How Jonathan Bailey Stepped Up For Simone Ashley On The Set Of Bridgerton

Jonathan Bailey is a breakout star on one of Netflix's biggest series, "Bridgerton." The Regency era drama was a worldwide success, with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos revealing during Vox Media's Code Conference in 2021 that the show was viewed by 82 million member accounts and had a total of 625 million hours of watch time within the first month of its release, per Fortune. "It was completely nuts," Bailey said of finding out about the show's smash success in a sit-down with his co-stars for Netflix. "I don't think that you can possibly get your head around that, and I'm excited for the moment where it begins to make sense."

Inspired by Julia Quinn's bestselling novels, "Bridgerton" tells the story of eight close siblings as they discover love in London and the ups and downs that come with living in a high society. "What I loved was we were going to create this powerful, exciting, amazing romance," producer Shonda Rhimes told Variety. As Rhimes described, "Bridgerton" captures the intensity of falling in love and fans couldn't get enough of the steamy moments packed into the eight-episode first season. And, while getting hot and heavy with a stranger can often be awkward for actors — Bailey made sure his co-star always felt safe while filming "Bridgerton" Season 2.

Jonathan Bailey quickly became a fan favorite in his portrayal of Anthony Bridgerton on "Bridgerton." To the delight of fans, Bailey revealed "Bridgerton" Season 2 will get very intimate during an interview with The Sunday Times,. He also spoke about how he made his costar Simone Ashley, who will make her debut in the new season, feel comfortable when filming their steamy scenes. "For a man, it is less exposing," Bailey told the outlet (via People). "I wanted to make sure Simone felt safe as a newcomer on set."

Bailey explained that there were intimacy coordinators on set who are trained to help actors who may feel hesitant about shooting a particular scene. "No one goes into a scene quaking, worrying about how it will go," Bailey explained. The actor mentioned they had to sign consent forms before filming and specified "which bit of skin we are going to show in each scene and where we will be touched and how." 

Being a part of a global sensation like "Bridgerton" is something Bailey takes prides in. "We can't take what 'Bridgerton' has done for granted," he shared. "It makes everything that much sweeter when you know that it delivers on a level that is invigorating and accepting and empowering." According to Deadline, Netflix is slated to release all-new episodes of the long-awaited "Bridgerton" Season 2 on March 25 — and we're ready to swoon over Bailey and his co-stars all over again!