by Nathaniel R
2022 is off to a great start for 34 year-old British stage and TV star Jonathan Bailey. We've had to love him on the relative quiet for a long time because he rarely does movies! Promo photos just came out for the new West End play "Cock" in which he'll co-star with Taron Egerton as gay lovers having a fallout when one of them sleeps with a woman (Jade Anouka). In addition to that upcoming run on the boards, the Season 2 trailer for Bridgerton just dropped. This season he takes the leading spotlight as the most eligible bachelor of the titular family...
We've loved Bailey since we first laid eyes on him in two very excellent British TV series, as a reporter in the murder mystery Broadchurch (2013) and as a perpetually horny partyboy in Phoebe Waller-Bridges' pre Fleabag comedy series Crashing (2016). UK audiences have probably known of his gifts for much longer than that, given his many TV and stage apperances.
In "King Lear" opposite Sir Ian McKellen
Bailey in his Olivier-winning role as "Jaime" with his stage fiancé Paul (Alex Gaumond)
On stage in London he's done musicals and Shakespeare and original plays. In 2019 he won the Olivier Award as Jamie in the gender-flipped revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Company". Sadly he didn't transfer to Broadway with the show though we should note that Matt Doyle (also an out gay stage regular) who plays the role on Broadway is truly excellent and will hopefully be Tony-nominated this summer.
Despite Bailey's success on stage and small screens -- it's so wonderful to have out gay actors with thriving careers finally in the 21st century -- he almost never does features. What's up with that? It's not like he doesn't look sensational in close-up. Someone put him in something!
He appeared in a few movies as a teenager including Elizabeth the Golden Age (2007) though he didn't even get a character name in that one. As a twentysomething his career took off with numerous TV and stage roles. His only live-action movie roles since fame began to hit have been supporting roles in Testament of Youth (2014), The Young Messiah (2015), and The Mercy (2018).
He'd be perfect for movie musicals, or dramas, or comedies. Whatever. RANGE! Put him in something, Hollywood. Time is a-wasting.