Jonathan Bailey has opened up about the benefits of filming Fellow Travelers and Wicked back to back.
Over the last few years, the beloved talent has curated an incredible career, becoming one of the industry’s most in-demand actors.
Between 2022 and 2023, Bailey filmed not one but three projects simultaneously: Bridgerton season three, Fellow Travelers and Wicked.
While his schedule was jampacked, it proved to be beneficial for the Crashing star and his craft.
During a recent interview with GQ, Bailey revealed that his Fellow Travelers role helped him approach his Wicked character, Fiyero Tigelaar, with a different lens.
“I just look back on Fellow Travelers with such fond memories. The confidence in telling that story, I think, is actually present throughout Fiyero,” he explained to the news outlet.
“Wicked is so about identity. The resonance of the themes is even louder, I think, on film… Playing Tim [in Fellow Travelers] just beforehand allowed me to sort of maybe expand that part in a way that I wouldn’t have done otherwise.”
Upon its release in October 2023, Fellow Travelers received universal acclaim, with many critics and viewers praising Bailey for his portrayal of the passionate gay congressional staffer Tim Laughlin.
His performance even earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor.
Fortunately, fans won’t have to wait too long to see Bailey’s Fellow Travelers-inspired rendition of Fiyero, with Wicked, set for release on 22 November.
The synopsis reads: “The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads, and their lives take very different paths.
“Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future.
“Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.”
In addition to Erivo, Grande and Bailey, Wicked’s cast is absolutely stacked, with supporting performances from Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Shiz University’s headmistress Madame Morrible, and Ethan Slater (Spongebob Squarepants) as Boq, an “altruistic Munchkin student”.
More star power incoming: newcomer Marissa Bode as Elphaba’s “favoured sister” Nessarose, Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park) as the Wizard of Oz, Bowen Yang (Fire Island) as Pfannee, Bronwyn James (Harlots) as ShenShen and Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman) as original character Miss Coddle.
You can watch the trailer in full here or below.
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