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‘Bridgerton’ star Regé-Jean Page jokes about dating rumors and being next James Bond

Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor dressed for a ball in "Bridgerton"
Regé-Jean Page, left, as Simon Bassett and Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne Bridgerton in Netflix’s period drama “Bridgerton.”
(Liam Daniel / Netflix)
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Regé-Jean Page, the internet’s latest boyfriend, isn’t saying whether he’s dating his “Bridgerton” costar Phoebe Dynevor but attempted to put rumors of an off-screen romance between them to bed. For now.

And he most certainly created fodder for an imminent Lady Whistledown column in the process.

Speaking to “Access Hollywood” in a joint interview Saturday, the breakout stars of Netflix’s lush Regency drama danced around a question about their love lives and what sparks might have flown between them behind the scenes.

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“I think that everything you need to know is on camera. That’s why we presented it so beautifully for you,” quipped Page, 30, adding, “and all the sparks that flew came off of the beautiful scripts that we were handed, and so I think that the sparky-words scripted material are more than enough.”

Sparky, indeed. Page and Dynevor’s chemistry throughout the Shondaland period drama was palpable, particularly in the series’ numerous sex scenes, which were helped along by intimacy coordinators, and extravagant dance numbers that required practice on their own time.

The diverse and glamorous “Bridgerton,” based on Julia Quinn’s bestselling book series, revolves around the noble Bridgerton family’s eight siblings and their prospects in England’s high-society marriage market.

The debut season, which began streaming on Christmas Day, pairs Dynevor’s “incomparable” and green Daphne Bridgerton with Page’s broody bad boy Simon Bassett, the Duke of Hastings.

“It’s kind of like Jane Austen meets ‘Gossip Girl’ with like 35 “Shades of Grey,” Page has described it.

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Page’s duke has become a thing of Internet dreams ever since. His Instagram following has skyrocketed since the series’ debut, as is often the case for lead actors in hit streaming shows. So taken with the English Zimbabwean star, fans have lobbied for him to be the next James Bond — a fantasy even Page can get behind.

“The internet thinks a lot of things, and that’s one of the more pleasant ones. So I’m pleased as far as that goes,” he said Thursday on “The Tonight Show.”

“I think there might be an element of a cultural translation to be done here. If you’re a Brit and you do something of any kind of renown that people regard well, then people start saying the B-word,” the actor explained to Jimmy Fallon. “It’s like a merit badge. You get the B-word merit badge. ... I’m very, very glad to have the badge. I’m glad to be in such wonderful company of people who have the badge. But it’s a badge.”

While Netflix has not yet announced plans for a second season of “Bridgerton,” Production Weekly has reported that filming for a project titled “Bridgerton 02” is set to begin in Uxbridge, England, in March. If the series follows the chronology of Quinn’s novel, a second season would presumably revolve around Daphne’s older brother, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey).

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