Happy (belated) Valentine’s Day from Shonda Rimes, Netflix, and the sickenly attractive cast of Bridgerton. At the top of that list is none other than out actor Jonathan Bailey. The just-released trailer for the upcoming season of the “worldwide sensation” has the Olivier Award-winning actor front and center as Anthony Bridgerton’s life and times become the central storyline of season two.
Related: “Bridgerton” star Jonathan Bailey talks about the pressure to stay closeted
WARNING: SPOILERS FROM BRIDGERTON SEASON 1 AHEAD!
The one-minute teaser trailer narrated by Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews) opens with asking the question we already know the answer to,
“Dear readers, did you miss me?”
Throughout the minute-long teaser much of the adored cast is back, with the exception of season one breakout star Regé-Jean Page. Page announced his departure from the show last year, citing the show setup: focusing on one different Bridgeton sibling every season. One major character destined to return is Penelope Featherington, played by Nicola Coughlan. In the season one series finale Penelope was revealed to be the infamous Lady Whistledown!
The large multi-generational, diverse cast are seen dancing, laughing, and fighting in the trailer. As previously reported by Socialite Life,
“Season 2 follows Viscount Anthony Bridgerton as he decides to finally do his ‘duty’ and find a wife, encountering as she makes her debut Edwina (Charithra Chandran) and her older sister, Kate (Simone Ashley). Netflix also dropped teaser key art, which rather prominently features a pall mall mallet (which is a key outing for Anthony and Kate), and the tagline, “Love never plays by the rules.'”
The Elizabeth: The Golden Age actor is about to be seen on the West End stage again. Starring with Taron Edgerton in the Mike Bartlett penned play, Cock,
“the play follows John (Bailey), who, despite identifying as gay and being in a long-term relationship with his boyfriend (Egerton), finds himself questioning his sexuality and self-imposed labels upon meeting who could be the woman of his dreams.”
Bailey will be teaming up once again with director Marianne Elliot. The two previously worked together on the revival of Company, for which Bailey won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. The 33-year-old actor has been vocal for the entirety of his career about the stigma that comes with being an openly queer actor trying to amass a successful career.
Speaking with Attitude magazine, Bailey said,
“I got to a point in my life, in my twenties, where I couldn’t explain how I was feeling. I couldn’t put any word on it, but it was like a Tupperware box that had been locked down. It was affecting relationships, friendships, romantic relationships because I felt like I was withdrawing. That was something that I felt intrinsically, and also as an actor. Playing Othello at The National Theatre, I remember was the first time I spoke about my sexuality in a rehearsal room, which felt to me [like] a huge step, making that decision before you go in.”
Season 2 of Bridgerton premieres on Netflix on March 25th. Watch the teaser trailer below.
Sources: Socialite Life, Attitude Magazine
I forgot he’s gay. Us gays are winning ;))