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Jonathan Bailey is breaking ground as People<\/em>‘s Sexiest Man Alive.<\/p>\n The Wicked: For Good<\/em> actor is the first out gay man to hold the title, which in the past has been given to John Krasinski, Patrick Dempsey, John Legend, Idris Elba, Dwayne Johnson, David Beckham, Richard Gere, and Channing Tatum.<\/p>\n The news was revealed Monday on The Tonight Show Starring <\/em>Jimmy Fallon<\/em>, with Bailey appearing with a blown-up version of the cover. “It’s the honor of a lifetime,” he told the late-night host.<\/p>\n It’s been a banner year for Bailey, who has helmed blockbusters like Wicked<\/em> and Jurassic World Rebirth <\/em>in addition to being named to the Time 100 Next list (as well as the People<\/em> cover). He’s also raised significant capital for LGBTQ+ causes through his Shameless Fund nonprofit<\/a>. The English actor first gained mainstream fame as a star of Netflix’s Bridgerton<\/em> and a lead in the Showtime miniseries Fellow Travelers<\/em>, which earned him an Emmy nomination (as well as an Out <\/em>cover<\/a> and a place on the Out100<\/a>).<\/p>\n Reflecting on his success, Bailey told People<\/em>, \u201cYou get to a point where you look back and you go, \u2018Wow,\u2019 but you never for a second think that\u2019s where you\u2019re headed,\u201d he says. \u201cYou know, to be able to do things that you dream of.\u201d<\/p>\n “At various moments in my life I\u2019ve been like, ‘I\u2019ve got this,’ which is sometimes met by a deep spike of fear and self-doubt,” he said. “When I was really young, I was very confident about who I was, and maybe I lost that as I grew up. We\u2019re all sort of trying to get back to the origin, aren\u2019t we? But I was swimming in the sea about an hour ago with a good gang, and I felt all right in my skin.”<\/p>\n To People<\/em>, Bailey opened up about his personal life, including his idea of a “perfect date night.” “I love a walk, I do love dinner, theater, films. It depends what number date. You know, if it\u2019s like date 100, then like Legos, although we Brits say it singular ‘Lego,’ and pizza. Some of my best dates have been Lego dates,” he shared.<\/p>\n The qualities he seeks in a partner? “Communication \u2014 and being clear. Transparency is absolutely utmost, utmost, utmost. And really supporting, really cheerleading and watching someone thrive, should be a real turn-on.”<\/p>\n The qualities he doesn’t like? “Bad communication, lack of transparency. Doesn\u2019t like Lego. Actually, I\u2019ll only be with somebody who can speak three languages. Yeah, and they\u2019ve got seven degrees and a doctorate. Otherwise they\u2019re just not good enough.”<\/p>\n In his interview, Bailey revealed his first celebrity crush was Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid. <\/em>And he also offered some advice to his younger self: “Dude, you\u2019re in for a ride. You\u2019re not going to believe where you\u2019re going to end up. It\u2019s all going to be fine. It\u2019ll be bumpy, but you\u2019ll meet some amazing people. And trust your instincts because they\u2019ve got your back.”<\/p>\n “I feel incredibly lucky. Life is a ride for everyone no matter who you are, where you come from. It\u2019s just making sure that when you\u2019re in the ride, you\u2019re looking left and right and making sure everyone\u2019s all right. And give them a high-five along the way if they need it.”<\/p>\n