"Bridgerton" Star Jonathan Bailey Says He Felt Pressured To Hide His Sexuality For The Sake Of His Career

    "Of course I thought that in order to be happy, I needed to be straight.”

    You know Jonathan Bailey from Netflix's Bridgerton (which just dropped a trailer for its second season, BTW).

    Jonathan rides a horse

    In an interview with GQ UK, the actor — who is gay — revealed that he'd felt pressure early in his career to hide his sexuality.

    Jonathan sits back in his chair in a scene from Bridgerton

    Jonathan says that an actor friend once relayed a piece of advice he'd received during pilot season (aka the time of year when actors are shooting pilots for TV shows).

    Jonathan stands outside behind a car while wearing a puffy jacket

    "‘There’s two things we don’t want to know: if you’re an alcoholic or if you’re gay,’” he recalled.

    Jonathan poses for a photo while wearing a suit

    “All it takes is for one of those people in that position of power to say that, and it ripples through,” he continued while discussing the negative impact the passed-along advice had.

    Jonathan poses while wearing a coat

    “So, yeah, of course I thought that. Of course I thought that in order to be happy I needed to be straight.”

    Jonathan smiles in a tux

    Eventually, Jonathan realized that nothing beats being yourself, and not hiding who you are.

    Jonathan poses for a photo in front of ivy and fencing

    "I reached a point where I thought, ‘Fuck this,’ I’d much prefer to hold my boyfriend’s hand in public or be able to put my own face picture on Tinder and not be so concerned about that, than get a part.”

    Jonathan smiles for a photo

    Read the entire profile here.