01 December 2023 , 14:17
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Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey may have secured his position as an acclaimed actor but he candidly revealed that during his teenage years at school, he struggled with his identity as there wasn't a positive LGBT+ presence in schools.
The 35 year old star appeared on This Morning to talk about his involvement with a charity called Just Like Us, which aims raise awareness in schools on LGBT+. And he told hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary that he felt "alone" growing up. He candidly admitted: "I realised it [LGBT+] was not in the curriculum so I felt very alone. "
Jonathan Bailey opens up on his struggle with his identity growing upHe added: Its a very common experience to not even have people in the classroom... if there's nothing in the books that you're reading, you're twice as likely to be bullied if you are a gay person. But if there is positive LGBT+ messaging 100% of everyone's mental health and happiness increases. It's a no brainer and Just Like Us is the charity that is doing it and they're bring ambassadors into schools, so I'm really excited."
Jonathan reportedly came out as a gay man to his friends and family in his twenties but felt pressured to hide his sexuality in order to land roles. In an interview with GQ Hype, the actor said: "There's two things we don't want to know: if you're an alcoholic or if you're gay." And this weighed heavily on him as he was conflicted over being proud of his sexuality and securing a glittering career. He added: "Of course, I thought that in order to be happy I needed to be straight."
He continued: "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." Last year, Jonathan revealed that he helped his co-star feel comfortable with sex scenes when filming Bridgerton.
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According to the star, methods were introduced to ensure that Simone Ashley, who is known for her role as Olivia Hanan in Sex Education, felt safe. Speaking to The Sunday Times he said: "For a man, it is less exposing. I wanted to make sure Simone felt safe as a newcomer on set." He said a contract was drawn up which details what the stars are not comfortable with showing on-screen.
It also confirmed 'which bit of skin' they would be exposing and 'where' and 'how' they would be touched. "No one goes into a scene quaking, worrying about how it will go — if you are concerned you can talk to them. It turns sex scenes into a choreographed dance, " he added. Jonathan, who played Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, recently revealed that he took a prop after he left the set of the Netflix show.
During an appearance on The One Show he said: "You know, Anthony's got his pocket watch, and I tried to take that but they're really good. I mean there's moments where you're running with an IKEA bag on the last day towards the car and they're chasing you down. But at the end of Anthony's story, the designers did give me the pocket watch, which was amazing. But yeah, the design is just extraordinary."