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Bridgerton's Johnathan Bailey Says Gay Men Told Him to Stay Closeted
"There’s a sense of shame, I think, that’s palpable throughout gay men within the industry."
Johnathan Bailey, star of Crashing and more recently Netflix's hit series Bridgerton, revealed in a new interview conversation with Ian McKellen that he was pressured to stay in the closet by gay men.
In Attitude's latest cover story, the two openly gay actors reflect on the first time they met and when Bailey saw McKellen speak about coming out at a London Pride event back in 2006. He then opens up about the challenges he's faced as a gay actor.
"The most conservative conversations I’ve had about me being honest about my sexuality in this day and age have come from gay men in the industry, 'Oh, no, you can’t come out. You shouldn’t really do that. If you do that, you’re going to have to…' They’re either people who work in publicity, or there’s also been casting directors who have put the call into my agent to say, 'Just so that you know, the way that this is going to be sold is that it’s a gay story written by gay writers for gay actors. So by just taking the role…'"
Bailey reveals it was a sensitive time in his life.
"This was at a stage where perhaps I was coming to terms with my own sexuality," he says. "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. There’s a sense of shame, I think, that’s palpable throughout gay men within the industry. But then there’s also this heteronormative, heterosexual understanding of sexuality."
Fortunately though, for Bailey and many other out actors in the industry, things have changed more recently compared to 10-15 years ago.
"In my generation, the out gay actors are now being poached," says the 32-year-old. "You get a script sent through and they’ll say, 'Must be comfortable with talking about sexuality.' So that is in one way a brilliant thing because it’s saying we’re not encouraging anyone not to talk about sexuality, but it’s also showing that sexuality is becoming a commodity. That actually there needs to be this sense that studios are hiring gay actors to play either gay actors or straight."
Bridgerton is now streaming on Netflix.
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
