Have you ever felt captivated by someone’s eyes? Or their smile? Struck by lightning by a face so gorgeous, as they say. Maybe it’s the je ne sais quoi of a man behind a screen — Jonathan Bailey, for the moment. But there’s more to it than just a pretty face for our Viscount. The flex of a hand, the subtle arch of a brow, the way a simple gesture can send you into a frenzy that a man in your real life surely won’t.
Jonathan Bailey: The Internet’s Boyfriend
His slow burn of a glance as Lord Anthony Bridgerton, the way his lips part before he speaks, before he sweeps you off your feet. And then there’s his voice — the silken tones that draw you in even before he says a word. A tension that wraps around his every movement, and line, building into something you can’t quite name but can’t look away from.
This mastery of subtlety has made Bailey a sensation both on screen and on stage. As an actor, he knows how to play the long game: those moments of buildup, the tension, the quiet magnetism that draws you in. He’s perfected the art of being a tease — and when it all comes together, it’s nothing short of electrifying.
just watched wicked, jonathan bailey had so much chemistry with everyone that at one point i think we also started to connect over my 3D glasses pic.twitter.com/55nunEuN7S
— Poot Crave (@ZendayasDriving) November 23, 2024
This was evident in his recent role in Wicked, where Bailey’s portrayal of Fiyero has us all utterly rizzed. From his first entrance on that horse, there’s no denying the aura. He doesn’t just play Fiyero because he has to— he embodies him, every inch of that devil-may-care attitude.
Babygirlism At It’s Peak
And let’s talk about that voice. When he sings Dancing Through Life in that tight costume, it’s like the world stops. The way he navigates the highs and lows of Wicked’s score, his voice smooth and lilting, pulling at the heartstrings with every note — something about it that lingers in your mind long after the curtain falls.
Fiyero may be charming, but let’s not forget Lord Anthony Bridgerton. Jonathan Bailey’s portrayal of Anthony in Bridgerton made him the internet’s husband for the girls and the gays. Anthony, the eldest Bridgerton son, is often seen as the epitome of “I am gentleman”— handsome, well-mannered, and a true protector of his family.
But Bailey’s nuanced performance reveals that there’s so much more than a brooding man beneath the surface. He’s caught between the weight of familial responsibility and his own desires, a man whose past heartbreaks have left him hesitant to love again truly. Bailey’s ability to slowly peel back Anthony’s layers, particularly in Season 2, where we watch him fall in love with Kate Sharma (played by Simone Ashley), is nothing short of Heart-stopping (if you know, you know).
What makes Bailey’s Anthony everyone’s darling — including mine — is his real-life personality. He strikes you as the guy who gives the best hugs, and as someone who doesn’t like hugs, I’d still blindly welcome one from him. Speaking of another of his target audience’s favorites, Fellow Travelers, a mini-series set against the backdrop of Washington, D.C., during the McCarthy era, explores love, politics, and the hidden lives of those living in a world that demanded conformity and secrecy.
Bailey’s Hawke is a complex, layered character who finds himself caught in a dangerous world of both love and politics, struggling with his identity in a time when being openly gay was not just frowned upon but often punished. Bailey’s performance here is captivating for its quiet intensity — his ability to convey a sense of restrained passion and inner conflict is palpable in every scene.
Bailey’s Hawke is a man who desires freedom — freedom in love, freedom from the constraints of his society, and freedom to be himself. But this freedom is not easily won, and as the series unfolds, we watch him wrestle with the consequences of those desires. Bailey captures Hawke’s internal battles beautifully — whether he’s in the arms of his lover or fighting for what he believes is right, there’s an emotional rawness that Bailey effortlessly taps into, making every scene feel deeply personal and poignant.
What’s also remarkable is the quiet chemistry Bailey shares with his co-star, Matt Bomer, who plays a key figure in Hawke’s life. Their dynamic is intoxicating, full of longing and unspoken tension, and it’s in these moments of connection — moments when Bailey lets his guard down — that the emotional stakes of Fellow Travelers really come to life.
It’s a different kind of love story than what we saw with Anthony Bridgerton, but no less compelling. Bailey’s performance is layered, sensual, and full of yearning, reminding us that he’s not just an actor; he’s a storyteller who makes us feel every moment.
Whether as the charming, tortured Anthony Bridgerton or the quietly defiant and emotionally conflicted Hawke in Fellow Travelers, Jonathan Bailey is quickly proving himself as one of the most talented actors of his generation.
me watching jonathan bailey sing dancing through life in #wicked pic.twitter.com/REa1VYdR0n
— liv cox (@livicoxx) November 24, 2024
His ability to bring emotional depth, complexity, and a certain vulnerability to every character he plays is part of what makes him so undeniably charming. He’s the kind of actor who doesn’t just play a role; he gives it that extra energy — drawing us in, making us care, and leaving us longing for more!
Also, read: Jonathan Bailey Has Been Working His Wicked Charm On The Red Carpet