#Jonathan Bailey on Being Able to Film ‘Wicked’ During American Actors Strike

Jonathan Bailey recently shared he was able to film Wicked during the American actors strike because he is in the Britsh actors union, Equity.

While the rest of the cast of the popular musical’s film adaptation were unable to shoot during the strike, Bailey spent four days on set and finished up some of Fiyero’s scenes. However, the crew had to get creative with his co-stars.

During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live, the Bridgerton actor said it was a “pretty extraordinary” experience.

“I think we had 10 days left filming before the strike hit,” he told Cohen. “I was the only actor who was on an equity contract, so I had these four days where I came up and acted with people in wigs who were pretending to be [other actors].”

The actor said he’s looking forward to fans being able to see Wicked, in which he stars opposite Ariana Grande’s Glinda and Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba.

“I’ve got some more to do, and I’m so glad for that,” he continued. “It’s just been the most extraordinary year. The girls, Ari and Cynthia, and everyone is gonna be extraordinary. [Grande and I] have a little duet here and there, a little boogie. I’ve got a duet with Cynthia as well, so it’s kind of like the G-Force. You feel it in the face.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, Bailey also teased Bridgerton season three. He explained that he was filming the next installment of the hit Netflix drama at the same time as his new Showtime show, Fellow Travelers, in which he stars opposite Matt Bomer.

Based on a fictional novel of the same name, Fellow Travelers follows two political staffers, whose paths converge at the height of the 1950s Lavender Scare, according to its description, and begin a secret, intense relationship that spans the decades that follow.

“It was wild,” Bailey admitted of the dual productions and shared an anecdote about an extra long weekend he had while filming both projects.

“On the Thursday, it was World AIDS Day, and I was lying in the bed of a San Francisco AIDS ward, and it was incredibly emotional for so many people involved. [Fellow Travelers has] a predominantly gay creative team as well, many of whom have lived through the ’80s,” he told the host. “I finished that day, I went straight to the airport, slept for about four hours, got picked up from Heathrow, went straight to a Regency Ball, got my hair curled, and then I stayed there two days.”

He continued, “On the last day, I then went to the Oz Dust Ball, and I danced with Ari, and then I flew back, and I didn’t have a day off. It was that for 32 days.”

As for when fans can expect the third season of Bridgerton to hit the streamer? Bailey teased it “could happen at any moment” but added that Netflix will certainly give viewers at least a four-week heads up.

Wicked will be split into two parts. The first one hits theaters Nov. 27, 2024, while part two is looking at a Nov. 26, 2025, release.