“I like to hold myself to the standard of elegance,” muses Regé-Jean Page, who shot to fame last year for his swoon-worthy portrayal of the Duke of Hastings in the Netflix bodice-ripper Bridgerton.
Following Page’s decision to hang up his pantaloons at the end of the hit series’ first season to focus on other projects (including his new role as one of Longines Ambassador of Elegance) you’d be more likely to find the 33-year-old sporting a watch from The Longines Master Collection than a period-era-tailcoat.
“They’re such beautiful watches,” the London native tells marie claire Australia on his decision to partner with the 190-year-old Swiss watch brand who has long been seen on the wrists of Hollywood heavyweights, including everyone from Audrey Hepburn to Simon Baker.
“A watch is the perfect finishing touch to an outfit,” Page explains, “it can help you feel in balance with the world around you”.
Balance is something Page is striving to achieve while he grapples with his newfound mega-fame, something he admits he is still coming to terms with.
“Fame found me. I wasn’t looking for it to be honest.”
But while fame, and all the things that come with it (including millions of fawning female fans), would overwhelm some, the actor explains that he is taking it all in his stride: “I’m a fan of intensity.”
On and off-screen, intensity is something Page has become accustomed to.
Next year he is set to appear in the highly anticipated Russo brothers’ action thriller The Gray Man, and then fantasy adventure feature Dungeons and Dragons.
“It’s great to work with people who have incredibly high standards and an incredibly high level of ambition.”
If Page sounds pleased when he talks about his work (both on and off-screen) that’s because he is.
Whether working on the set of a Hollywood blockbuster or standing behind the lens shooting a campaign for Longines, Page finds that “there is something very special about being able to work with things that bring beauty to the world.”
Sigh. We couldn’t agree more.
