Jonathan Bailey, known for his role as Lord Antony in Bridgerton, recently opened up about the toll that his hectic filming schedule took on his hair. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 36-year-old actor discussed the challenges of juggling three major projects simultaneously, including his upcoming role as Fiyero in the Wicked adaptation, his return to Bridgerton, and his Emmy-nominated performance in Showtime’s Fellow Travelers.
Bailey shared that the intense workload left him with little to no time off. “It was 32 days in a row where I didn’t have one day off,” he recalled. The actor described a grueling routine of flying back and forth between sets, often transitioning directly from one character to another. “I’d go from Hawk’s house in the ’60s straight to a Regency ball, and then to Wicked to learn choreography,” he said. “It was overwhelming, especially since I joined the Wicked set late.”
Balancing the demands of learning choreography, perfecting an American accent, and preparing for his role in Bridgerton took a toll on Bailey, especially on his hair. The constant need to perm his hair for Bridgerton and straighten it for Fellow Travelers led to significant damage. “At the end of it all, my hair was done for,” Bailey admitted. “I remember going on holiday, sitting on the beach, and watching my hair just break off. It was like a teenage beauty advert gone wrong.”
The hair damage became so severe that it required the use of a toupee during the filming of Wicked. Bailey revealed this detail in a conversation with Naomi Watts during Variety’s Actors on Actors series. When Watts expressed shock at the extent of his hair damage, Bailey humorously confessed, “I had a big old toupee! It’s a big spoiler, but yeah, it was flapping around during choreography.”
Despite the physical toll, Bailey managed to maintain his performances across different sets and countries, earning admiration for his dedication to his craft.
