Jonathan Bailey is perhaps the most charismatic man working in Hollywood today — but even he’s not immune to awkward interview questions, and a recently resurfaced Q&A from more than 10 years ago proves it.
The interview, which centered on Bailey’s starring role in the 2011 CBCC series Leonardo, went viral after a fan posted a picture of it to X, saying that it was from Top of the Pops magazine. Though the interview might have been about his new series on paper, its questions had much more to do with Bailey’s romantic pursuits — specifically, his thoughts on girls.
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Nowadays, of course, we all know Bailey as an out and proud gay icon. But at the time of the interview, Bailey was likely just 22 or 23 years old, meaning he may have been privately out to friends and family, but he wouldn’t come out publicly until 2018, seven years later.
Thus, he bravely suffered through the interview’s hetero-centric questions, starting with, “Are you good at noticing when girls are into you?”
“Girls are a mystery to me,” Bailey replied. Gee, we wonder why.
“I like the idea of being a gentleman but there’s nothing better than knowing efforts are being made both sides,” he continued. “The good news is I’ve got three older sisters, so if I ever need some translation, I call them up and say, ‘This girl said this, what do you think?’ They almost always say, ‘She’s not interested!’”
Related
“There’s an amazing photo that no one’s ever gonna see of me,” Bailey teased in a new promo for “Wicked.”
As if we didn’t love him already.
The interviewer also pressed Bailey on if there were any sparks with his Leonardo co-star Flora Spencer-Longhurst. “Flora was dressed as a boy half of the time, so that was never really an option!” he said, adding that Spencer-Longhurst and he knew each other for years before the show.
Asked if having girls for friends makes him “pretty confident around the opposite sex,” Bailey said, “I used to be a bit scared. I think if you fancy someone, you always get nervous. But I’m getting better at the boy/girl thing.”
Finally, Bailey was asked if he’s looking forward to getting “female attention” from starring in Leonardo. “Actually, I’m terrified of that,” he said. “It’s something you don’t think about but if it means there are few more friendly faces to chat to, that would be nice.”
Bailey’s fans are finding the interview endearingly awkward, belatedly apologizing for Bailey having to play things so straight.
NOT THEM ASKING HIM ABOUT GIRLS OH JONATHAN IM SO SORRY
— miah (@cupidhawk) November 24, 2024
“actually i’m terrified of that [female attention]” PLEASE baby jonny the comedian u are (and still are tbh) he was dodging these questions like a pro tho! 💀💀💀
— kaela sharma-baek 🎭🐝 (@kaekaecurtis) November 24, 2024
Meanwhile, the world is thirsting over modern-day Bailey’s standout performance in Wicked, now in theaters. Check out a feature on his character Fiyero below.
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