Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey reveals pressure to suppress sexuality in Hollywood: ‘I’d much prefer to hold my boyfriend’s hand in public’
metro.co.ukBridgerton star Jonathan Bailey has opened up about the pressure he felt to hide his sexuality when he was starting out as an actor.
Jonathan, 33, who plays the womanising Anthony Bridgerton in the hit Netflix series, admits he felt like he had to suppress his own sexuality to make it in show business.
He told GQ Hype that hearing the callous advice another actor friend had been told during pilot season stuck with him, explaining: ‘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.”‘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.’However, Jonathan – who doesn’t appear to be publicly dating anyone at the moment – decided to speak publicly about his sexuality for the benefit of his own happiness and to no longer have to hide his relationships.He explained: ‘I reached a point where I thought, “F**k 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 get a part.’Jonathan had previously told Sir Ian McKellen: ‘I was coming to terms with my own sexuality, I hadn’t necessarily hidden it, but I’ve never been not honest about it. ‘It’s just there had never been a need to talk about it.
