Jonathan Bailey is taking a break from acting, but why?
Bailey began performing in Royal Shakespeare Company productions at the age of 7, and over the years, he has played many roles on stage and screen. He gained worldwide fame from his role as Lord Anthony Bridgerton in 2020, but you may also know him from his role in Fellow Travelers as Tim Laughlin. Most recently, he has appeared on our screens as Fiyero in Wicked and Dr. Henry Loomis in Jurassic World: Rebirth.
Bailey is not only a well-known and beloved actor, but also an accomplished one at that. According to IMDb, he has nine wins and five nominations for various awards, which include his Critics’ Choice Award win and Emmy nomination for his role in Fellow Travelers.Â
In a recent interview with British GQ, the actor announced that he would be taking a step back from acting. “I’ve been working solidly for about three years now, which has been amazing and mind-blowing. But with everything happening in the world right now, I’m going to stop acting for a bit next year and just focus on the Shameless Fund,” Bailey said.
The Shameless Fund is Bailey’s foundation that he launched in 2024. According to the foundation’s website, the fund is “raising cash through global brand collaborations to power up international, national and grassroots non-profits, to forge a world where every LGBTQ+ person can live authentically, love freely and thrive without the burdens of discrimination, oppression or shame.” Bailey is gay himself and has spoken about the importance of having visibility and support for the LGBTQIA+ community.
One such brand collaboration came from the foundation’s launch in the form of a suggestive t-shirt, which read “drink your milk.” This line comes from Fellow Travelers, which Bailey starred in alongside Matt Bomer. The shirt was a collaboration with Loewe and fashion designer Jonathan Anderson. According to The Shameless Fund’s Instagram, for every shirt that was sold, Loewe would donate to the foundation.Â
Most recently, Bailey and The Shameless Fund collaborated with Cubitts to make a pair of glasses inspired by and named after Bailey’s character in Jurassic World: Rebirth. The Loomis frames are currently available for pre-order on the Cubitts website, with 50% of the proceeds going to The Shameless Fund. Celebrities like Cynthia Erivo, Cara Delevingne, and Scarlett Johansson have promoted Bailey’s glasses on social media.
Don’t worry, though, Bailey won’t be away from the spotlight for too long. The new Wicked movie, Wicked: For Good, is set to release in November of this year. Hopefully, we will see Jonathan Bailey in the press circuit for the film, maybe even wearing the Loomis frames from Cubitts.Â
Jonathan Bailey has dedicated much of his life to acting, and with him taking a step back, it will be nice to see him work on his foundation for a cause that he is passionate about. I, for one, cannot wait to see the work that he and the team at The Shameless Foundation do. I’m sure whatever they do, it will reflect creativity, fun, and, of course, bring further support to the LGBTQIA+ community.Â