Regé-Jean Page shares his thoughts on losing the role of Superman's grandfather due to his race

Regé-Jean Page has stirred the Hollywood corridors once and again, and this time it has nothing to do with his departure from Netflix's Bridgerton. While the actor has already signed up for an upcoming Russo brothers spy thriller, The Gray Man, for Netflix and a big-screen adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons, there was one project that didn't turn up forPage for a shocking reason.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources say that Page auditioned for the role of Superman’s grandfather in Syfy’s Krypton series. The show’s creators were reportedly “passionate about doing some nontraditional casting” in the series, according to the outlet. But former DC Films co-chairman Geoff Johns apparently nixed Page’s casting because he is Black.

Johns’s rep denied that Page lost the role specifically because of his race in a statement to E! News. “Geoff never said Superman can’t have a Black ancestor or be Black—there have been diverse versions of Superman throughout the comics for decades so he does and can be diverse,” the statement began. “However, the expectation for KRYPTON was that it would initially be perceived as a possible prequel to Man of Steel by the fans and the lead was expected to invoke a young Henry Cavill.”

“Hearing about these conversations hurts no less now than it did back then,” Page tweeted in response to the report“The clarifications almost hurt more tbh.” Despite the rejection, Page maintained that he’s “Still just doing my thing. Still we do the work. We still fly.”

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Superman’s grandfather, Seg-El, was eventually played by Cameron Cuffe for the duration of the show’s two-season run, which ended in 2019. Cuffe tweeted in support of Page, writing, “Regé is an inspiration to me and thousands of other artists. No one should feel okay benefiting from individuals or institutions that treat their fellow humans so unjustly. Change must happen.” Page responded in kind, replying, “You were awesome as Seg, and you are an absolute gift to us all.”

After sweeping the world off its feet as the dashing Duke of Hastings, Page hosted Saturday Night Live, won an NAACP Image Award for outstanding actor in a drama series, and was nominated for two Screen Actors Guild awards.

However, Page ultimately walked away from the role after a single season. He even declined an invite to guest star in three to five episodes of Bridgerton’s second season, sources told THR. Per the outlet, the actor was offered $50,000 an episode to reprise his role. Instead, Page is leaving both Bridgerton and the Krypton casting scandal behind him in favor of his flourishing film career. As he put in an interview with Variety, “I get to come in, I get to contribute my bit, and then the Bridgerton family rolls on.”