It was the toe-sucking heard ‘round the world, and now, it’s become a permanent bonding moment for these two Fellow Travelers actors.
Speaking to People, Fellow Travelers star Matt Bomer said that after filming a scene where Bailey’s character Tim sucks on the toes of Bomer’s character Hawk in one especially hot sex scene, the two are closer than ever.
“We are bonded for life, for sure, as friends after having gone through this together,” he said. “So it’s a very sacred friendship for me. I love Jonathan.”
People also asked if Bomer would return the gesture and suck Bailey’s toes in a scene, to which Bomer quipped, “That wasn’t in the script! We did what was in the script.”
Bailey had previously told People that he found working with Bomer to be “a total joy.”
“We both had quite a lot of experience in our careers of intimacy and portraying intimacy, but there's also just so much we've experienced as gay men, as well. So naturally, we had a lot to explore,” he said.
Fellow Travelers told the story of Hawk Fuller, a closeted man working in the U.S. State Department during the 1950s, and his relationship with the young and idealistic Tim Laughlin, as well as his friendships with African-American reporter Marcus Gaines and his partner, drag queen and activist Frankie Hines. It follows them through four decades of American LGBTQ+ history.
For the show, Bomer has been nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award, Golden Globe, People’s Choice, and Screen Actors Guild Award, and Bailey won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television.
All eight episodes of Fellow Travelers are currently streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime.