolute best to be worthy of that.”

Bridgerton, which is set in Regency-era England and follows the Bridgerton siblings’ attempts to find love, premiered on Netflix in December and quickly became the streaming platform’s most-watched series. Page’s portrayal of Simon, the Duke of Hastings, led his fame to skyrocket and also earned him a spot on the Time100 Next list and as a Season 46 Saturday Night Live host. His win at the NAACP Image Awards now brings the first major acting award to the period drama.

The trophy may be Page’s first, but it may not be the last. Bridgerton, while snubbed by the Golden Globes, is up for two Screen Actor’s Guild awards, which are set to air on April 4. The whole cast was nominated for best drama series ensemble and Page is nominated in the best male actor in a drama category.

Meanwhile, Page is poised to have a successful career post-Bridgerton as well, having recently been cast in the Dungeons and Dragons movie. Page was also rumored to be a potential future James Bond, though the actor has downplayed the speculation. Page called the rumors “like a merit badge” for British actors during an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, saying there were no formal plans for him to take on the role. In January, Bridgerton was renewed for a second season, with both the Duke of Hastings and his love, Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor), expected to recur in some capacity.