Jonathan Bailey was moved by Netflix’s Heartstopper.
The actor came out came out as gay in his early 20s, deciding to put aside concern for his career. Since then, Jonathan has become a major advocate for more LGBTQIA+ representation in media as he explained that the media, while he was growing up, showed only negative depictions of queer individuals.
He told Vanity Fair: “Heartstopper seems to allow people to feel catharsis and to feel a sort of melancholic sort of nostalgia for what could have been. I was feeling all of those things anywayI would be really proud of myself if I could be a part of that as my younger self. Everyone above the age of 40 should be forced to watch it.”
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The star joined the Heartstopper cast in Season 3 as Jack Maddox who Charlie Spring, the main character of the show, idolizes. For Charlie, he represented someone to look up to, much like the role the actor takes in real life for younger queer people. While Jonathan only made a brief cameo in the show, there’s a possibility for him to come back into the plot later on.
Jonathan pursued the role himself after seeing the first two seasons and Osemans graphic novel and feeling emotionally attached to the series. The cast captured, especially, captured his attention. Jonathan said: “I think theyre brilliant. I remember seeing all of them speak to their own experiences and being like, ‘My God, theyre so erudite and grounded and thoughtful and kind and compassionate in their answers.'”
The Bridgerton star isn’t the only A-lister who was moved to offer up their talent to the series out of their own volition. According to Matt Biffa, the shows music supervisor, Taylor Swift was inspired enough by a particularly moving scene to offer up her song, Seven. While fans speculated that they paid tons of money for the rights, Matt clarified that wasn’t he case, noting, “Sometimes art is more important than $$$.”
In the scene, Darcy and Tara find themselves in a particularly difficult conversation about their relationship and identities. Tara’s family is unaccepting of her sexuality, so she temporarily moves in with Darcy to be surrounded by better support. Taylor’s song, while not perfectly aligned, details the relationship between two young girls and support one offers the other in the face of family difficulties. The song says, “And I think you should come live with / Me and we can be pirates / Then you won’t have to cry / Or hide in the closet./ And just like a folk song / Our love will be passed on.”
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