Regé-Jean Page took to Twitter Wednesday (Apr. 07, 2021) to seemingly respond to a report claiming that he wasn’t considered for a role in the upcoming Syfy series Krypton because of his race.
In a profile on Zack Snyder’s Justice League star Ray Fisher for The Hollywood Reporter, the publication cited multiple sources who claimed that DC Films co-founder Geoff Johns was overseeing Krypton when Page auditioned for the role of Superman’s grandfather. Even though the show’s creators preferred doing non-traditional casting, Johns was opposed to casting the Bridgerton actor because he thought Superman could not have a Black grandfather.
The role instead went to Florence Foster Jenkins actor Cameron Cuffe.
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“Regé is an inspiration to me and thousands of other artists,” Cuffe wrote in response to Page’s tweet. “No one should feel okay benefiting from individuals or institutions that treat their fellow humans so unjustly. Change must happen.”
Johns also rejected the creators’ recommendation of making the character Adam Strange either gay or bisexual. A rep for Johns said he thought fans expected Superman’s grandfather to look like a young Henry Cavill, as well as mentioning that he had already pitched a series about an LGBTQ superhero in the DC Universe.
Despite being overlooked for the role, Page’s career has only taken off, thanks in large part to his breakout performance as Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings in the Shonda Rhimes-created Netflix series Bridgerton. Page reportedly turned down an opportunity to appear in three to five episodes for Season 2 that would’ve earned him $50,000 each.
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