All reports indicate that with every new day, we’re getting just that little bit closer to the next James Bond movie actually going into production. Of course, for that to happen, the most important thing we need is an actor cast to play James Bond. Several different actors have found themselves at the top of the oddsmakers' books over the last couple of years, but Regé-Jean Page is one who is regularly at or near the top.
The actor, who catapulted to stardom thanks to Bridgerton and will next be seen in the rom-com You, Me, and Tuscany with Halle Bailey, has been in the discussion for quite some time, a fact that he admitted to Esquire has been “strange.” On the Bond chatter and his general growing celebrity, Page said…
It is strange, it’s not normal. How I navigate it is very much about what is useful, what serves me in my job, in being able to deliver what I need to deliver to an audience, and a lot of that is just grounding.
It certainly has to be unusual to find yourself one of the more in-demand actors in Hollywood. While it’s clear that nobody really knows who the next James Bond will be, finding yourself in a conversation that includes everybody from Aaron Taylor-Johnson to Henry Cavill to, more recently, Jacob Elordi has to be wild. Simply being mentioned attached to James Bond indicates a level of celebrity that not just anybody can obtain.
Article continues belowRegé-Jean Page doesn’t appear to completely avoid all the trappings of celebrity the way some actors do. It does, however, require work on his part to balance the fame with something more normal in his life so that things don’t get out of hand. He continued…
It does get quite loud on the inside, like it was very, very intense, that combination of conversation, and I think I worked quite consciously to be able to navigate that environment with some normalcy for myself.
One imagines his ability to “navigate that environment” will get a bit tougher if he does end up as the next James Bond. That will tie him in with one of the most popular characters in cinema, and likely become the defining element of his career for at least the next decade.
And the odds of Regé-Jean Page becoming Bond are certainly far from impossible. While Barbara Broccoli and Eon Productions are no longer the ones determining who will be James Bond, Broccoli indicated that while she wasn’t in favor of changing James Bond’s gender, she had no problem with changing the character’s race. It's unclear how new franchise bosses Amazon MGM feel about the idea, but it’s unlikely they would turn down a major star simply because he’s not white.
Regé-Jean Page, like most of the other actors who have had their names attached to the role, is remaining pretty quiet about whether or not this is a role he wants. However, he has indicated being flattered by the fact that many would love to see him get it. At some point, and sooner rather than later, the James Bond decision will be made. If Page isn't chosen, at least things will get a little more normal for him. If he is, then perhaps normal becomes a thing of the past.
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