In the past few years, Jonathan Bailey has risen in the ranks of Hollywood heartthrobs all the way to the top. After starring in the trifecta of Bridgerton, Wicked and Jurassic World Rebirth, the actor was named People’s 2025 Sexiest Man Alive – a title previously earned by the likes of Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Michael B. Jordan. If you’re wondering if all the winners hang out together, Bailey and Hugh Jackman certainly did.
Now, this was before Bailey had been given the title, which actually made history since he’s the first openly gay man to earn the special People cover. Here’s what Jackman said about how he ended up meeting this year’s Sexiest Man:
I met him on his last day of shooting Wicked. I was doing Deadpool. We were in the same hotel, and were hanging out.
What a small world, right? Jonathan Bailey shot the Wicked movies with the cast from December 2022 to January 2024 (with an interruption during the SAG-AFTRA strikes). Deadpool & Wolverine, on the other hand, was filmed from May 2023 to January 2024, with the same interruption in between. Since they were both filmed around England, the pair of movie stars apparently ended up crossing paths and got to know each other.
I haven’t thought about it before this story, but Hugh Jackman and Jonathan Bailey have quite a bit in common. They’ve both been Sexiest Man Alive, and they both can crush a movie musical on the surface, but surely there’d be a lot to talk about between the two of them.
The pair have both had humbling moments on the big screen too. For Jackman, it’s probably those long locks for Van Helsing he told CinemaBlend are “just not sexy” to wear. Bailey had to be in the makeup chair for Scarecrow in Wicked: For Good, and likened his look to a “big wheat penis.” Anyways… while talking about meeting Bailey, Jackman had all but good things to say about him with these words:
That guy’s voice, his acting, just one of the greatest guys you’ll ever meet.
The X-Men actor gushed about Jonathan Bailey during an interview with Hits Radio UK alongside his Song Sung Blue costar Kate Hudson. While he talked about Bailey, Hudson (who just got nominated for an Oscar for her role alongside Jackman) referred to him as the Sexiest Man Alive. It led Jackman to ask her if all of People’s winners are “hot.” Check out what happened in the video below:
What a funny exchange about the Wicked star. Clearly, there’s a lot of adoration about Jonathan Bailey from Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman. How cool is that? Jackman’s movie Song Sung Blue is still playing in theaters, and you can rent or buy Wicked: For Good at home to see Bailey's latest performance.
