This story is part of the 2025 TIME100 Next. Read Ariana Grande’s tribute to Jonathan Bailey here.
If you see a familiar face whizzing past you on a Lime Bike in London, it could very well be Jonathan Bailey. He might look dialed in, headphones on as he races to a rehearsal or interview. But chances are, his heart is elsewhere—specifically, two hours south to the Sussex coast. There, the sea and his family offer a counterbalance to the intensity of his career.
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“In film and music, the silence is always more profound when there’s been a brilliant cacophony before it,” Bailey, 37, says during an interview in early September, of his decision to move to Brighton during the pandemic. “Everything’s slightly more extreme now than it has been in the past, so for every extraordinary thing that happens, the opposite of that is still and calm.”
Bailey’s last 14 months have been extraordinary by many measures. The actor, who plays the dashing Prince Fiyero in Wicked, has commanded the stage, small screen, and now Hollywood blockbusters—all while maintaining the same approachable charm that first drew audiences to him in the early days of his 30-year career. Yes, he might sit front row at Burberry during London Fashion Week, but you’re just as likely to catch him chatting with a barista while picking up a cortado at his favorite coffee stand. Bailey honed his craft in the theater, starting at a young age, before graduating to television. He chose his roles carefully, turning in memorable performances in cult favorites like 2016’s Crashing, where he starred alongside the show’s creator, Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
It was Netflix’s Bridgerton that catapulted Bailey to a global audience in 2020. By then in his 30s, the actor was as ready as one can be for the spotlight. The show, and Bailey himself, earned a place in the zeitgeist. He emerged as both a fashion icon (he describes his style as “relaxed, elegant slouch”) and an Internet darling. When asked at the 2024 Met Gala how it felt to be the “Internet’s boyfriend,” he deflected with a playful, “Am I?” Part of Bailey’s appeal lies in his ability to embody masculinity without any toxicity. He has embraced the chaos of the public-facing industry he’s grown up in, transforming viral moments into charitable campaigns and turning thought-provoking roles into life-affirming missions. Best of all, he’s learned to “be cheeky” and have some fun along the way.
The actor was front and center when Wicked fever took over pop culture late last year. Ahead of the November release of the first of two installments in the musical film, Bailey embarked on what he calls a “decathlon press tour” with co-stars Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Jeff Goldblum (an “absolute hero”). The promotion of the film took on a life of its own. “There’s nothing more iconic than a press tour about the press tour,” Bailey quips, referencing how Grande, during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, was asked to break down the now-iconic “holding space” moment from an earlier interview. “It’s quite nice to see people with that extraordinary talent hold each other’s fingers,” he jokes. Bailey immersed himself in the euphoria, even sneaking into a Wicked sing-along at the cinema to get the full fan experience.
Bailey returned to his original acting home, the stage, in 2025, taking the lead in Nicholas Hytner’s production of Richard II. Not long after the final curtain closed, he set forth on another mammoth press tour, this time for Jurassic World Rebirth, which saw him join Hollywood heavyweights Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali. It was a full-circle moment for Bailey, who could only dream of one day walking among the dinosaurs when he watched Jurassic Park as a young boy with his family in the ‘90s.
When Bailey and I meet, he’s in the midst of a few relatively quiet weeks before heading off on the Wicked: For Good press tour, ahead of the sequel’s release on Nov. 21. Over lunch at the central London hotel he treats as his home away from home, Bailey recounts his summertime adventures with his longtime best friends—from the Italian wedding of his cherished former roommate to a group holiday he organized to mark the end of his Richard II run. Mid-story, he laughs at himself—“I actually hate it when people constantly refer to people as their ‘best friends,’ how annoying,” he says, cutting himself off. At one point our conversation halts as Bailey gestures toward the window, where two men stroll past arm in arm. “So sweet!” he says, smiling. Bailey is a keen observer not just of his own words and actions but of the world around him; in fact, it’s his instinct to notice that makes him so compelling.
Bailey’s curiosity, his thirst for both hearing and telling stories, started at a young age after his beloved Nana, now 95, took him to the theater to see Oliver! He started performing on stage when he was 7, appearing with the late Helen McCrory in Les Enfants du paradis at the Barbican in London.
Unlike many of his peers, Bailey didn’t go to drama school. He’s appeared in several critically acclaimed productions in the West End and on Broadway. Bailey refers to the theater as his personal “measure of time,” returning to the stage in between his filmed projects. He admires the resilience and effort the theater demands of each actor. “I find it academic. Intentionally physical. I feel like I go slightly mad in a way. It feels cerebral and the process is so laid bare,” he says. “I feel so lucky that I had the early experience of understanding the meticulous commitment and relentless nature of getting up and going again. It goes wrong? You go again.”
He recalls one performance of Richard II where things did indeed go wrong. Halfway during a pivotal deposition scene, a light cue failed and the cast had to leave the stage. An instant shift occurred as the audience was abruptly pulled back to reality. Bailey fed off the exhilaration and nervous anticipation swirling around the darkened theater. “That shift, break, and reset gives you the confidence to come right back out,” he says, recalling the moment.
Bailey, who won a Laurence Olivier award in 2019 for his supporting role in Stephen Sondheim‘s Company, says that his theater runs sharpen his work on screen. “We did 103 shows for Richard II. Didn’t miss a show,” he says. “Spiritually, you feel as though you’ve left it all on the floor on stage, but when you go back on set, you have this dexterity.”
That long-cultivated work ethic was put to the test when his career kicked into overdrive in 2022. He juggled three very different projects at the same time. “It was incredible, but going from Oz [Wicked] to a regency ball [Bridgerton] to a ‘70s queer disco in Canada [Fellow Travelers] was a lot,” he says. Due to his hectic schedule, Bailey arrived on set significantly later than Erivo and Grande, who were deep into their rehearsals with director Jon M. Chu as Elphaba and Glinda. The trio swiftly formed a bond. “I think the world of both of them and am in awe of them,” he says, admitting he’s not prepared to say goodbye as the “bittersweet” moment of their final Wicked farewell creeps ever closer.
The upcoming film sees Bailey and Erivo’s characters share a powerful duet and, in a departure from the stage show, audiences will see the grand wedding between Bailey and Grande’s characters. Fans of the stage show know the second act is a pivotal moment for Fiyero and, by extension, the man who plays him. “Fiyero’s got an easy charm, which comes with his easy glow of privilege, but it feels like he’s in a state of quiet rebellion,” Bailey says when I ask about his character maturing. He thinks Fiyero’s character arc, and the overall sentiment of the story, might just be the mirror the world needs. “The regime starts identifying who is good and who is bad, who is acceptable and who isn’t. Fiyero steps outside of his privilege and Glinda battles in her own way,” he says.
Bailey’s particularly attuned to the politically charged moment the world finds itself in and how his creative contributions align with that. In the 2023 miniseries Fellow Travelers, Bailey played opposite Matt Bomer in an embattled love story set against the backdrop of 1950s McCarthyism. The era-spanning series covers the AIDS epidemic, showing how the LGBTQ+ community was mistreated.
The project “activated” Bailey to work in service of the LGBTQ+ community, especially those who paved the way. This led to him founding the Shameless Fund in 2024. The ethos was simple: “Raising cash, erasing shame.”
“I just felt so strongly about the elder members of the community, many of whom are much more likely to be single, less likely to have children, and they’re going into care homes and [dealing with] homophobia. Having to go back in the closet…” Bailey pauses as his voice breaks. “The first five grants we’ve given, two are going to charities that look after elderly LGBTQ+ members. We have to look after them because they fought so hard.”
Bailey is eager to support the LGBTQ+ community however he can. “With the stripping back of rights in an incredibly terrifying and aversive way, visibility is really important at this moment,” he says. “So much energy is consumed and a lot of pain when you grow up feeling like there’s something you’re going to have to address at some point or not, or try and mask, that could potentially end up with you not having a family or friends. That’s the reality for a lot of people.”
The actor has shown moxie when it comes to using his public platform in this way. He’s fully leaned into viral moments, flipped the script, and incorporated them into his outreach. When his “slutty little glasses” became a talking point during the Jurassic press run, Bailey hopped on the train himself, collaborating with eyewear brand Cubitts for his very own rendition of said spectacles. Fifty percent of the proceeds went to the Shameless Fund. Bailey also captured the attention of fans when he teamed up with Loewe (the fashion house’s former creative director Jonathan Anderson is a close friend) for a series of “Drink Your Milk” T-shirts, a tongue-in-cheek nod to a coded reference in Fellow Travelers. For each shirt sold, Loewe pledged to make a donation to the fund. Bailey modeled the shirt himself and his co-stars Bomer, Johansson, Erivo, and Grande followed suit. It wasn’t long before the T-shirts sold out.
As he continues to focus on ways to uplift his community, Bailey is eager for the people he works with to do the same. Moving forward, he’ll ideally partner only with brands that are willing to donate to the charity. “It’s an easy thing to get out of bed for and focus on,” he says of his commitment to the fund.
Bailey notes that so much in the world feels “devastating,” citing “the shift in politics” and “the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.” So he’s chosen to direct his energy where he thinks he can make a difference. “I’m focusing on supporting as many of the vulnerable LGBTQ+ people as best I can alongside experts with the Shameless Fund,” he says. “Any act of kindness right now is a powerful thing.”
Bailey is still navigating life in the public eye. When we leave the hotel in pursuit of a coffee, his baseball cap and sunglasses allow him to go under the radar. Yet he’s finding that the spotlight follows him to the most unlikely of places. When he takes a bathroom break during lunch, he returns to tell me that a man recognized him to say “hello,” phone at the ready for a selfie. And during his holiday in Italy, the hostess at the hotel repeatedly referred to him by his Bridgerton character’s name, “Anthony.” Bailey didn’t correct her, much to the amusement of his friends.
In keeping with Bridgerton’s pass-the-baton tradition, Bailey took center stage in the second season as one-half of the new leading couple. His day-to-day life quickly began to look different. The audience of the play he was performing in at the time “changed overnight.” People would reach out to touch him as he cycled by on his way to work. “It was instant recognition, which makes sense, because it can be incredibly intimate when you’re streaming something. You’re probably in bed, chilling out, and you get to watch eight hours of someone and then you get to see them [live]. That, for me, was a fascinating sociological experiment in a way,” he says.
It helps that Bailey has had largely positive encounters with the people who approach him. “Those I’ve met, I’m really proud they’re following my work. They’re good eggs and good people. There’s a lot of authenticity and love,” he says.
Ultimately, it falls to the actor to decide who has access to Jonny, the man from Oxfordshire, and who gets Jonathan Bailey, actor and star of screen and stage. While he says he can’t help but show up as himself wherever he goes, there’s still a notable difference between them. Some facets of Jonny’s life, for example, are reserved for those he holds dearest.
“I think I am quite private. I don’t keep anything secret, but I do revere my interpersonal friendships and familial relationships,” he says. “I’m in awe of other people who share their lives, but I guess I share who I am through the work I choose.”
While he keeps his own family life mostly private, Bailey can spend hours talking about his other family: the Bridgertons.
In real life, he’s the youngest of four—his three sisters are his “tribe”— but on the small screen, Bailey portrays the eldest of the eight Bridgerton siblings. It’s an interesting transition especially as, away from the set, he’s adopted that same older-brother role for his co-stars.
Bailey proudly shares that Florence Hunt and Will Tilston, who play the youngest Bridgerton siblings, Hyacinth and Gregory, have now taken their A-level exams (high school finals). He’s also been active on the “Bridgerton Bros” WhatsApp group on the morning of our interview. Flashing me a glimpse of his phone, he showcases the most recent message he sent to the group. With no context given, it reads: “I hope that piano was singing!” The profile image on the chat features a behind-the-scenes snapshot of Bailey with his on-screen brothers Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton) and Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton) pulling silly faces.
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Bridgerton’s first season transformed the romantic genre and broke Netflix viewership records when it originally aired, no doubt bolstered by the pre-existing fanbase dedicated to the book series of the same name. The TV show’s audience shows no signs of waning. The third season joined Season 1 in the top 10 most popular Netflix shows of all time when it premiered in 2024, racking up over 100 million views.
“Long-running series mean a lot to people, as does the romance genre. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime invitation and I value stories that have characters who are still there,” he says of his choice to remain on the show for the long haul. He “can’t wait” to have a ringside view of Florence and Will’s seasons.
“I can go and be present and the heavy lifting is done. It’s such a joy to watch people who you really love thrive and blossom. If they need you, you’re there. Also, I love the character of Anthony. They don’t have a father and there’s a bit of a father figure [relationship] between him and… well, I don’t want spoilers,” Bailey says.
In a diversion from the books, Bridgerton’s fourth season, set to debut in 2026, will see Benedict continue to explore his fluid sexuality as he falls for Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), a maid who disguises her true identity at a masquerade ball. Bailey is fully behind the pivot, championing his queer on-screen brother as a “romantic hero” and hailing the upcoming season as “amazing.”
Aside from his returning role in the Regency-era drama, Bailey has some exciting projects waiting for him in the year ahead, though nothing that he can divulge at this point. He doesn’t plan on taking a break from acting, per se, he’ll merely be embarking on other ventures in addition to his screen and stage work. He’s also determined to prioritize the Shameless Fund and make it part of his legacy.
“The fantasy is to continue to work and be inspired by people along the way,” he says when I ask what he sees when he daydreams about the future. “I think the next couple of years might be another chocka one, so I’m just gonna enjoy every moment.”
And with that, he picks up his slutty little sunglasses from the table and heads off.