Jonathan Bailey used to think he "needed to be straight" to feel happy.
Jonathan Bailey initially kept quiet about his sexuality
The 33-year-old actor reluctantly concealed his sexuality after being warned that coming out as gay would harm his career prospects.
Jonathan - who plays the Viscount Anthony Bridgerton in the hit Netflix series 'Bridgerton' - shared: "All it takes is for one of those people in that position of power to say that, and it ripples through. So, yeah, of course I thought that. Of course I thought that in order to be happy I needed to be straight."
But ultimately, Jonathan decided to put his personal happiness above his career.
He told the latest issue of GQ Hype: "I reached a point where I thought, ‘F*** this’, I’d much prefer to hold my boyfriend’s hand in public or be able to put my own face picture on Tinder and not be so concerned about that, than get a part."
Jonathan also explained that he leans on his own life experiences for his work.
He said: "You put your life experiences into [the work]. What’s most interesting is not necessarily having to talk about what that is, and keeping a sense of privacy."
Meanwhile, Jonathan previously argued that there's a lack of opportunities for gay actors.
He said: "There just aren’t that many gay roles, so when straight actors go to take that space up, it’s eliminating the chance for other [gay actors].
"We know there has been a history of needing to be closeted to succeed and be famous, especially in acting. And the idea of not being able to believe heterosexual relations and narrative, if you know one of the actors is gay … everyone should be able to play absolutely everything.
"But let’s blow away all the cobwebs, and one of the hang-ups and shadows of the past is that we need to be a lot more open to the idea of sexes playing different sides."