Holding boyfriend’s hand more important than landing role, says Bridgerton star

Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey has said that being able to hold his boyfriend’s hand in public is more important to him than getting a part.

Bailey, who came out as gay in 2018, added he had previously heard warnings that coming out could negatively affect his career.

The 33-year-old portrays Viscount Anthony Bridgerton in the raunchy Netflix show, one of eight siblings of a powerful family who are navigating their way through the 1800s in London.

The actor told GQ Hype: “I reached a point where I thought: ‘F*** this,’ I’d much prefer to hold my boyfriend’s hand in public or be able to put my own face picture on Tinder and not be so concerned about that, than getting a part.”

He added that an actor friend of his had been told about certain limitations in terms of what people in power expect.

Bailey, from Wallingford in Oxfordshire, said: “At the time he was told: ‘There’s two things we don’t want to know: if you’re an alcoholic or if you’re gay.’”

He added: “All it takes is for one of those people in that position of power to say that, and it ripples through, so, yeah, of course I thought that.

“Of course I thought that in order to be happy, I needed to be straight.”

He also discussed the influence his personal life has on his acting, but how he still manages to maintain his privacy.

The actor said: “You put your life experiences into (the work). What’s most interesting is not necessarily having to talk about what that is, and keeping a sense of privacy.”

Bailey also said he does not see himself as a sex-symbol, and called any actor who does see themselves as such, “cringe”.

Read the full feature online at GQ Hype now.