Actor Jonathan Bailey is using his platform to shine a light on what it’s like to grow up queer — and why advocacy for LGBTQ+ youth is more crucial than ever.
Currently on the press tour for Wicked: For Good, Bailey sat down with Sky News to reflect on his own experiences growing up gay and the emotional toll it took.
“I felt scared and I felt alone, and I felt entirely limited at various points in my life,” Bailey shared.
Even from a young age, he said, there was something within him he knew was true — but it didn’t feel safe to express.
“Something that was very specific and clear to me about who I was… it wasn’t safe, and it wasn’t celebrated. It feels like you’re in a straight jacket. Pun intended.”
A Champion for Queer Youth
Bailey now serves as an ambassador for Just Like Us, a UK-based non-profit supporting LGBTQ+ youth in schools. The organisation’s recent research revealed that queer students aged 11 to 18 are twice as likely to experience bullying, anxiety, and depression. Bailey sees himself in that data.
“I experienced all of that,” he said, linking his childhood struggles to the current mental health crisis facing queer teens.
His advocacy comes at a time when LGBTQ+ students remain disproportionately affected by school-based harassment — making Bailey’s voice all the more powerful.
Breaking Free From Limiting Narratives
The Bridgerton and Uncoupled star also discussed the entertainment industry’s biases around sexuality and identity.
“This is beyond sexuality. It’s race, it’s class, it’s where you’re from. We are all given limiting narratives we have to break free of.”
Bailey admitted he once doubted his ability to succeed in certain roles, including Shakespearean ones, simply because he hadn’t attended drama school — and because he was gay.
“I thought not only was I not going to be able to play these sorts of parts because of my sexuality, but that I wouldn’t be able to do Shakespeare because I didn’t go to drama school.”
He now believes that being visible, open, and vulnerable in one’s formative years is what truly resonates — not just with queer kids, but with entire classrooms.
“There’s Nothing Sexier Than Progress”
Earlier this month, Bailey made headlines when he became the first openly gay man to be named PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive, a milestone he accepted with both humour and humility.
“There’s nothing sexier than progress,” he told Forbes, adding that stepping into that title was a clear and confident decision.
“There was no way I wasn’t going to step into that corner this year, when the opportunity arose.”
Leading With Love and Representation
Bailey’s rising star has placed him at the centre of some of Hollywood’s most visible franchises — from Bridgerton to Jurassic World: Rebirth and his upcoming role as the Winky Prince in Wicked: For Good. His visibility is shifting mainstream perceptions of who gets to be desired, heroic, and central in storytelling.
In his PEOPLE interview, he candidly reflected on the journey back to self-confidence:
“When I was really young, I was very confident about who I was, and maybe I lost that as I grew up. At various moments in my life, I’ve been like, ‘I’ve got this,’ which is sometimes met by a deep spike of fear and self-doubt.”
Using His Voice for Good
In Wicked, Bailey’s character confronts injustice — a theme that mirrors his real-world values.
“Everyone has that moment. They’ll be in the room, in the classroom, and see someone being villainised. They’ll hear a homophobic or racist slur and think: I’m going to throw away the privilege I was born into to stand up for what’s right.”
Bailey sees this as the true power of both storytelling and advocacy.
“I’m thrilled to be living in a time where I can play the Winky Prince — and where Just Like Us is doing the extraordinary work they’re doing.”
