Jonathan Bailey has always flatly refused to pose topless on a shoot.
For BritishVogue, he relented.
There was this pair of Loewe trousers and I thought, Fucking hell, what an incredible silhouette.
Jonathan Bailey wears Loewe.Fashon Editor: Eniola Dare.
No one suggested it, I just knew it was right.
But kindly dont mention I said Im always asked to take my top off.
I plead with him.
Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton in season two ofBridgerton.
OK, he replies.
But why all the prudishness?
Didnt he reveal his naked bum in season one of Netflixs phenomenally successful Regency romp,Bridgerton?
MHL by Margaret Howell blazer.
It was quite the performance, I say.
Has it been nominated for any awards?
Not yet, he replies, rolling his eyes.
Bailey as Fiyero inWicked.
Any attempt on my part to observe him dispassionately disappears quickly.
His dark-haired and unshaven beauty is too intoxicating, as is his style.
His biceps look like theyve done time in the gym.
I did that on purpose so youd notice, he says cheekily.
Bailey has managed to achieve what was once thought impossible in Hollywood.
Next year, hell go on to star in the aforementionedJurassic World Rebirth.
Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton in season two ofBridgerton.
Theater, though, has been his foundation.
Theres security in the theater community, he says.
And so, he is ready to make a return to live performance.
He gave me the biggest break.
Hes been an incredible mentor.
WithRichard II, I am returning not just to a play, but to a theater director.
Hes seen me freak out in the rehearsal room.
Hes seen me sobbing.
MHL by Margaret Howell blazer.
On Baileys far-reaching talent, Hytner tells me: Jonny is eloquent, mercurial, intelligent, and transparent.
His imagination is vivid enough to put himself directly in the position of characters…
It becomes completely natural in his hands.
What do you do when a ruler is absolutely inadequate?
How do you get rid of the rightful leader?
In person, Baileys flair is plain as day.
I can see why.
That counts for so much in my book.
Its so wonderful to watch Jonny soar.
Did he have a sense of his sexuality from a young age?
Its interesting with the binary, he says, where youre perceived to be either this or that.
Thats how I saw it at the time, but there are so many nuances to it.
My experience of that relationship was not that I was in the shadows.
She remains one of my best friends.
I think other people understood my sexuality before I was even aware of it, he continues.
He sounds like Billy Elliot.
A bit, but really Shirley Temple, if Im honest.
He credits his parents with encouraging him to take up ballet.
I remember looking through the window at these girls at school in their tutus.
But everyone went quiet.
Then a teacher called him out in front of the whole class.
He is keenly aware of the challenges that still exist, even in the everyday.
Ive always been a confident hand-holder in relationships, he says.
I had a boyfriend who wasnt experienced at holding hands in public.
We got heckled in London.
But that kind of behavior is now outweighed by the smiles you get.
Is he currently in a relationship?
Not discussing that, he answers, sharply.
We talk instead about how he deals with the nature of fame.
It felt quite hard-hitting afterBridgertoncame out, he says.
I really struggled initially; I was overwhelmed by it.
But the people in your life have to adapt too.
Im really good now at saying no to photos.
Does he think he might become too big for his boots?
Lets see, he says.
Friends like Andrew Scott will no doubt help keep him grounded.
The search for us to be in the right thing together ison, says Scott.
Every time I see an easy-squeezy bottle of honey I think,My dad was an absolute legend.
He was five when his grandmother took him to seeOliver!in the West End.
He knew at that moment he had found his calling.
His first acting role was at school, where he played a raindrop in Noahs Ark.
We had amazing conversations, he says of his costar.
I was like: Tell me everything.
Tell me what it was like back in the day.
And he said, No, no.
No one knew, not even in the most creative pockets.
Bailey as Fiyero inWicked.
What did you think of it?
Did you like it?
He breathes a sigh of relief.
Isnt it lovely, isnt it special, isnt it actually!
he says, bouncing on his knees like an excitable teenager.
Youre the first person Ive spoken to whos seen it.
When I watched it, I sobbed.
I think its a masterpiece.
For now, having just finished filming the latest season ofBridgerton, hes finally taking a break.
Everything else is on pause untilRichard IIopens.
I love Salento in ItalyI try and go every year.
Is he tempted to move to the US?
Thats a hard no, he says.
I love New York theater, so maybe, but it would be led by work.
He says that, more than anything, he yearns for quiet.
He likes the calm those activities bring him but always takes his noise-cancelling headphones wherever he goes.
I feel naked if I forget them.
What does he listen to?
I go through phases, most recently 60s and 70s California rock, and the Beatles.
But surely he parties too?
I love a dirty martini, he says.
The dirtier the better.
But really Im obsessed with breakfast, especially oats.
Sometimes I make my own granola.
I just love a seed.
Yes, its such a privilege for a man, he says.
But I cant bring children into my lifestyle now.
Because he is so busy?
Yes, he answers.
I tell him its never a good time.
I want to verify Im going to be present.
Im reading books on adoption.
I might coparent with a woman, but Im thinking it will be with a man.
Just as were about to say goodbye, he squeals, holding up his phone.
Andrew Scott has just texted me!
He calls me J-Bads.
I told him I was doing aVogueshoot, with the total self-awareness of what that sounds like.
He slips on his Birkenstocks.
Richard IIwill be at Londons Bridge Theatre from February 10 to May 10, 2025.
In this story: grooming, Alfie Sackett; set design, Josh Stovell.
Production: The Production Factory.
