A post shared by JONATHAN BAILEY (@jbayleaf)Bridgerton continues to trend as one of Netflix‘s most popular shows, and we think we know why: Jonathan Bailey, the handsome, British heartthrob leading the series.
As a gay actor, Bailey has shown that he commands a sexual charge on screen…even when playing a straight character.Bailey opened up recently about Season 2 of Bridgeton, and the controversial choice to keep the season’s sex scenes saved for the final two episodes.“It would have been wrong for Kate and Anthony to have got physical any sooner than they did,” Bailey told USA Today. “And I think the payoff is really earned.”Related: Jonathan Bailey gets candid about his sexuality and coming out journey“What you lose in sex scenes you gain in a deeper human understanding, which hopefully enriches the world so that the future intimacy scenes won’t be the heavy feature, and (you) won’t have to lean on them as much,” he added. “It’s right to surprise an audience and keep them on their toes a bit.”In the same feature, the 33-year-old actor also discussed playing a straight leading character as an openly gay man.“It’s thrilling to be able to step into a role that perhaps I’ve previously not felt was open, or I certainly didn’t have anyone filling this space when I was younger,” Bailey also said. “Hopefully, Anthony Bridgerton will be a brilliant reference for any queer, young actor – with so many other brilliant actors who are also making waves, silently and some really vocally – that they’ll be able to say, ‘well, listen, I do want to go for that job because I know that guy is out and that’s absolutely fine.'”Absolutely fine, indeed.