Jonathan Bailey’s New Martini Campaign Feels Like A Summer Romance You Want To Join

Jonathan Bailey has officially entered his summer leading-man era, and this time, it comes with fewer corsets, more cycling gear and an unlimited supply of spritzes.

Fresh off the whirlwind surrounding Wicked: For Good, the actor is easing into a different pace with a new multi-year partnership alongside Martini, fronting a campaign that feels pulled from a European daydream. Think vintage cars, Venetian estates and enough Italian nostalgia to make you search flights before finishing your morning coffee.

For Bailey, though, the collaboration wasn’t built around aesthetics alone.

“My love for Italy knows no bounds—the food, the culture and the people—so it was a no-brainer,” he told PEOPLE. “It’s my place of calm. I’ve been going there every year for the last 15 years and I cycle there every year. I grew up with Martini in the house and there’s nothing more sophisticated and sort of sexy than a Martini spritz.” Becoming The Martini Man

Bailey first teamed up with Martini last summer, but this year comes with a slightly grander title.

“So we celebrated the Martini spritz last summer and how you would go ‘off script,’” he explained. “And then this year they’ve invited me to be The Martini Man. I know it’s a big and bold legacy and I hope I do all the Martini men and all the Italian people proud.”

The campaign’s new short film leans all the way into cinematic escapism. Bailey arrives at an estate outside Venice in an original 1970s Martini racing car before being welcomed into a sequence of playful rituals that earn him the title.

His review of the experience? No complaints.

“It just shows the creativity surrounding these campaigns and to shoot in one of the most beautiful places on earth can’t be too hard,” he said. “It was everything that I think a summer aperitivo should be.” Why Italy Keeps Calling Him Back

What gives the campaign its charm isn’t luxury branding so much as Bailey’s very specific version of Italian nostalgia.

His memories aren’t built around tourist checklists. They’re rooted in movement, long afternoons and the kind of moments that seem insignificant until years later.

“I always just think about the experiences that I’ve had in Italy, cycling through the Tuscan hills or Salento. Then you stop and if you’re with friends and the sun is setting and you’ve been in the sea, those memories you take with you with a martini spritz all around the world,” he said.

“That’s what I feel when I have a spritz. It immediately connects to that Italian elegance and it’s just relaxed. There’s no effort needed. I definitely start the night with a spritz, always.”

Honestly, Bailey may have accidentally sold half the audience on taking PTO. Life After Wicked Looks Different

When the press cycle for Wicked: For Good finally slowed down, Bailey says he didn’t immediately jump into another round of nonstop work.

Instead, he spent time reconnecting.

“I spent lots of time with family and friends and then I’ve just been working on The Shameless Fund,” he said of his LGBTQ+ organization. “And thinking about who you want to be in the world and how you want to show up and what you can do to help. I don’t know, it’s been lovely. It’s been brilliantly existential, but also very grounding.”

Some of the moments that stood out most weren’t red carpets.

He recalled cycling from Rome to Pisa and being best man at the wedding of friends Sacha Dhawan and Anjli Mohindra.

“Sometimes you miss out on really key moments because you’re working, but it was such a brilliant few weeks,” Bailey said. “I just felt very inspired and ate loads of food in Italy and had loads of spritzes and yeah, it felt really, really great.” His Summer Fantasy Vs. Reality

Bailey is currently filming a new project in Germany, but his downtime plans remain surprisingly relatable: cycling, music festivals and finding pockets of calm between workdays.

He’s hoping to visit the Dolomites and explore areas around Munich while friends drop in throughout the season.

And before anyone asks, no, bike rides are not typically interrupted by fans.

“No, because I’m in head-to-toe Lycra,” he joked before immediately correcting himself. “No, I’m not. But they will if I start singing, probably.”

Asked to describe his ideal summer day, Bailey painted a scene many people would gladly copy.

“Coffee and then a little walk. Go for a swim, read a book. And then have a boozy, late lunch. Then go have a snooze, and then a light dinner and dancing. That sounds amazing. That’s the fantasy.”

Then came the reality check.

“The reality is getting up early, cross-eyed cycling to the set, getting lost, missing breakfast, shaving and cutting my chin, getting my lines wrong and then wobbling home because I’ve lost my bike.”

And as for life after being crowned Sexiest Man Alive?

“It’s been exhausting,” he laughed. “Yeah, I mean, listen, it’s been fantastic. I’m hoping the next recipient is in training and I look forward to handing the baton over. But it’s been a majestic eight months.”

Until then, Bailey seems content doing what he does best: collecting stories, chasing the next cycling route and treating summer like a state of mind.

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