Yahoo Finance Regé-Jean Page on Friendship with Sterling K. Brown: 'He's Talked Me Through a Couple of Things'
Mike Marsland/WireImage; Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage Rege-Jean Page and Sterling K. Brown
Regé-Jean Page is a fan — and now a friend! — of Sterling K. Brown.
The Bridgerton star, 31, opened up about his relationship with Brown, 45, in an interview with Variety published Wednesday.
The two first met at a party during the 2016 Emmy Awards season, where Page approached the then-star of The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
"My brain just turned off," Page said of meeting Brown for the first time.
Getty Regé-Jean Page
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Page recalled stumbling over his words and telling the This Is Us star, "I just want to be you."
"And Sterling just smiled patiently and let me do that and then talked me through how not to be overwhelmed by this room," Page shared. "He reassured me and said, 'You've got stuff ahead of you. You can breathe.'"
Brown was also excited to meet Page, whom he recognized from his role in Roots. "I remember thinking, 'Look at this dude doing the damn thing,'" Brown told Variety. "He had this wonderful swagger about him."
Since that first meeting, Page and Brown's friendship has grown, with Brown offering advice to Page.
"He's talked me through a couple of things that scared me," Page told Variety.
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"He wasn't somebody who's like, 'Give me a couple of years and I'll be making $10 million a flick.' He really loves the art of illuminating the human condition," Brown added of Page. "If stardom comes — and stardom is clearly approaching — I don't think he was ever actively seeking it; it just kind of happened."
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Page was the breakout star of Netflix's Bridgerton, in which he played the lovable rake Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings.
The actor, who has since been cast in projects like Dungeons & Dragons and The Gray Man, will not be returning for future seasons of the period drama.
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Page wrote on Instagram of his departure, "The ride of a life time. It's been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to be your Duke. Joining this family - not just on screen, but off screen too. Our incredibly creative and generous cast, crew, outstanding fans - it's all been beyond anything I could have imagined. The love is real and will just keep growing."
