Jonathan Bailey: First Brush

Although actor Jonathan Bailey has really hit big internationally since Bridgerton, he's been acting since he was about seven years old.  It was back in 1995 when Bailey auditioned, and then landed the alternating roles of Tiny Tim and Young Scrooge in the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) production of A Christmas Carol.

Bailey continued to work steadily in theatre, film and television, and in 2009, got his first leading role in the television series Off The Hook.  The sit-com, about the first year of University aired on BBC Switch, a channel aimed at teenaged viewers.  It first aired on-line in short, five-minute segments before being developed into a full series.

I love featuring an actor's first brush with on-screen nudity, and Off The Hook had a short scene that was Bailey's.  It is a 'thin' brush however, as you only see a wee bit of side butt, but still, as a first, it was worth a mention.  I initially featured the clip when I did an Actors & Skin feature on Bailey back in 2021,(HERE:)  but I thought another look was in order.

Freshman Danny,  (Bailey) had his nude modeling debut in the pilot episode of the sit-com.  Sadly, it didn't add to the sit-com gaining much traction, and it was cancelled after just 7 episodes. 

Scott Caan in A Boy Called Hate

After a run-in with the law, an angry maladjusted young man starts calling himself "Hate". One night he saves a girl from a lusty Assistant District Attorney. He falsely accuses them of robbery, so they go on the run and make things worse.

Last month, while celebrating Scott Caan's 44th birthday, I featured caps from his frontal nude scene in 1999's Speed of Life. (HERE:) When I was looking for scenes I also came upon this clip from a few years earlier on Scenes of Male Skin.

The very brief flash of butt in 1995's A Boy Called Hate, was the actors first time dropping trou for a movie. The film was also Scott's screen debut and his father James was one of his co-stars.

Just Because: Re-Visiting the Neighbours

When putting together my February 12th birthday post, I was reminded of my history with actor Jesse Spencer. Full disclosure, I have never seen a full episode of Chicago Fire. I have also never seen an episode of House, but it is on my 'to binge' at some point list. The first time I saw actor Jesse Spencer on film was in the 2003 Australian film Swimming Upstream. That wasn't when my crush on the blonde Aussie began however...

Although I had also never caught an episode of Neighbours, through message boards on the male form, I caught my first glimpse of Jesse through many scenes of Jesse from the show. Jesse was a favorite, and there were many video clips and images of Jesse from the series posted. It was lust at first sight, especially since many of the scenes included Jesse in a speedo.

The scene below was one of the first that I saw, and although the quality is poor, I am sure you can see why it was so memorable.

Jesse and his Neighbours co-stars doing The Full Monty. Check out the (not great quality) video on Youtube HERE:

First Time: Domhnall Gleeson in About Time

When I began First-Time last year, it was meant to feature some of my favorites actors in their film debuts. I thought of the series after catching a young Matt Dillon in on TCM in 1979's Over the Edge. I started to find the theme a bit limiting so have morphed into something that fits closer to FH's 'first' theme for 2017.

The series will not feature movies and roles that first had really paying attention to an actor. It may be an early role, or it may be one more recent. It may not necessarily be their best role nor is it always a role in a particularly good movie. For me, About Time was that movie and Tim was the character that had me wanting to learn more about Ireland born actor Domhnall Gleeson.

Domhnall in About Time (2012)

Domhnall has been acting professionally since 2001 and many of you may have first met him as Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter films. In the past few years, Domhnall has had break out roles in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Revenant and in Angelina Jolie's Unbroken. Even though About Time didn't break out to be as successful as these blockbusters, it so far, is my favorite Domhnall film.

I decided to buy About Time after reading it was was written by Richard Curtis, the writer responsible for the screenplays for Love Actually, Bridget Jones and Notting Hill, not to mention many other film and television projects I liked including Mr. Bean and The Vicar of Dibley. Richard's projects are ones that I have enjoyed watching again and again.

If Domhnall's co-star Rachel McAdams didn't give it away, About Time is a romantic comedy, but one with a twist. The film opens with Tim's dad (Bill Nighy) pulling him aside on New Year's morning to share a family secret. That secret, is that the men in the family have the ability to go back in time and alter the trajection of their lives. I am not usually a huge fan of 'time travel' in films, especially a romance, but in this film it is used sparingly and smartly. It is not used as the plot, but as part of the telling of the story of Tim's romantic journey.

Domhnall was so adorable as Tim, and his talent as an actor had me engaged from the very beginning. It also has me looking forward to checking out more of his work, especially Brooklyn, a movie I know is well done, but for some reason have avoided. Domhnall also has over a half dozen movies coming out in the next year or two including Mother with Jennifer Lawrence, American Made with Tom Cruise and Star Wars: Episode VIII.

In addition to the nude gif near the top of Domhnall from Room for Dessert, Part Two'-Immaturity for Charity (HERE:) Domhnall also had a brief nude scene in Unbroken. You can search for it if you want, it is brief butt shot. I didn't include it because of scenes contest and torture element.

Domhnall as General Hux in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Domhnall with director Angelina Jolie and the cast of Unbroken (2014)

First Timer: Mark Patton in Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean

As part of Halloween week last fall, I devoted a day to the sequel to Nightmare on Elm Street: Freddy's Revenge. While researching images and info for that piece, I was fascinated to read some stories surrounding the making of the movie and the lasting impact it had on the film's lead, actor Mark Patton.

I loved Mark in the film, not because his performance was perfect, but because he was portraying a character rarely seen on the big screen, especially in a teen horror flick. There are many examples of tortured teens on television and in movies, but Mark's portrayal of Jesse was both ahead of it's time, and so purposely layered, it wasn't until long after the film's release that people appreciated what a beautifully unique film Freddy's Revenge actually was.

I was surprised recently to catch Mark in his first role in 1982's Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. I had heard of the movie before, mostly because it was Cher's first major acting role, but wasn't until a recent airing on TCM, that I DVR'd and watched. What an incredible film. Like Freddy's Revenge, the movie is flawed for sure, but story and emotions were deep, and maybe even current given the cultural transitions of the past couple of years.

Cher was great, but Sandy Dennis put in the films most powerfully interesting performance. Karen Black and a young and fun Kathy Bates were also solid in their roles. I also loved seeing actress Sudie Bond, who I had not seen in anything other than her memorable role in Silkwood, also made with Cher the following year. Mark Patton's Joe, although only seen in flashbacks, was heartbreaking and core to the unfolding of the story. In just a few small scenes, many just hovering in the background, Mark set a beautiful tone, laying the groundwork, while not revealing where the story, and the character would end up.

I had to do some Goggling and was interested in reading the movie was first a play written by Ed Graczyk, with the films cast, complete and intact from it's short Broadway run. How great to see director Robert Altman, keep the entire cast together, not bringing in any huge stars to replace the talented stage actors in their roles. Altman shares he considered bringing in another actress, but saw quickly the rhythm was off when the any one of of the original actors wasn't in place.

I won't share the movie's secrets, and maybe for many, they weren't that well hidden. But for me, even when I knew, I wasn't sure I knew or whether the audience were being taken somewhere, only to be then taken somewhere else. It was nice to Patton outside of the Nightmare dome that has blanketed so much of his career, especially in a role so worthy of his talent, and his presence.

Patton & Karen Black

First Timer: Don Michael Paul in Lovelines

Actor: Don Michael Paul

First Movie: Lovelines

Character: Jeff

Except for a guest role on television's Trauma Center the previous year, 1984, Lovelines was actor Don Michael Paul's first major role and first role on the big screen. I was browsing around researching another actor form the 80's when I came upon images of Don Michael on Poseidon's Underworld, a site that I love to visit often.

Don Michael looked so adorable in his tighty whities, I had to seek out the movie. I was about to order a copy of Lovelines when I found the full movie was uploaded to Youtube. HERE:) 80's sex comedy at it's best and worth. Don Michael is joined by a young Mary Beth Evans and the equally hot 80's actor Greg Bradford, in a silly, but nonetheless, entertaining mindless hour a half.

Don Michael was in many memorable films from the 80's and 90's including Rich Girl, Heart of Dixie, Aloha Summer and Robert Wars. Although he continues to act, the actor moved behind the camera in the 90's, writing and producing Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man with Don Johnson and Mickey Rourke and directing films including Half Past Dead, Tremors 5, Lake Placid: The Final Chapter and the upcoming Kindergarten Cop 2 starring Dolph Lundgren.