Before Jonathan Bailey was heating up screens as Wicked's Prince Fiyero, he was Final Fantasy XIV's G'raha Tia. He also turned in excellent work in Forza Horizon 2 and Anthem. After breaking through as Bridgerton's Lord Anthony, he began a meteoric rise that has seen him crowned People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive for 2025.
Bailey is the first openly gay recipient of the coveted award. His role as a closeted congressional staffer in Showtime's Fellow Travelers earned him an Emmy and got a lot of important conversations going. In 2024, he founded the Shameless Fund, which works to fund and support LGBTQ+ organizations in their various missions.
"There's so many people who want to do brilliant stuff who feel like they can't," Bailey told People." And I know the LGBT sector is under immense threat at the moment. So it’s been amazing to meet people who have the expertise and see potential that I could have only dreamed of.”
His success now is the culmination of a journey that began after he saw Oliver! with his grandmother. He was part of the Royal Shakespeare Company at age 7 and has never looked back. This fall, he'll return to theaters in the much anticipated sequel, Wicked: For Good.
People are realizing that great voice actors are really just great actors. Many times the skills they use in our favorite video games transition seamlessly to TV and movie work. With entertainment and the way we consume it changing daily, gaming creatives are helping lead that transition.