Why Jonathan Bailey Says Doing ‘Sweeping Gay Love Story’ Fellow Travelers Was a ‘No-Brainer’ After Bridgerton (Exclusive)

Jonathan Bailey could have gone in any direction after his incredible success as a romantic male lead Bridgerton‘with the second season.

But choosing to play a gay man opposite Matt Bomer on Showtime companions, another romantic period drama – this one spanning the Communist Joseph McCarthy trials of the 1950s to the AIDS crisis of the 1980s – was a “no-brainer” for the British actor.

“I was looking for those gay stories, the overarching gay love story, but I wasn’t really seeing them,” Bailey, 35, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “This ticked every box and it’s something I’ll be proud of for the rest of my career.”

Bailey first caught the attention of TV audiences with his breakthrough performance as Anthony Bridgerton, the proud, grumpy Viscount in Shonda Rhimes’ Regency-era drama. Bridgerton.

‘Bridgerton’ stars Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey.

Liam Daniel/Netflix/Courtesy of the Everett Collection

‘Fellow Travelers’ Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey Tease What Happens Behind Closed Doors in DC — Watch

Starring in one of Netflix’s most popular series has been transformative for Bailey, who previously mostly split his time between British TV and theater roles.

“I’ve always waited for auditions and projects to come, but now I have the basis to have choices, which is amazing and so special, because it’s not a very common thing,” he says. “So I have a responsibility not to waste it.”

Bailey grew up in Benson, England, to father Stuart, a general manager at a honey supplier, and mother Carole, who worked several jobs to make ends meet and pay for dance and music lessons for her son and his three older sisters. school scary.

At the age of 11, the actor realized that he might be gay, and sought refuge in his family, the theater and his best friend.

Jonathan Bailey. Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis/Getty

“It’s a pretty common narrative that school is scary, especially in a world where people don’t understand or teachers and kids don’t understand LGBTQ+ identities and experiences,” he shares. “But the superpower of looking outside means that when you’re older, you’re drawn to storytelling and creatives that are unique and exciting. And I think queer people have a real strength in them that could be celebrated.”

Companions certainly celebrates the LGBTQ+ community through its ambitious, decades-long narrative and queer stars. The biggest and most exciting draw for Bailey was the “expansive arc” of his character Tim Laughlin, who evolved from a hidden political operative in the 1950s to an outspoken and proud activist in the 1980s.

“He’s more explored, his journey and his vastness, more than any other character,” says Bailey. “But I think Tim is constantly searching within himself. He’s constantly torn between his identity, the truth of his identity, and the stories he’s been told, whether by religion, government, parents or society. So it’s exciting to be constantly torn between two places.”

Jonathan Bailey and Matt Bomer in ‘Passengers’.

Courtesy of SHOWTIME

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Working alongside Bomer, 46, he helped bring Bailey Companions in life.

Bomer, who also served as an executive producer on Companionshe was “an absolute delight” to work with, recalls Bailey, who got on well with White collar actor from the get-go — from their Zoom screen test to their “pre-game coffee” five days before filming began.

“We’ve both had a lot of experience in our careers with intimacy and portraying intimacy, but there’s also so much that we’ve experienced as gay men as well. So, of course, we had a lot to explore,” he says, adding, “Respecting the canon of gay storytelling is completely what I was going to do So if that’s the case [Fellow Travelers] is ‘up there’, then I’m really happy.”

For more on Jonathan Bailey, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

Companions airs Sundays at 9pm ET on Showtime.

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Source: HIS Education