Bridgerton ladies’ man Jonathan Bailey reveals he felt pressured to hide his sexuality after being warned it could harm his career.
Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey says he felt pressured to hide his sexuality in order to further his career after being told a publicly gay actor would struggle to win roles.
The British star came out in 2018, two years before finding fame as silver-tongued ladies-man Anthony in racy Netflix period romp Bridgerton.
But he admits to having reservations about public disclosure after discussing the issue with actor friends and casting directors about the difficulties associated with being openly gay in the TV and film industry.
Speaking to the latest issue of GQ Hype, Bailey, 33, recalled his initial reaction after a friend told him about his own experience while auditioning for roles.
‘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 told the publication.
‘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.’
