NEED TO KNOW
Jonathan Bailey has two new movies in the works, one costarring Laura Dern and the other costarring Natalie Portman
The current reigning Sexiest Man Alive previously said he was taking a step back from acting to focus on his charity, The Shameless Fund
Bailey later clarified he wasn’t “taking the whole of 2026 off”
Jonathan Bailey is a booked and busy Sexiest Man Alive.
The British star, 38, has recently added two movies to his schedule: John Lee Hancock’s Monsanto opposite Laura Dern and Mimi Cave’s Pumping Black opposite Natalie Portman.
Last September, while speaking to British GQ, Bailey alarmed fans when he announced he was taking time off to focus on his charity, The Shameless Fund. He later clarified in an interview with Esquire U.K. that “an unfortunate misquote” had a “ripple effect.”
(Left-right:) Jonathan Bailey; Natalie Portman; Laura Dern
Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty; Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty; Karwai Tang/WireImage
“The headlines were ‘Jonathan Bailey has quit acting,’ ” he said. “I learnt at that moment that you can’t control it.”
When asked how long he was taking a break from acting, Bailey explained, “I mean, as it stands at the moment, I’ll definitely be back to work next year. I’m not taking the whole of 2026 off.”
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Between starring as Fiyero in Jon M. Chu‘s Wicked and Wicked: For Good, Bailey led Jurassic World Rebirth with Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali. In spring 2025, he also starred in the titular role of William Shakespeare’s Richard II at the Bridge Theatre in London. This February, he and Simone Ashley returned to Bridgerton in the Netflix drama’s fourth season.
Monsanto costars Dern and Anthony Mackie. Per Deadline, it is a courtroom drama about the real-life legal battle against chemical giant Monsanto. Bailey will play attorney Brent Wisner, replacing the previously announced Glen Powell in the role.
Actress-producer Portman’s Pumping Black, per Variety, is “a psychological thriller set in the competitive and cutthroat world of professional cycling.”
Jonathan Bailey in ‘Wicked: For Good’
Credit: Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures
Also among Bailey’s upcoming projects is a reunion with Wicked costar Ariana Grande in a 2027 West End revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s 1984 musical Sunday in the Park with George.
The Shameless Fund uses brand collaborations to raise funds for LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations.
“There’s so many people that want to do brilliant stuff who feel like they can’t,” Bailey told PEOPLE last November.
“And I know the LGBT sector is under immense threat at the moment,” he continued. “So it’s been amazing to meet people who have the expertise and see potential that I could have only dreamed of.”
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