Phoebe Dynevor was ready to give up acting when she landed 'Bridgerton'

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 6/9/21

There is no Bridgerton without Daphne Bridgerton.

But Phoebe Dynevor nearly missed her chance at the life-changing role.

"I had been living in L.A. for about nine months, and I was kind of at that point where I was ready to go home, sort of throw in the towel and see the fam for a bit," the 26-year-old U.K. actress told The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "And then I got a call saying, 'Can you come in and read with Regé[-Jean Page] next week?'"

Dynevor continued: "I was like, 'Oh, God, well, that's annoying because I've got to move my flight.' So, I was like, I hope it pays off. And then, the next day, they were like, 'Netflix will pay for your flight back to London 'cause you've got to be in rehearsals on Monday.' It did pay off."

In Season 1, which hit Netflix as Shonda Rhimes' first scripted series for the streamer last Christmas, Daphne (Dynevor) fakes a courtship with Simon Bassett, the Duke of Hastings (Page), in order to avoid an arranged marriage. It works out well for Simon, as he had famously refused to marry at all before meeting Daphne. Eventually, their ruse becomes true romance, and they live happily ever after.

It was announced in early April that Page will not reprise his role for Bridgerton's second season:

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Page told Variety at the time that he always envisioned being a one-and-done on Bridgerton. "It's a one-season arc," he said, in part, adding: "[I thought] ‘That’s interesting,’ because then it felt like a limited series. I get to come in, I get to contribute my bit and then the Bridgerton family rolls on."

Fallon predictably asked Dynevor about Page's exit.

"The special thing about Bridgerton that I think not a lot of shows really do is that every season centers around a different love story," she responded. "So, Season 2 is centered around Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), my older brother and his coming out into the season and finding a match hopefully."

Dynevor then noted she had been on set for three days filming the upcoming season, and she "cried seven times" already.

Watch the full interview below.