Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster

Episode Summary: Regé-Jean Page (April 1, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this vibrant and comedic episode, actors Ed Gamble and James Acaster welcome Regé-Jean Page (star of Bridgerton and the new rom-com You, Me & Tuscany) into the Off Menu "dream restaurant." With their signature chemistry and irreverence, the hosts guide Regé-Jean through the ritual of selecting his favorite starter, main, side dish, dessert, and drink—while discussing his career, his latest work, food escapism, and plenty of film and comedy tangents. The conversation is lively, full of playful April Fool's pranks, film-love, and riffs on acting and cuisine, especially the joy and escapism found in food and movies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Regé-Jean Page’s Film & Career Reflections

[16:21–21:39]

• Regé discusses You, Me & Tuscany, the new rom-com with Halle Bailey, highlighting its escapist appeal and the joy of shooting in picturesque Tuscany ("Tuscany is real. You can leave the cinema and buy a ticket and actually go." [20:13, Regé]).
• He touches on learning Italian for the role and the joy of embodying diverse characters as an actor.
• The discussion also veers into the appeal of playing multifaceted roles: “I want to be more like a session musician... I wanted to come in, have a certain set of skills, do a job, immerse myself in the world and... then go live a completely different life.” [22:01, Regé]
• They riff on the potential for Regé-Jean to someday play a president in American cinema and the difference between British and American casting perceptions.

2. Food, Location, and Memory

[27:31–29:07; 65:02–65:25]

• The role of landscape in both food and film: Regé rhapsodizes about Tuscany’s natural beauty, the artistry and even the competitive barrel-rolling traditions he witnessed, and how landscape, memory, and food are intertwined.
• “A lot of the thing with me with food... is it’s where you’re eating it and who you’re eating it with...” [65:25, Regé]
• They delight in the authenticity of Italian food on set, especially when local chefs insisted on making dishes for the film (as opposed to "movie food" [28:58, Regé]).

3. Food Choices & Menu Discussion

Water Choice

[34:37–35:43]

• Regé selects sparkling water ("stingy fizzies")—joking about it being “controversial" as some find bubbles unnecessary: “It’s water that hurts.” [24:58, Regé]

Popadoms or Bread

[48:48–32:49]

• Regé picks bread, celebrating Italian regional bread diversity and drawing a comparison to regional UK accents and food feuds: “It’s like that in Italy, but with food... you make that pasta that way? You are an absolute savage.” [31:35, Regé]

Starter

[43:38–47:00]

• Chooses a fish carpaccio based on a memorable meal in Rome: “It was delicious. It was very finely seasoned. Some olive oil, something a little bit tangy—maybe some lime... life-changing.” [48:31, Regé]

Main Course

[56:29–59:06]

• Picks “really, really good fish and chips” inspired by dining in New Zealand, emphasizing fresh, local fish, al fresco dining by the ocean, and sensory details like batter-steam and the aroma of lemon groves: “You want to be able to almost smell the environment that the food has come from.” [57:27, Regé]

Side Dish

[62:58–65:25]

• American-style Brussels sprouts: fried, indulgent, salty with a barely poached egg on top—reminiscent of a dish in an LA restaurant. He laments UK overboiling: “We boil them to death and then just plop them on a plate, sad and wet...” [63:30, Regé]

Drink

[69:57–73:39]

• Caipirinha, a Brazilian cocktail of lime, sugar, and cachaça. Regé shares fondness for making caipirinhas himself but wants this one expertly prepared: "Maybe as a long-form starter, I want to come in every weekend, get to know the staff, make it a place I feel comfortable...” [73:37, Regé]

Dessert

[73:54–74:18]

• Tiramisu: “Italian trifle. Definitely superior.” [74:02, Regé]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Escapist Movies & Food:
  “The world is a little rough out there... and the idea of having places to go where... realism can straddle both sides of that line... I think this is the type of movie that does that.” [19:25, Regé]

• On Being a Film ‘Gun for Hire’:
  “I wanted to be more like a session musician. I wanted to be a gun for hire...” [22:01, Regé]

• On Legendary Acting Advice:
  “On screen, it feels a little bit more like being a sous chef: you chop the vegetables very nicely, then you hand them over to the chef in the editing room...” [40:01, Regé]

• On a Perfect Menu:
  “In this dream restaurant... all of these dream courses have been made by me and the kitchen staff together. And we’re having like a staff meal at the end of the day... And that will make everything taste better because I’ve learned to make this drink...” [73:37, Regé]

• April Fool's Day Pranks:
  Multiple times, James tries to prank Regé-Jean (e.g., pretending the episode isn’t recording—[47:20]), leading to playful banter:
  “April Fools. This is going down on April Fool’s Day. I just got Regé Jean with an April Fool.” [47:32, James]
  “You got mercked.” [47:48, Regé]
  The hosts discuss the emotional side of pranking:
  "He was so happy for us. And I was like, oh, no, that's a genuinely nice emotion." [76:35, James]

• On Halle Bailey:
  “One of the most infuriatingly nice human beings on the planet... sunshine comes out of her pores...” [26:48, Regé]

• On Acting Methods & the ‘Smolder’:
  Recounts filming Mortal Engines and the note to "do it sexier" ([52:14]); how “the origin story of where I learned to do it sexier” came from a megaphone note on a massive set.

• Bread and British Politics:
  “It’s like a nation of Jeremy Corbyns, except instead of courgettes, it’s olives. Everyone's got their allotment, but it’s a rolling Tuscan field...” [32:03, Regé]

Important Timestamps (MM:SS)

• Regé arrives and shares a "restaurant explosion" film story [06:27–07:54]
• Discussion of You, Me & Tuscany, food, and escapist movies [16:21–21:39]
• Stingy Fizzies (sparkling water debate) [24:52]
• Italian food snobbery and bread regionalism [31:14–32:49]
• Carpaccio conversation and 'backing into a meat slicer' tangent [43:41–47:16]
• April Fools pranks (is the episode recording?) [47:20–47:44]
• Main course choice and the joy of fish and chips [56:29–59:06]
• Brussels sprouts side and food + memory [62:58–65:25]
• Dream drink: caipirinha and the fantasy of making your own dream meal [69:57–73:37]
• Dessert choice [73:54–74:18]

The Menu: Regé-Jean Page’s Dream Meal

• Water: Sparkling ("stingy fizzies")
• Bread: Sourdough with nice butter and olive oil (Italian regional bread if possible)
• Starter: Fish carpaccio (inspired by a memorable Roman meal)
• Main: Fresh-caught fish & chips, with lemon from the nearby grove, cracked salt, and al fresco sea breeze
• Side: American-style Brussels sprouts, fried and served with a barely poached egg
• Drink: Caipirinha (Brazilian cocktail)
• Dessert: Tiramisu

Tone & Vibe

True to Off Menu’s style, this episode fizzes with improvisational humor, warmth, and playful British irreverence, alongside genuine passion for both food and the magic of creative work. Regé-Jean Page provides reflective insight into both the acting process and how food/place/memory intertwine, while gamely joining in all the hosts’ tomfoolery—including multiple April Fools’ moments and digressions into accents, film characters, and hypothetical SNL sketches (“Kermit Barack”). The episode balances in-depth chit-chat with culinary nostalgia, with the sort of laughs and engagement that fans love about Off Menu.

For New Listeners

This episode stands out for its cinematic anecdotes, a vivid sense of place and taste, and playful chemistry between host and guest. Whether you're a Regé-Jean Page fan, a rom-com devotee, or just want to imagine the world as it could be over a perfect meal, this conversation is both a feast and a delight. And, no: he did not order Reggae Reggae Sauce.