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Sitting by a mansion pool within Sydney’s prestigious suburb of South Coogee that overlooks the sparkling Pacific Ocean, Jonathan Bailey is dressed as if he’s just been caught by a cool easterly breeze in the midst of a private coastal getaway.
Wearing a laid-back khaki knit, baggy trousers, and brown leather slip-ons, you’d be forgiven for assuming the British actor had just rolled in from grabbing lunch at the local fish-and-chip spot, such is his relaxed yet engaged air, unmuted by dark, Wayfarer-style sunglasses.
Tempting as the undeniably excellent local fare is, there’s a dead giveaway that the star of Wicked and its sequel (as well as Jurassic World: Rebirth and Bridgerton), is here for business. Said giveaway is located on his wrist, and comes in the form of one of OMEGA’s new Seamaster Planet Ocean timepieces — the bold orange model with a matching rubber strap, to be precise.
As will soon become clear, Bailey’s relationship with the iconic Swiss watchmaker runs deep and includes a charming familial link that gives the partnership a refreshing authenticity. Much the same can be said of his ties to Sydney. While you might expect someone with his jet-setting credentials to have a fly-in-and-fly-out dynamic with the Harbour City, it has, in fact, earned a genuine place in his heart.
With the sound of the waves crashing against nearby cliffs ringing through the air, Bailey couldn’t have been more convivial as he sat down to discuss his favourite local haunts, stylish essentials for the Australian summer, and, of course, the charms of OMEGA’s new Seamaster Planet Ocean collection.
How did you wind up in Sydney when it feels like the whole world has eyes on you right now?
It feels quite nice to be here. I’ve described press tours as being like Helen Hunt in the middle of Twister, and when you come out of it, you sort of settle. But I’ve come here, surprised my sister at a screening , and she didn’t know I was coming, so it’s been brilliant. I love Sydney, and obviously with OMEGA, it was just a dream end to a wild time.
You’re basically a Sydneysider by default because of your sister. What’s your go-to place to eat when you’re here?
What’s the Italian place in Riley Street? Bill and Tony’s! I remember the first and second times I came here. I came for about three and a half weeks, and I ate so much, because the food was so delicious, that I sort of changed my whole lifestyle afterwards. I just ate my way around the city.
We’re moving into warmer weather here. Knowing the place pretty well, what would be your style essentials if you had to endure an Australian summer? And would you embrace the budgie smugglers?
Yeah, always! You want to economise and be as aerodynamic as possible when running towards the water, and as dolphin-like as you can in the water. I lost my fanny pack on the press tour, but that would be one of my essentials: somewhere to put your budgie smugglers while hiking.
I like oversized shirts and doing the tuck. I’m going to call it the “Canadian Tuck”, where you unbutton down to one button, tuck it in, and you have like a sheer vest or whatever it is. Also, you always need a cap. Plus, my ASICS, because if you’re travelling light, you need a practical shoe. Your Speedos and your sneakers. That’s what you need.
In the Wicked movies, your character Fiyero’s leggings are pretty snug. How did you get your legs ready? Are you a Pilates man or a Hyrox guy?
Neither, actually. Gymnastics, but I probably lean more towards Hyrox than Pilates currently in my life. They’re like a dancer’s legs. If you get your children doing ballet from a young age, they get a certain level of sculpting. That and cycling. I cycle a lot.
Do you cycle more for the meditative element or for the fitness?
A bit of both. I cycled from Rome to Pisa this summer on my own, because my friend had his wedding in Tuscany, and it was just such a good excuse. It was the opposite of a press tour: you’re on your own, everything in a bag on the back of a bike, it’s just autonomy, and you get the vista and the space. It was the EuroVelo bicycle route, so I was off-road, and I could listen to music. I listened to two whole albums without seeing another human, and I thought, “This is amazing.”
If I did that all the time, I’d have a breakdown, but in balance with everything else, it was a really nice thing to do. And also, if you’re wearing Lycra… everyone in Lycra looks the same, so you don’t feel self-conscious, but you’re still [pauses for effect] aerodynamic.
Personal style and acting both feel connected in that they’re forms of expression. When you put on a costume for a character or choose what you wear for the day, including your watch, is that the same sort of expressive decision for you?
Yeah, maybe, only that it’s instinctive. I think it’s true of preparing for an evening out, and as a character: you put something on, and when you wear clothes, and they don’t wear you, something happens. There’s an energy shift in how you’re feeling about yourself. And I think that’s probably true of how I dress day-to-day and also for characters.
I just know what I like and what I don’t. For me, relaxed comfort feels more confident when it comes to tailoring, and I feel very similar in my day-to-day. Colour, comfort, and relaxed tailoring feel good to me. So yeah, there’s a similarity, but I think it’s the energy shift.
You’re on a bit of a hot streak at the moment with the Wicked movies and Jurassic World: Rebirth as well. Are there any franchises you’d like to jump into? Will we see you donning a cape and cowl, or an iconic tuxedo and Omega combo?
I see what you’re asking there. Um [laughs], I have no idea. My next choices will definitely be based on directors, brilliant stories, and being able to dive in. In a way, that doesn’t count you out of doing a massive franchise, because even working with Gareth , and Scarlett , and Mahershala in Jurassic, and in Wicked, it all felt quite intimate.
I think there’s just something that happens when you know what the right job is at the right time. You’d want someone to really have a good reason, you know? If someone truthfully came over and said, “This is the right thing, and this is the reason why,” then of course you’d go for it. But I’m excited to be a bit more nimble, with maybe smaller projects, but who knows?
Let’s bring it back to why you’re here with OMEGA. Is there a white T-shirt watch you can just throw on in the morning and wear with anything?
It would be my OMEGA De Ville, which has a green face with a leather strap. My relationship with OMEGA has been such a beautiful, consistent one, and for me, it connects back to my grandparents on both sides. One of the first things I asked of them was to repair my father’s father’s watch. I managed to get it fixed for him when he hadn’t been able to, so for me, the relationship with Omega is kind of emotional.
This is based on the ’57 Seamaster [points to the Seamaster Planet Ocean on his wrist], and the numerical font has gone back to ’57. My nana, who’s 95 and I visit as much as I can, still wears her Omega. She was born in ‘52, so in terms of integrity and time, and the engineering, it’s been in my family, so it feels really meaningful.
It’s kind of astonishing how, even with the orange, they’re going back to 2005. I think that’s so sophisticated, as is the engineering, the construction, and what it means as a signifier for heritage and lineage as well. That’s why it’s so important to my dad, and it was so moving to be able to have that watch repaired.
In my career, OMEGA came and invited me into the family at a point where I had no idea what was coming, and it’s been a really lovely backbone throughout the last era. But this, I think, is a good T-shirt watch [again, points to his wrist]. It’s a banger.
It certainly is, and the same can be said of OMEGA’s new Seamaster Planet Ocean range as a whole. To discover more, you can check out our reporting here, or visit the OMEGA website via the link below.
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