A STORY CARRIED WITHIN

BEFORE LEAVING FOR ROMANIA TO SHOOT THE NEW HULU SERIES WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES, ACTOR AMIT RAHAV DECIDED TO VISIT THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM IN JERUSALEM TO IMMERSE HIMSELF IN THE SHOW’S SUBJECT MATTER. UPON ARRIVAL, HE REALISED THAT THE TICKETS FOR THE PERMANENT EXHIBITION WERE SOLD OUT FOR THE DAY. BUT THEN, A SIGN OF SORTS OCCURRED RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. THE MUSEUM’S TEMPORARY EXHIBITION (FREE FOR ALL, NO TICKET NEEDED) WAS DEVOTED TO THE SUBJECT OF PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE HOLOCAUST. RAHAV SAYS HE WAS STUNNED – IN THE SERIES, BASED ON THE BOOK BY GEORGIA HUNTER WHICH TELLS THE STORY OF HER FAMILY’S SURVIVAL, HE WAS SCHEDULED TO PLAY JAKOB KURC, A JEWISH PHOTOGRAPHER WORKING THROUGHOUT THE SECOND WORLD WAR. SEEING RAHAV IN THE SHOW, IT’S CLEAR THAT HE WAS INDEED MEANT TO PORTRAY THIS ROLE. HIS TAKE ON JAKOB – A BOHEMIAN SPIRIT WHO GOES THROUGH AN IMMENSE TRANSFORMATION CAUSED BY THE HEARTBREAKING EXPERIENCES OF TRYING TO SURVIVE – IS BOTH INCREDIBLY LAYERED AND TOUCHING.  CALLING FROM LA, WHERE HE’S CURRENTLY PONDERING A LONG-TERM STAY, RAHAV TALKS TO US ABOUT THE SHOW'S UNIQUE TAKE ON TELLING A HOLOCAUST STORY AND THE WAY HIS FAMILY’S MEMORIES HAVE INFORMED HIS PERFORMANCE.

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Hi Amit! Where in the world are you right now?

I’m currently in LA. 

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Nice! Are you there for a holiday or for an extended time?

I’m here for an extended time, I don’t have a return ticket. I’m currently moving from sublet to sublet, so I get to see a lot of filthy apartments and see different parts of LA every time I get to the new one. That said, the apartment I’m subletting right now is very cute and I don’t want to leave it, but I will probably have to move to a different one very soon.

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 So you’re exploring the city?

Yeah, I’m travelling around the city before I make it official and sign a contract. But I’m really enjoying the LA experience so far.

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What have been some of your favourite areas that you discovered?

I really like East LA – areas like Los Feliz and Silver Lake. But I am currently in West Hollywood which is also great. It’s just way more clean. It’s so clean, and so polished, the grass is so green that it almost looks fake. And I need something a bit more dirty and rusty. [Laughs] I’ve also been realising that apparently, I have been going to the worst places up until now. Whenever I go somewhere, I say, “It’s such a cool place!” And my local friends are like, “Who told you to go there?” They keep telling me I’m doing it all wrong.

 Maybe they’re a bit jaded.

Maybe they are. Or maybe they want to be a tourist in LA. [Laughs]

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Let’s talk about your new show, We Were the Lucky Ones. What about the way that the series (and the book that it’s based on) approached the subject of the Holocaust spoke to you?

I think that the fact that the book and the show are based on a real family’s story and events gives you the feeling that you know these people, and that they’re not just these epic characters. They are human. They are flawed, they are falling in love, they have dreams, hopes and fears. They have their own pride that they’re not willing to give up. And that’s what drew me to the story so much. Sometimes when you read a historical piece, the people in it feel like historical figures. But these characters were so well written and felt so relatable and approachable. That made it so much easier for us as actors to tap into them because they were so familiar to us.

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 How did you prepare to play your character, Jakob? Was there anything aside from reading the book that helped you portray him?

Having Georgia Hunter – the author of the book and granddaughter of Addy Kurc, who’s played by Logan Lerman – as well as her mother on set with us was the biggest privilege. Getting to hear their stories and memories, and see the pictures and certificates was such a significant layer. This story is made of so many different patches, and together, we created this massive fabric.

Also, before travelling to Romania (where we shot the show), I decided to visit the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. I went there, ready to soak it all in, and I realised that I was not able to go inside the main exhibition because all of the tickets for the day were sold out. But I was told that there was also a temporary exhibition available to see without a ticket. And that turned out to be an insane experience because as I approached it, I realised that the exhibition was focused on photographers in the Holocaust. And in the show, I play a photographer in the Holocaust! That was a mind-blowing moment for me.

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 Jakob is an artistic spirit who goes through quite a transformation caused by the trauma of WW2. Which parts of him did you find most interesting to explore?

That’s a great question! Jakob is a very sensitive soul. I think that out of all of the Kurc brothers, he’s the least prepared for going to war. But as time goes on, he grows a shield on him and becomes a warrior in these horrific times. And it’s really important to understand what his life goals are and treasures that he’s not willing to give up. In episode six, we see him risking his life to get back to the most important thing in his life – his wife, Bella. Leaving the ghetto, running to her, shaking her up from her own grief, and just having this wave of life inside of him is something that he could never have imagined doing when we first met him. That’s what I find most inspiring and heartbreaking about him as a character, seeing him go from the youngest man in the family to an actual grown-up adult who has the courage to risk his life for his loved ones.

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 Looking back at all of the scenes you have done, is there one that sticks out as particularly challenging?

The morning after the ghetto invasion where Jakob walks through it alone – there are bodies all around him, and he can see the disaster that took place there. When I got on set that day, it was relatively quiet. It was just me and the extras, and that was a chilling-to-the-bone moment. I froze. It was just so realistic and sad – it was so immersive that I just choked. Coming on set, you never knew when these realisations would get you. Some days, we’d come and be like, “Okay, this is work.” And some days, it was just so devastating to realise what’s the story that we’re telling. So that was the day when it suddenly hit me and I got this flash of comprehending what this story is and what it means.

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 On a more personal note, I read that your grandma, who’s a Holocaust survivor, would tell you her stories from that time when you were growing up. What is the impact that these memories had on you?

They had an enormous impact. The Holocaust story has been surrounding me ever since I can remember. My grandma is the funniest and sharpest person, and I admire and love her so much. At the age of four, she was sent to hide with a Polish family – she had a different name, a different identity, and she grew up without her parents. For four years, she was sleeping on two chairs joined together in the attic, not knowing what was going on, where she was or who she was. She had the most horrible upbringing – most of her extended family was executed in Auschwitz. So having these stories in my DNA, I was thinking about her a lot while filming. Any moment that I could go back home, I went to visit her and share with her my experience.

Having a Jewish ensemble means that a lot of the cast members have a Holocaust story within their families. And because this story is so rooted inside of me, I want to tell it again and again and again. I was very lucky to have this opportunity to tell this family’s story and know that my grandmother’s story was carried in me while doing so.

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Following We Were the Lucky Ones, what are the projects that you would like to do next?

I think that I might be ready for something a little lighter. I love all of the work I have done so far on Unorthodox, Transatlantic and We Were the Lucky Ones and I’m so grateful for those characters. But I feel like it’s time to do the exact opposite and face a new challenge. And I guess that would have to be a light-comedy-indie-atheist-futuristic-science-fiction type of story. [Laughs]

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Interview by Martin Onufrowicz

Photography by Sam Ramirez 

Fashion by Douglas VanLaningham

Grooming by Nathaniel Dezan

Photographers’ assistant Jacob Barri

Fashion’s ssistant Marilyn Monro

Film Lab @thatonephotolab

SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

Young British actor, JAYDEN REVRI has already caught our eye, as the recurring character, Devin, in Netflix’s original series Fate: The Winx Saga, and Noah in Disney’s teen musical-comedy drama The Lodge. But it’s his present role, as Charles, in Dead Boy Detectives, Netflix’s new Sandman spin-off series – the latest and most diverse and inclusive incarnation of DC Comics’ and Neil Gaiman’s universe – that’s about to be his breakout moment. Revri plays the “braun” of two ghost-boy besties from different eras, who use their ability to communicate with the living and the dead to solve supernatural mysteries. Most definitely still in his prime, Revri is so upbeat on our zoom chat, it’s infectious, as we discuss life after death, 80s inspo’ and Scooby Doo.

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Firstly, well done on the series, it’s so good! I’m interested to find out, are you a detective show fan yourself, do you like a good whodunnit, and if you could play an iconic TV detective, who would it be?

 100 percent I would be Scooby Doo! [laughs] I love dogs and I had the ‘Mystery Inc.’ van and all the characters and videos when I was younger; it’s my all-time favourite detective series ever!

Did you have a real dog called Scooby too?

 No [laughs], but I had a dog called Mylo, who was named after the dog in the movie The Mask, which I loved!  

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Well, this new series has cats, lots of them, and a Cat King! You play Charles, who’s quite sensitive underneath that upbeat façade, and he hasn’t really dealt with things that have happened to him, mainly, that he’s dead and a ghost! So, what was your relationship with the original source material, in the comics and the scripts, and how much input did you have into your character and his story arc?

 We were super lucky when we got the roles, as DC kindly sent us every rendition of Dead Boys Detective that ever was, and so I deep dived into the comics and found out about Charles’ death and how traumatic it was. In this telling of the story, we dive into his family and what his home life was like, and for me, as filming went on and we got more scripts, I was able to get more into his headspace for the role, and to understand his trauma. It was great as an actor, as I felt like as time went on, I was learning as myself, as Jayden, how Charles would be learning and evolving himself, almost like in real-time. To tap into those kinds of emotions he had, I did a lot of research on people and teenagers who had been through similar things, and spoke to professionals who help them, and I just wanted to do the subject justice and use that platform to raise awareness of domestic abuse, and the trauma associated with it.

Yes, because at its core, aside from it being a supernatural drama, this series really explores the deep themes of grief, love, friendships, personal growth, and those subjects are universal and will resonate with all.

 That’s the irony of the show I think that we’re these dead boys, but we’re dealing with real life problems, and that’s the beauty of Neil Gaiman’s work, in the sense that he can find light in the dark, with heavy subjects like loss and grief and death. We’re this group of young misfits in the series, who are all lost in their own ways, and haven’t dealt with their pasts, but then it shows that if you surround yourself with the right people, your chosen family, you can really overcome anything in life. That’s why I think the series will captivate different audiences as everyone can relate to at least one of the characters. 

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It’s such a unique story, because your character and Edwin’s [George Rexstrew], are from different eras and have been friends for 30 years after your tragic deaths at the same school. In real life, yourself and George never met before filming, but you have such brilliant on-screen chemistry like you’ve known each other for years too. How did that bromance unfold?

 It’s crazy, because you think, having not met before filming, that would be the main thing to build on, that chemistry, because when we first see them in the series, they’ve already been friends for 30 years. But George and I never worried about that, and from the first moment we met, we just found this incredible understanding with each other, of the responsibility we had in playing these two roles. We were very open and honest with each other from the start, and became brothers very quickly, like when you meet someone in your life, and you know you were meant to cross paths; that’s how it was for George and me. We really anchored one another throughout the series, and we still do now, we’re like best friends and we talk to each other every day, in fact, he’s messaging me right now! [laughs]

The other characters in the series, most notably Crystal the clairvoyant [Kassius Nelson] and her friend Niko [Yuyu Kitamura], are central to how both your character and Edwin’s unravel their complex pasts emotionally, and to their personal growth too, which is interesting for Charles’ story arc.

 The moment Crystal enters the agency is really the turning point of the whole series, in terms of her and Edwin’s relationship anyway. You know, he’s wilful and combative and not used to people telling him otherwise, whereas my character, Charles, is up for anything and will do it with a smile on his face. Crystal challenges Edwin and ends up softening him. Then with Charles, he’s been so used to being with Edwin for 30 years, and suddenly, this beautiful clairvoyant comes along, and she can see him, which hasn’t happened before with someone who is living, and Charles becomes infatuated with her. That’s when he starts to uncover the things about himself that he’s not dealt with properly and feels he can talk openly. It may seem at first when Crystal and Niko join the agency, that the equilibrium is off, but ultimately, they all bring out the best in each other.

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We must talk about wardrobe too, and you lucked out really, in terms of costume, as Charles is the 80s cool kid. How did his look really inform your character and help you bring him to life, did you have any say in what he wears?

 I really love these questions! You know, our costume department and hair and make-up really created 70 percent of the characters for us. It played such a big part in helping us find the characters, and it was a real collaboration from the start. I sat with them, and we went through stuff like 80s hairstyles, and I kept my hair as it is but added some lines along the sides, and I had guyliner on too, and I absolutely loved the jacket with the Rude Boys logo on it.

It all really helped me find who Charles is, and costumes helped me with the way he moves, he’s very loose and relaxed, where Edwin is kind of straight and upright, pretty much how George and I are in real life! He’s got great posture and I’m always slouching! [laughs]

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 What about music, did you use any 1980s tracks to help immerse yourself in the era your character was from?

 It’s funny you ask, before we started shooting, we were asked to make a playlist for our characters. So, I deep dived into loads of 80s stuff and there’s so many incredible songs and musicians from that time to reference, and my family also grew up in the 80s, my parents, so they got to relive some of their youth through me! I asked them all about that time and what it was like and how people behaved back then and dressed. So, kudos to my parents for helping me to sculpt that character too, and me as a human!

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What about the sets, which are aesthetically just so cinematically beautiful. I imagine they helped to transport you inside the story, and the special effects must have been a real workout for the imagination too.

 I cried the first day I walked into the studio! I was so overwhelmed by the sets they had built. There was one I always refer to, called the ‘Tragic Mick Workshop’, and the fine detail was just mind blowing, it was so real like it existed. It was all so aesthetically beautiful, lit so well, and the tone is so bang on, and it shows what kind of series we wanted to make. I also learned that to be part of this series, you need to have the biggest imagination! There were so many scenes with special effects, like having to pretend to walk and talk on ice, or be stood next to a hundred cats, or be thrown through a mirror by George! As the series went on, the effects just got more incredible, and by the end you got used to acting to a tennis ball or a pink X on a big screen and imagining it was a giant mushroom or a snake!

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 Did you take any props home with you after filming ended, like perhaps a magic cricket bat?

 I did ask for that and was told I probably wouldn’t get it through customs! If it was up to me, I would’ve taken the backpack home! [laughs]

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So, are you excited for the fans and audience reaction to the first season, and to how they relate to certain scenes or episodes?

 To lead a show that’s as incredible as this, is the reason why I want to act. You never know who is going to watch your show, and how you can really change someone’s life that day. I saw something on TikTok the other day from someone who’s putting together a Charles Cosplay outfit from the show, and the thought that someone could be walking around in that outfit with the bag and cricket bat just blows my mind! I’m excited to see how the show is received and how the fans take it, and I’m just so grateful and blessed to be in this position and to be here doing this interview with you!

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Right Shirt Alexander McQueen, necklaces Sweetlimejuice, earring talent’s own

 The pleasure’s all mine! So now you’ve done a musical, a fantasy series and played a ghost, what’s next for you? Is there a dream role?

 I’ve accomplished more than I could ever have imagined at this point, so anything from here is just a complete bonus, and I’m open to all genres and super excited to see what the future holds. I will say though, I’ve always wanted to play a villain, like Joaquin Phoenix and Heath Ledger as the Joker, I would love to take myself to that level and really understand how those kinds of actors become that character. I wouldn’t mind doing a voiceover for an animated film or series too, my Nan would absolutely love that!

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Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Hanna Pallot

Fashion by Steven Huang

Grooming by Sven Bayerbach at Carol Hayes Management using DRYBAR and DAIMON BARBER

Photographer’s assistant Lauren Hillsdon

Stylist’s assistant Sabrina Leina

NEW PERSPECTIVE

DUTCH ACTOR WALT KLINK HAS APPEARED ON SCREENS IN THE TV SERIES RABBIT HOLE AND DRAMA THE ENGLISH. NEXT UP, HE’LL STAR IN DARK COMEDY FILM KRAZY HOUSE. WE CAUGHT UP WITH THE RISING TALENT TO TALK DREAM ROLES, ACTIVISM AND FINDING INNER PEACE.

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Hey Walt, let’s talk about your latest project, the dark comedy film Krazy House. What’s it about and who do you play?

Hello Kate! So, the film is a rom-com that turns a bit dark and it’s quite weird but also completely original. I love how the directors Steffen Haars and Flip Van der Kuil are such beautiful creators in the way their characters frequently cross social lines but are also well-intentioned at their core. I play the son of Nick Frost and Alicia Silverstone, and it was such a fun character to play.

How was it going into the comedy genre, after being in a spy thriller and more darker TV roles in the past?

It was nice, I could smile, make jokes, and not take things so seriously, so it was quite relieving and there was a nice energy on set. Nick [Frost] would improvise all the time, so it was interesting to just let go and have fun and create new things. 

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 Are there a lot of younger Dutch actors like yourself working internationally? Or is it a small community where you all know each other?

I would say yes, we all know each other in some way or another. I feel like I’m the youngest one doing the international circuit though. That’s because I started self-taping during Covid, as all the auditions were, and still are, mostly via Zoom. So that new way of doing things helped me get recognised. The Dutch film community is small and I’m not that popular in Holland, which feels nice, as I can just walk around and be Walt!

That might change now you are appearing with Alicia Silverstone and Nick Frost in Krazy House. Having also previously worked with Kiefer Sutherland in the TV series Rabbit Hole, what have these industry heavyweights taught you about the craft so far?

They’ve been doing it for so long that they don’t feel insecure about their craft, and they just have fun with what they do, so that inspires me. Of course, they work hard but they just enjoy what they do. Kiefer impressed me as he was always so prepared and disciplined with his lines. I see acting as an art form, it’s like being a painter; each painter has their own style, and you can learn so much from it, but eventually, you must try out your own style and make mistakes and learn. That’s how acting is for me. 

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 Who are some other actors or directors you find inspiring?

Performance-wise, I love Philip Seymour Hoffman, as his presence on screen was so powerful, he used his soul and energy to project his presence on screen.

What would be your dream role to play?

I would like to be in a story that could help a lot of people. Help in a sense where it gives some new perspective, a part where I, and the audience, can reflect on ourselves and our choices. I think the power of film is deeply meditational, it’s a sort of hypnosis in a sense, you can go into a theatre and forget all your worries. I would like to make a movie that will help people to see the truth of who they are and be kind to themselves.

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 Outside of acting, I wanted to talk about how you use your voice for positive change. You invited people to sit with you in Amsterdam’s Dam Square alongside a placard you made that read ‘CHOOSE LOVE’, in support of all those suffering the pain of war. What was the reaction to that, did people engage with you?

Oh man, it was something special. I felt scared to use my voice, but I decided to just try and make some sort of change, which as humans we’re often afraid of. I wanted to be the purest form of myself, which is what I work to being every day, and my message, by sitting in Dam Square, was to be there for other people, out of love. People sat next to me, and it was a beautiful thing, and the day I finished, so many people came up to me and said what I did inspired them, and now it’s going to be a regular thing in Dam Square. So that’s a sign for positive change.

What other things are you passionate about and want to pursue more?

The main thing for me is my spiritual work, and what I mean by that, is becoming purer every day, acting from source rather than circumstances. I’m passionate about art, yoga, meditating, surfing, and the world. I would like to create a platform that teaches meditation to children, that’s my goal.

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 You’ve talked quite openly about having personal issues when you were a child. Is that why you began meditating later?

Yes, I lost my mother at a very young age, and I never learned to deal with my emotions around it. I got into meditation around 16 or 17, and all this pain opened inside my body, and I had some real demons to fight, and I’m still fighting them. I had to come to terms with the fact that people die and that’s a part of life, and that’s not an easy thing to deal with as a child, as you blame yourself for things, and have no clue who you are or who you could be. I identified as a victim a lot, and I feared feeling my emotions, in case they ate me up entirely. After some time, I allowed myself to drown in the pain, and only then I came out the other side as a different person. It’s an ongoing process, working and accepting my pain, and trying to stay present with it. 

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Do you think with acting then, that opportunity to be someone else, embody a different character, has allowed you to connect with yourself and others more?

Well, that’s why I admire Jim Carrey, because he played so many characters and at a certain point, he stopped and asked himself, ‘why am I not a character in my daily life too?’ I think I’ve experienced something like that, as I was trying to go so deep into these characters I’ve been playing from an early age, to totally forget who I am. Seeing how I can become another person makes me see where I cling on to my idea of self, but when you do that, your demons come up. I used to fear life, I was arrogant, and afraid to face my past, because I was scared to face my own self. But once you do that, you experience true love which is beyond negative and positive, and now I see all sides of life.

I’m always impressed when I interview actors who have humility. Because it’s an important trait. What’s the best piece of advice anyone’s ever given you about work or life?

I was talking with my manager recently about the image people have of me because of the work I do, which is completely different from who I am in essence. People project on you, because they can identify with a character, but it’s just an illusion they have of you, it’s not reality. I hope people can connect to some part of themselves and be more kind to themselves after reading this. Find acceptance in yourself and embrace change if you need to.

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Discover the full story in our SS24 CRAZY LOVE Issue .

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Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Marc de Groot

Fashion by Koen T. Hendriks

Casting by Imagemachine Cs

Production by Sandra Witman

Hair & Make-Up by Irena Ruben

Set Design by Justine Verplancke

Lighting by Sebas Jansen

Photographer’s assistant Jamie Koetzier

Stylist’s assistant Phoebe Monica Maria Vos

ITALIANS CAN DO IT BETTER

ITALIAN-BORN ACTOR DOMENICO CUOMO, HAS APPEARED IN THE FILM MIMI, PRINCE OF DARKNESS AND HIT TV SHOWS INCLUDING CATCH-22, A PROFESSOR AND THE SEA BEYOND. HERE HE TALKS TO US ABOUT DIVERSITY, DREAMS AND THE MEANING OF LIFE.

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You’ve played a lot of complex young characters. Are you drawn to those kinds of roles?

I'm attracted to all kinds of roles. I believe that the real essence of being an actor is to find the personal truth of each character and make it credible. When I study a character that’s so different to who I am, I see it as the opportunity to explore the depths of myself. I hope, one day, to know myself better thanks to my acting work.

So, tell us about Mimmo, your character in the much-anticipated second series of A Professor, about the story of two young boys who fall in love. 

What I love most about Mimmo is his genius. Who sets the rules? Who decides what is right and what is wrong? Those are the questions I asked myself about him when preparing for the role. I tried to connect with him by having imaginary conversations, and I am very grateful to Mimmo for keeping me company over these many months! When filming my last scene, I realised that the character had taught me a great truth; that the real meaning of life is just living, without being obsessed about the constant search for happiness. Just do what you believe, no matter what.

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 When you got the call for the series, did you have any trepidation about playing a character who loves another man?

I'm always anxious when I play any role, as I feel a great responsibility to ensure the audience can connect in some way, as someone may have experienced the same joys or pains as my character.

How did you connect with playing Mimmo then, besides being a human who experiences love?

Mimmo talks about love, not sex or sexuality. Love is love and is for everyone. I'm still young and I’ve only fallen in love once. So, I tried to recall my feelings and use them to play him, and in a way, he gifted me the awareness that to love someone you also need the courage of facing your own fears. And… again, I'm not referring to sex or sexuality, but the ability to just give yourself completely to someone you trust and to be loved in return. When I prepare for a role, I always associate an animal to the character, it’s just a thing I do! For Mimmo, I chose a fox and I tried to create the bipolarity of its expression to differentiate the "defensive" and the "peaceful" characteristics that are typical of this animal.

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 The show has such a devoted fan base. What makes you care about what happens to queer people and their well-being and their place in culture?

Sometimes, I watch a movie, a cartoon, or I listen to a song which I think represents me in some way. In those moments I feel less alone, I know that someone out there, just like me, has felt the same in my same situation. That’s what drives my desire to be an actor, to help people and remind the world that we are all the same and not alone. I have watched many actors in stories about the Queer community and culture, and they masterfully bring an intensity and truth to their character. I hope one day we can break down the boundaries that try to divide us about race, religion, or sexual preference, and just allow ourselves to return to the true meaning of life - the reason why we are all here, to live and love unconditionally.

Do you think this TV series is indicative of a change in the attitudes of young people being more open about being gay, in Italy? The country regularly ranks in reports as being among the worst in western Europe for LGBTQ+ rights.

You know, it saddens me to know that there are people in this world who are still considered "different" from one another. That there is a right and a wrong way. Everyone is free to live life as they wish. Personally, I believe that meeting someone "different" from us, I don't really like that word or expression by the way, represents a moment of growth. If you are different from me, you can only help me to know something I didn't know before. So yes, for me diversity is important and there is a great wealth to be gained in the knowledge of understanding that.

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Left Full look Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

Right Full look Fendi

 Italian TV and cinema can often be stereotyped as being all mafia stories or clichés of Italian-ness. What do you want to represent as an Italian actor?

Each country has its own cultural heritage, but I don't like stereotypes. Of course, we must always remember who we are and where we come from and, as I said before, I hope for a world with fewer and fewer barriers. Whether it's Hollywood or Cinecittà or the street, I hope to tell stories that excite both me and the audience!

Speaking of which, audiences are loving you in The Sea Beyond, which is now in its 4th season. Tell me more about your role as Cardiotrap?

Well, I was only 14 years old when the first season of the show was airing, and now I am 20. So, I literally grew up with Cardiotrap and his iconic mullet! He’s a very complicated character, and he’s in jail because of his background, but despite all of that, he’s always looking for redemption, which we as humans, the audience, can relate to. I met so many great young actors working on this show, who are now my closest friends, and it means so much to be a part of this series, as it’s really helped me gain the recognition I have.

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Left Jacket Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

Right Full look Loewe

So, what about films, do you have a favourite movie?

What Dreams May Come!

And if dreams come true, what’s the role you really want?

I dream of many roles! I have so many dreams, the more time goes by the more they increase, but as I said before, I just want to do things that inspire those who watch me, in a sincere and genuine, honest way.

 Any actors you admire then?

I really like Gary Oldman, Alberto Sordi, Tony Servillo and Johnny Depp. They manage to transform themselves completely. They can make you laugh and cry in minutes.

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Full looks Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

 What about DeNiro, a fellow Italian. He’s been the reigning badass of acting for years. I’m seeing you as the next DeNiro for Gen-Z, what do you think?

Wow, thank you for the compliment, I’ll always remember that now! Well, De Niro has been giving us his masterpieces for so long. I hope, one day, I can bring my characters to the screen with even a tiny crumb of his strength and charisma!  

Well, you’ve already received the David di Donatello Award for Italian Rising Star. So, you’re on your way to the top….

I never take anything for granted. There are so many good actors of my generation in Italy. But receiving the award was a great honour, and I hope I won’t disappoint anyone’s expectations of me! Every award is an encouragement, so let's all take courage and move forward to discover what life will bring us!

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Left Full look Miu Miu

Right Full look Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

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Discover the full story in our SS24 CRAZY LOVE Issue .

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Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Riccardo Meroni

Fashion by Marco Drammis

Casting by Imagemachine Cs

Grooming by Alessandro Joubert at Simone Belli Agency

Photographer’s assistant Gill Cesaria

LOST IN TRANSLATION

LUKE HEMMINGS EMERGED ONTO THE MUSIC SCENE, AND INTO THE LIMELIGHT, FOURTEEN YEARS AGO ON YOUTUBE WITH THREE OF HIS BEST FRIENDS. FIVE SECONDS OF SUMMER TOOK THE WORLD BY STORM, WITH HEMMINGS COMING ALONG FOR THE RIDE. THE MUSICIAN HAS WOVEN A FANBASE THAT HAS LOVED HIM UNCONDITIONALLY, SUPPORTING HIM FROM HIS TEENAGE YEARS, INTO WHERE HE STANDS NOW, AS A 27-YEAR-OLD, VENTURING INTO HIS PROJECTS. HE IS AN ARTIST OF PRIVACY, HONESTY, AND DEEP COMPLEXITY WHO DEMONSTRATED SUCH WITH HIS FIRST STUDIO ALBUM WHEN FACING THE THINGS WE TURN AWAY FROM IN 2021. NOW, THREE YEARS LATER, HEMMINGS IS RELEASING BOY, A SIBLING PROJECT TO HIS PRIOR ALBUM THAT EXPANDS ON PREVIOUS FEELINGS DISCOVERED WITH MORE ASSURANCE, CONFIDENCE, AND CONTENTMENT. THIS EP ENCAPSULATES THE SENSITIVITY OF WHAT IT IS TO BE CONSTANTLY MOVING AND FEELING, AND HOW TO FIND SOLACE AND HOPE IN THOSE SPACES. WE CAUGHT UP WITH THE ARTIST TO DISCUSS HIS CREATIVE PROCESS WITH BOY, HIS IDENTITY AS A BAND MEMBER AND SOLO ARTIST, AND CONSTANTLY FIGURING THINGS OUT.

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Left Jacket & shirt Loewe

Right Coat, shirt, shoes, tie Alexander McQueen, Jeans Wax London

What was your creative process when crafting Boy? Who did you have to see, and where did you have to go?

Oh, my goodness. It's a long list. The creative process was, I came in, after my first solo album, tentatively knowing I wanted to expand on it and see how far I could go—you know—what else I could make my own. So I worked with Sandy Woody from the first album again. And it was written in pieces around the world, on planes and hotel rooms. And then the bulk of it was written in New York, in Brooklyn. And that's where a lot of the initial energy of the EP came after the travelling parts, it sort of came to fruition in New York. And I was listening to a lot of LCD Soundsystem, a lot of The Rapture, a lot of Cocteau Twins, and My Bloody Valentine. So, kind of that 1990s-2000s sort of area. And I was just trying to get through all that I can remember. I mean, I'm always watching a wide mixture of stuff, but specifically for the visuals of the videos and all, there's a lot of like Paris, Texas and Lost in Translation. Those sorts of, you know, beautiful existential-like visuals and feelings to them. 

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Shirt & shoes Prada, Jeans Isabel Marant

What are some of the instruments or types of production we're hearing throughout the project? Especially since they sound quite similar to film scorings.

There was a lot of, for some reason, I bought a bunch of vintage drum machines. For years, I have written on a guitar and piano. And the first album was very much like that as well. And it was fun going into this kind of like, I don't know, messing around with things. I'm not a drummer, but I can sort of get by, and it just sort of made the process a lot more childlike fun and stuff. I always use my voice as kind of a vocal pad and I was pitching my voice around a lot like even on Shakes and Close Enough to Feel You, there are these pitch vocals that are the main thing, and then Still Your Boy has a big vocal stack. So, you can't pick out what the lead is on it. And then it's kind of a mixture, like lots of the drums are either Super Stroke Z type high hat or really big, mid-three Beach House sort of drones. 

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Jacket LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi, shirt Emporio Armani, Jeans Isabel Marant, tie stylist own

Which song on Boy felt the most vulnerable to make?

They kind of all have a bit of it. I think “Still Your Boy” is pretty vulnerable. Yeah, I think that's probably the one where perhaps I come across the worst? I just think it's such an emotionally deep song. And I think the chorus being that one line is not something I would say. And I kind of like that. It's a little bit tongue-in-cheek, which is not what I would have done on the first album. I just felt happy that it was sort of slightly out of my comfort zone a bit.

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Right Jacket & shirt Loewe, Jeans Wax London

How do you want your audience to feel? Or what do you want them to picture throughout their listening experience?

Yeah, the stuff I've touched on is kind of where I was writing it from. That's the emotional place. A bit disenfranchised, disconnected from human life. I think the whole thing, as I was writing it, I really didn't want it to be a sad bunch of songs. I think the first album had a little bit of that where listening back to them I was like, “Okay, I love this. But how do I make it so it's more of a full spectrum of human emotion as opposed to just sad songs?” So I was always trying to ride that melancholic line. If you listen to those movies I mentioned earlier, where it sort of depends on what headspace the person watching or listening is in, it decides how you feel after if that makes sense. So I think, for me, there's a lot of hope in the songs, even though they feel cinematic and dreary and emotional. Distraught— a little bit sometimes—but it was a conscious effort to not let it go too far to the other side. I wanted it to feel hopeful and a little bit more like a full broad spectrum of human emotion, I suppose, is the best way I can put it. Not every day is bad. Not every day is great. But I think my headspace goes up and down. So in a volatile way, I wanted it to ride that middle spot.

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Left Full look Valentino

Right Coat, shirt, tie Alexander McQueen

Your prior record When Facing the Things We Turn Away From and Boy are almost sibling albums. And they're two different interpretations of your feelings. What are the lessons you take from both in your life now?

I think the first album, they're both—well, for me personally, even removing myself from the lyrics, I feel really proud of that first album, because I was really scared. And I wasn't sure if I could do anything on my own and write something that I really loved wholeheartedly on my own. So that was a really big step. And then coming to the second one, because the second, you know, Boy wasn't written in COVID. It was kind of just written. It was written on the road. But that's kind of what my normal life is. So it was kind of written more novel life. I'm really stoked, I wanted to expand on the first record and make something that I thought was closer to what I was trying to get to. I think the first time had a bunch of different influences. And Boy does, but it feels more fun. I think, as an artist, you're trying to get to the heart of why. Whatever the art you think you want to make. Like you're trying to get to what is it, and I think I got way closer on this. So that's super exciting. And then I think like, lyrically, when you're making bodies of work like this, you're trying to have a snapshot of where your life was, and what your headspace was at a certain time, and I think, I see lyrical growth. And a bit more hope. A bit more ‘years under the belt to talk about stuff,’ you know, and I'm sure I'll think the same thing about Boy, and I'd be like, “Ah, I thought I thought I knew everything back then.” But then you fast forward a couple of years later, you're like, “Oh, shit, I didn't have it all figured out.” And I feel like it probably just goes on like that until you die. You think you can just sort of feel like you know what you're doing. And then you go, “Oh, shit, I didn't know what I was doing.”

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Left Full look Valentino

Right Shirt & shoes Prada, Jeans Isabel Marant

Did you imagine that all the songs that you're making would turn into an EP? Did you imagine you'd make something like a follow-up project that would be longer? Or were you quite content that it turned out to be more of a shorter album?

Well, I think at the time where it was like, I think we're gonna do an EP, I probably had like two fewer songs. And because when I'm in writing mode, it sort of consumes my life. So I was lucky enough that a few more songs came out. So it's a longer EP and it's a shorter album. And I kind of love it. So I'm really happy with how it feels. Feels like this cool world you can easily get lost in, which is, it's less daunting than, I don't know 12 tracks or 14 tracks staying in the same vein, and I love how every song has its own video. Shakes is like the montage of all the other videos. And I don't think I would have been able to do that. With more songs it would have, it would have lost more meaning adding more songs and more videos. So I think it turned out exactly the way it was supposed to. 

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Jacket & shirt Loewe, Jeans Wax London

What are the types of visuals that we should expect to get from each music video for each song?

Yes, so there are seven scenes, almost like each song has its own scene of different moments in time and Shakes is the combination of all those put together. All the other videos will be almost—I guess they’re like visualizers because they're sort of a bit monotonous. Shakes is very chop-chop-chop montage-y vibes and the other ones are very much like you're watching real life, which is where those references came in. You know, when you watch Lost in Translation, when he's in the elevator, it almost goes on a bit too long. That's kind of the feeling I was trying to get across.

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Full looks Valentino

So you've been in the limelight for over 10 years, which is crazy. How do you feel like that reflects your fan base? How would you describe your audience now, in contrast to who they were during the 2010s?

When 5SOS started as a band, I think everyone was our age. And as you know, from 15 to 25, or, you know, I'm 27 now, from that age, it’s such a massive growth, and it’s life-changing. I think, for me, it feels like we've grown up with that fanbase that started with us. And as people have come and gone, and there are people that just listen to this song or this album or whatever, but for the most part, it does feel like they've grown up with us and the band has changed influences a lot. To a certain extent, the band doing solo projects is being mirrored because I think it's exciting to see other stuff come out and I think our band is unique in the sense that people can attach themselves to anyone in the band because we're all very equal. And we all can write, perform, and play. I just think it's rad. And I'm stoked that people still listen, they allow me and allow us to have different creative endeavours as we get older, knowing the band is a safe place and a place that we will always come back to.

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Full look Valentino

So how do you separate the identity you have with 5SOS in contrast to the one that you're developing as a solo artist? Has Boy made it easier to detach from both roles?

Yeah, I think I feel it is easier than the first album. I've been in the band for so many years, and from such a young age, that it really does feel like they're my brothers. And it's a family. So it was scary. And I was very anxious about that. But I do feel like, on Boy, I feel more like I can stand on my own two feet. Which is really, really nice. But I think that's who I am. And I think, as the band grows up, we all have, you know, different partners, live in different places. And, some of us have families, and I feel like I know who I am in both of those settings. Now more than ever, I like doing both—I find them both rewarding in different ways.

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Left Full look Valentino

Right Jacket LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi, shirt Emporio Armani, Jeans Isabel Marant, tie stylist own

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Coat, shirt, shoes, tie Alexander McQueen, Jeans Wax London

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Interview by JoliAmour DuBose-Morris

Photography by Emilia Staugaard

Fashion by Steven Huang

Make-Up by Maria Comparetto using Armani Beauty

Hair by Sven Bayerbach using Curlsmith

Photographer’s assistant Kiera Simpson

Stylist’s assistant Lois Jenner

THE ART OF AUTHENTICITY

ALTHOUGH DEB NEVER BEGAN WITH ASPIRATIONS OF A CAREER THAT WOULD KEEP HER BEHIND THE SCENES, THE SINGER AND SONGWRITER HAS EMERGED AS A DISTINCTIVE VOICE IN MUSIC — BOLDLY EMBRACING VULNERABILITY ON A GRAND STAGE INSTEAD. THROUGH HER MUSIC, DEB, KNOWN FOR HER INTROSPECTIVE WORK, HAS NAVIGATED THE COMPLEXITIES OF EMOTION AND EXPERIENCE, ALL WHILE FINDING A BALANCE BETWEEN VULNERABILITY AND SELF-PRESERVATION. FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF HER THIRD AND FINAL EP, THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING, DEB IS PREPARING FOR THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED RELEASE OF HER DEBUT ALBUM — THE NEXT STEP IN HER JOURNEY AS AN ARTIST. A JOURNEY THAT EMBODIES A COMMITMENT TO AUTHENTICITY AND THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION.

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Was there anything specific that inspired you to pursue a music career?

When I was younger, I'd watch music videos and live performances of bands. Watching videos always made me want to perform, which is funny because I have the most stage fright, and I didn't perform for the first time until 2019. 

How was that first performance? Conquering your fear?

To be honest, I can't tell you because I think I completely blacked out. Afterwards, it's almost like this adrenaline rush. I just remember being so nervous. I thought I was going to throw up, and then afterwards, just feeling this rush of dopamine. But not remembering anything in between. I was so nervous and scared. And because it was something I was so scared of, I wanted to do it so badly. Or maybe vice versa, and I was terrified because I wanted to do it.

How do you feel about performing now?

I still love it. Performing now still makes me really nervous, but excited. I try to be intentional with what I'm doing on stage. I definitely don't black out as much anymore.

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 Earlier this year you released your third and final EP. How has the response been so far, and what has been the most rewarding part of having it out in the world?

The response has been great, and the most rewarding part of it, of letting it go, is knowing that I can go into albums. It was important for me to release small EPs in steps and let myself grow, so my fans and listeners could grow with me. That leads to this album that I'm working on. It feels good, honestly. The last EP, Thank You For Attending, was the end of an era and a step into the next.

You're working on your debut album now — how is that going for you?

It's really good. I'm going back to my roots and how I started. To me, sonically, it sounds a lot different, but it feels good. I'm tapping back into being a lot more involved and playing my guitar riffs for the album. I'm leaning into it and going back into playing the instruments a lot more.

Are there any particular themes that you're exploring? Do you have the album mapped out? How's the creative process going? 

There's definitely more of a plan. I've always known what I wanted to do with the album and the world that I wanted to create with it. I want it to feel like a soundtrack. Growing up, I've always wanted to score films or make soundtracks for films, and I feel like I get to explore that with this album. Growing up, whenever I listened to music, the things that I connected to the most were the things that connected me visually somewhere. Where I could see a whole world with just the song. That's something that I'm leaning into with the album with every song.

Your music videos have a unique visual aesthetic — it sounds like visual storytelling is important for you as an artist. How do you approach transforming your songs into visuals? 

It comes with the song first — the feeling of the song is the most important thing. Whenever I approach making music, it's like what's the colour of the song or where does it put me? Does it feel like a night drive? Does it feel like a walk in the park during the day? I connect the feeling of songs to a visual element, and I think that naturally creates an idea in my head of what it looks like. Of what the song looks like, and that helps with the music video.

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 Your music often blends different genres. How do you approach genre-bending in your process? Or is that something that you don't think about?

To be honest, I genuinely have never really thought about that. I think it's such a subconscious thing. That's the thing about music that's so fun to me, is that at least to me, it feels so subconscious. I'm not trying to reference anything. I'm not trying to make it sound like a specific thing. I think I'm just blending in the sounds that I like. The influences that I grew up with just naturally bleed out into what I'm making. It’s an accumulation of so many different genres because I listen to everything, so I think naturally it just ends up in songs and sound.

You sing, you produce, you play guitar and piano. How did all this happen? Did you take lessons when you were younger? 

I never really took lessons or learned properly. Everything is by ear. Even with production. When I become interested in things, I become super hyper-fixated and obsessed with it — to the point where I just have to learn how to do it and get good at it. That's what happened with the guitar. I picked it up, and I liked it so much that I would just spend hours playing chords and learning techniques. I think to make something special, you have to put in the time with the craft. It wasn't a conscious thing, but I loved it so much that I couldn’t help but dive into learning everything about it. Even beyond music. Whether it's playing foosball or something. If I like something, I need to get good at it and that's how it happened. I like to immerse myself in whatever I'm doing and learn everything about it. I might not be the best at it — maybe I'm not the best guitar player, but I know that I have a specific way that I play just because of the way I taught myself.

How have you evolved as an artist, since you first started putting out music?

I think I've evolved musically, and even as a person. Before, it felt like I was just experimenting. I’m still experimenting, but I'm getting more honed into the sound that I like and what represents me the most — as a person and an artist. I've evolved even in things that I want to talk about or what I'm willing to share through music.

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 How has it been managing the balance between being vulnerable and your artistic expression? You touch on personal experiences and emotions a lot in your music. How do you balance that in your songwriting?

That's the hardest part that I still don't really have a grasp on. I think it's so cool that as artists, we get to express ourselves — to talk about personal things and let that be an outlet. It's a catch-22 because the other part is that everyone else gets to hear what you're thinking or feeling. It's like letting everyone read your diary. That's a hard balance because there are certain things where I'm like, "Damn, I really want to talk about this and I want to express it, but do I want people to know this part of me?" I think that is a tough balance, and I'm still working on that now. I appreciate the artists who speak so vulnerably, honestly, and unfiltered — especially in songwriting. I'm still trying to find that balance. I'm like, how much of myself do I want to give to people? But then how much of my expression am I robbing of myself? I honestly think vulnerability is a skill or a talent — a huge part of a great artist is their willingness to be vulnerable. It's a lot harder than people might think. In real life, I'm such a private person, and I don't really express myself that much. So it's funny that it's the opposite side of me that I let everyone see. That's the tough part for sure.

Is that part of why you've gravitated towards becoming a music artist? Is this your outlet for expressing yourself?

Yes. It was by accident. Growing up, I always made music in my room. It was always just for me. It wasn't for anyone else. I liked making music, and that was my place to express or let it out. So it becoming a public thing, was an accident. A happy accident.

How was it an accident?

I initially wasn't planning on releasing music myself. I was always happy making songs behind the scenes, for other artists or with friends. My old manager, who was also my friend, heard a couple of things I put out on SoundCloud. He was like, I think you should release these. And I was like, no. I got bamboozled into it, and now I'm here. But it was a happy accident. I'm always grateful for that.

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 Before this, did you have other career plans? 

Yes. Songwriting or going into film or making music videos — something behind the scenes. I was so shy. Something where I could express, but I wouldn't have to be at the front and centre of it.

How do you see your career evolving in the next few years? Are there any other adventures that you have your sights on down the line? Any other passions?

Music-wise, I just want to keep growing. I want to keep making music. I hope that if people listen to it, they like it. Beyond music, I have so many ideas that I want to explore. Especially community-based things. I'm in such a lucky place, where I get to just talk about myself, my feelings, and have people hear that. It's important for me to give other people a place to do that. I want to create a place where people who, like me, have a bunch of special interests can also have a place to be able to explore. I know when I was growing up, something like that would've helped me so much.

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Discover the full story in our SS24 CRAZY LOVE Issue .

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Interview by Jameelah Nasheed

Photography by Jenn Kang

Fashion by Jonathan Huguet

All clothes Givenchy

EIC Michael Marson

Casting by Imagemachine Cs

Production by Production Production

Hair by Lauren Palmer Smith

Make-Up by Courtney Perkins

Set Design by Kelly Cole

Photographer’s assistant Linh Tang

Stylist’s assistant Rebecca Perrier

WRITTEN IN THE STARS

DESPITE HIS INCREDIBLY FAMOUS DNA AND FORTUNATE GENE POOL, DEACON PHILLIPPE IS DETERMINED TO FORGE HIS OWN CREATIVE PATH AND DOMINATE HIS CULTURAL LANDSCAPE IN HIS OWN RIGHT. THE 20-YEAR-OLD MUSICIAN IS AT THAT SPECIAL MOMENT IN HIS LIFE WHERE ALL THE SONIC CONSTELLATIONS ARE ALIGNED AND HE’S RIDING HIGH ON THE SOUNDWAVES, FULL OF INSPIRATION AND PURPOSE. HERE HE TALKS TO US ABOUT DJ’ING, DANCING WITH HIS MOM, AND GETTING STARSTRUCK.

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Full look Celine Homme

Hey Deacon, how are you today? I’m your number one fan. What song do you have on repeat on your playlist right now?

 Hey, how’s it goin’?! Thank you so much. I don’t know, I’m a little all over the place with what I listen to, but I really love the Fred Again and Baby Keem song Leave Me Alone right now.

Well, we can’t leave you alone, because we need to talk about your music - it’s your biggest love. Did your parents play music around the house when you were growing up - is there a song that reminds you of your childhood?

 Music truly is my biggest love. I never thought I would end up making it, but I always had a strange array of interests sonically. Growing up, I would listen to country, new and old, with my mom who’s from the South; rock and rap with my dad who’s from the East Coast, and as we were living in LA, I inherited some of that culture as well. I guess some of my favourites that they would play were Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Kenny Chesney, and then Drake, Nirvana, and Green Day. It sounds strange but hearing such different music taught me that many songs are really the same in a sense. Most of the time it’s the production that discerns the "genre”.

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Right Full look Fendi

 What was the first single or album you bought, and your first concert?

 When I was little, my favourite artist was Bruno Mars – I literally followed him from the very beginning of his career and to this day haven’t stopped loving his music. I was hooked from the second I heard Count on Me. One of my first concerts was seeing him in LA during his first tour, and it was so special because my dad pulled some strings and I was able to get backstage, where I gave him [Bruno] a hug. I don’t think I changed clothes for like 3 days after!

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Left Full look Celine Homme

Right Full look Fendi

 Cute! So, when did you know you wanted to seriously pursue music as a career, and study it at NYU – what inspired that decision?

 Gosh, I guess by the time I was deciding where to go to college it was really a no-brainer. I was so deep into the idea of working in music and I knew I had to be in a big city to do it. I loved what I read about my program at school and just went all in, and only applied there. I had a feeling that it was right and trusted it and I lucked out!

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Full look Valentino

 How would you describe your music then, and which artist has most influenced your own taste? Like, is there a song you first heard and thought, “I wish I had written that”?

 My music is, at its core, just a reflection of what I’m feeling and going through. I try not to let an artist or genre define it, but the goal is for it to be as “me” as possible. I love Coldplay, Johnny Cash, Kanye, Kendrick, Green Day, Nirvana, Post Malone, etc… But I doubt anyone will describe my stuff as sounding like any of those, so I guess to answer the second question, I really love a lot of songs, but that doesn’t mean I wish that I wrote them. I think the personal aspects of the songs I write is what keeps me invested in them, and I’m happier with my favourite songs being written by other artists, because the second I write a song that’s as good as those, it’ll feel that much better knowing how hard I worked for it.

Well, you’ve been working hard lately, as you released your first album last year, A New Earth. What’s the overall theme behind it, and was it difficult making it while also in your first year at NYU?

 Yes, we did!! It was a major team effort. I worked on and released the whole album independently with the help of my best friends and roommates, Jaden and Oscar. They’re incredible people and we bonded like no other experience I’ve ever had throughout the course of the project. They’re like my brothers now. So yeah, it was difficult at times, mixing, recording, writing, producing, performing, and marketing it all on our own, especially while in school, but let me tell you, it would’ve been impossible without those boys and we will remember it forever.

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Left Full look Givenchy

Right Full look Kenzo

 So, you produce all your own music. Do you play any instruments too? 

 I’ve never been a huge instrument guy, honestly. I mess around with certain instruments but mostly I work with my laptop, a small keyboard and a microphone. I’m not the best with music theory and the technicalities, but I’m absolutely obsessed with the science and the general outcome of putting sounds together. I guess that’s why production just stuck; to me, it feels like a blend of art and science/technology in a way that makes sense to my brain. 

What about the visual side? Do you enjoy making the videos and getting all styled up, and do you have a full say over the vibe?

 Music videos are really challenging and fun for me. Doing them independently is tricky because I end up doing random things like taking a City Bike in the rain to Caine’s to pick up chicken tenders for the video, 5 minutes before we start to film, and then end up crashing on Broadway sending the tenders everywhere and almost being hit by a car! But I love those kinds of moments. It’s hectic, it’s a team effort and most of all, it means that people believe in me enough to show up and do a hard job for the sake of something I made, so honestly, I can’t complain. Plus, we get to make an awesome product and I meet so many talented people on the way!

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 You’ve also done some DJ’ing gigs for brands. What are your DJ pet peeves? 

 I’m not a good enough DJ to have peeves! But I will say that DJ’ing the right way is more difficult than people think and as someone who’s still learning, I just have to say that the big DJs like Skrillex and Martin Garrix have so much talent. Learning a bit about the craft has raised my respect for anyone who can do it professionally insurmountably. 

Speaking of DJs. I see from your socials you like to dance. Who taught you all your moves?

 I do!! My mom and I used to take dance classes together - we learned hip-hop and breakdancing. I remember I was like 10 and I was the only guy in the whole class, but I didn’t care because I was going to be the coolest person on the dance floor when I got older! I try to dance now but I think I used to be better, and I need to practice more, honestly.

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 Well, we all know who your parents are! [Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe] What’s the most fun or wild stuff that goes on in your family group chats that you can tell us about?

 Nothing crazy, just a lot of my grandpa going on tangents about the weather and my dad sending me memes!

Did growing up in the public eye come with its ups and downs? What’s been one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned?

 I think one of the biggest things is that money and fame don’t mean happiness, that’s something you have to find within. External validation is fleeting and fragile – there’s nothing like loving the person you are, what you do, and the people around you.

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 And with all the celebrities you’ve been around, have you ever been starstruck yourself? 

 I don’t know about starstruck, but it’s always awesome to meet people you admire. I’ve been lucky enough to go to some Philadelphia Eagles games and practices, and meeting the players there is crazy since my dad and I are such massive fans. I think growing up with famous parents really desensitised me to it, sometimes I even forget that they’re famous! [Laughs]. No matter what, it’s important to know that at the end of the day, people are people, and other than the respect I have for someone’s work ethic or talent, I don’t regard meeting a celebrity any differently than talking to a stranger at a coffee shop. I basically treat everyone with as much love and respect as I can. In all fairness though, that’s probably because I grew up around all this stuff!

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 Being part of this acting family dynasty, is there a movie you would like to score?

 I’d love to score any movie, but a Christopher Nolan film would be crazy. Scoring and acting in the same film is a huge goal for me at some point!

Well, I think it’s going to happen for you Deacon, the stars are aligned! OK, lastly, I’ve got to talk about your swanky student-pad-but-not-really-like-any-student-pad-we’ve-seen. Please tell me you’ve had some great parties there, and annoyed most of the neighbours with your music?

 Yes, the HQ!! I moved in last August with four of my closest friends/schoolmates, and we basically turned it into a studio/content production house. It’s perfect for what we do, and I’m so grateful for every second in there. My friends and I picked all the interior design stuff which was such a fun, new experience. Honestly, we don’t throw many parties. We mostly stay in and work on music and schoolwork, which unfortunately might annoy the neighbours even more. But yeah, we stay focused, that’s the only way to make it in this business!

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Discover the full story in our SS24 CRAZY LOVE Issue .

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Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Sam Ramirez

Fashion by Oliver Vaughn

EIC Michael Marson

Casting by Imagemachine Cs

Creative Consultant Ton Aguilar

Grooming by Kimberly Bragalone at @exclusiveartists using Murad and Balmain Hair Care

Photographer’s assistant Andrzej Lawnik

Stylist’s assistant Ashley Amway

THE GREAT PRETENDER

David Shields creeped us all out as the fascist, right-wing politician Michael Smart in the season 6 finale of cult dystopian sci-fi drama Black Mirror, which shows the vast spectrum of his acting chops, as before that he went full pomp playing aristocrat Colin Tennant in the first season of The Crown. Having earned his acting wings with roles in Bad Education and Doctor Who, Shields - who studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama - is now flying high taking to the skies in Apple TV+’s series Masters of the Air playing Major Everett Blakely. Officially now in the list of Brit actors we love hall of fame, we caught with him to talk about playing real-life on screen, sliding doors, and not believing in fate.

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Hello David! How are you doing?

I’m well, great to be talking to you.

So, Masters of the Air has been such a success, how does it feel to be part of the show?

Incredible. It was an honour to get the call up given the reputation of Band of Brothers, and The Pacific, and it’s gone down so well since its release. So, the whole experience has been amazing.

You play ‘Major Everett Blakely’, how did you bring the lived experience of your character to the screen?

Fortunately, there was a lot to draw on from interviews with his son, Jim, conducted with him in the 1980’s, as well as Harry Crosby’s book A Wing and A Prayer, in which Everett features heavily. But we also had a bootcamp led by veteran military advisory Captain Dale Dye, who whipped us all into shape, and made us understand the full nature of what it was to be a US army airman in that period.

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You got to meet his son Jim too. What about the responsibility you feel when playing a real-life character? There’s no way to get the actual life, beat-by-beat, of a person, but you aim for an essence, correct?

There’s obviously that added pressure of wanting to do his family proud and do justice to their memory of him. But you’re right, you’re not there to do an impression, and you can’t let anything get in the way of just trying to be truthful in that moment when the camera’s rolling. I suppose you do all the work you can beforehand, to get to the heart of their characteristics, and, more importantly, as you say, their essence, and hope enough of that clings on to you as you work your way through the scene.

There are some heavyweight producers behind this series including Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg – were they trusting in the sense of letting you have some freedom to play Everett how you wanted, and bring your own thoughts and suggestions to the role?

I found there to be a lot of freedom on set. I, and others, were constantly throwing in lines and suggestions on the day. So yeah, I think there was a lot of trust in us as a company.

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I’ve spoken to many of your castmates in the series. Did you know any of the other actors before you started filming? I heard that you all told each other riddles on set.

I knew Barney White, and Anthony Boyle, and Matt Gavan. But those last two not nearly so well as I do now. As you can imagine it’s the kind of production that helps forge some pretty tight bonds. And yes, we did tell riddles, as it happens, that riddle in Episode 3 is an example of an ad-lib worked out on the day.

So, reliving and portraying the lives of these brave navigators of the skies, is so far removed in terms of mindset from playing parts like your character in Black Mirror. What drives you to jump into a role?

The writing. I find everything else is secondary to that. A great director, a great cast and crew, can all help lift your character, but the writing is what’s key. And then apart from that it’s just doing something that’s different from what I’ve done before. I don’t want to get stuck in a rut playing the same old roles, and so I actively look to shake things up when possible.

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Do you prefer more gritty, heavier, and sensitive subject matter that gives you a chance to challenge and transform your approach? Or would you like to go in a completely different direction and do something like comedy?

Currently I want to do some comedy, as I love it, and haven’t done it for a while. I’d say there’s a real pleasure in wrestling with weightier, tougher material, but I don’t necessarily see them as different in that way.   A comedic role can often deal with sensitive subjects, and sometimes be as much as of a challenge, and require as much of a transformation as a dramatic role.

What about going back and doing some more theatre? Would you ever do a musical?

I’m about to go back and do some theatre. I’ve only really done screen work since I graduated, so it’s my first major stage production, and very exciting. And I’d never say never about musicals, but I don’t know if I’ve got the pipes sadly! The high notes get a little scratchy, to put it lightly. I could probably do a bit of baritone stuff in a chorus, if you know of any of those gigs going…

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Right Knitwear Zegna, blazer and pants Giorgio Armani, shoes N°21, rings Sweetlimejuice

I’ll keep you posted! What about when you were younger, you were doing plays then right?  I read that you got the starring role of Joseph in a school nativity, is that where the acting bug began?

Yep, that’s where it all began. And I did theatre all through school. Every play that I could. It was being part of an ensemble, a team, that really got me, and kept me coming back.

Is there a dream role perhaps, and any dream directors to collaborate with?

I just saw Dune 2 last night. So maybe one of those Harkonnen fellas. I’d like to stick a bald cap on and give that a go. And I’d settle for Denis, but I’d love to work with the likes of Shane Meadows, Jonathan Glazer, Joanna Hogg. Directors with an improvisational style.

Do you see yourself leaning into one strength more than another in your roles to date? And have your experiences on set inspired you to maybe try out being a writer or director? Or is your heart happiest as an actor?

Recently I’ve leaned into playing villains. I enjoy and feel very comfortable playing those, so I suppose that’s a strength. I don’t know what that says about me…but let’s not go into that. And in terms of broadening into other careers, I’m sure that time will come, but for now, I just want to focus on being the best actor that I can be.

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In a sliding doors life, what do you wish you were better at?

You’ve already brought it up - singing. To have a really strong voice and be able to sing in front of a crowd, that’s something I’m really jealous of.

Do you believe in fate? And I don’t mean in destiny or greatness. I just mean that things are fated. Like, you’re going to win an Oscar one day, obviously.

No, I don’t believe in fate. I get the arguments that we’re all simply the result of our own biology and background etc and so fated in that way, but I have to believe that where I end up in life is the result of my own choices. Otherwise, what’s the point? The alternative is so depressing to me. But yes, it’s highly likely I’m going to win an Oscar one day, obviously.

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Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Callum Su

Fashion by Steven Huang

Casting Imagemachine CS

Grooming by Paul Donovan

Photographer’s assistant Lauren Hillsdon

Stylist’s assistant Niamh Mannion

AUTHENTIC SELF

ANTHONY BOYLE, THE IRISH-BORN CHAMELEON IS READY FOR HIS NEXT CHALLENGE. THE AWARD-WINNING ACTOR WHO MESMERISED THEATRE AUDIENCES IN HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, IS SET TO RETURN TO THE WEST END STAGE IN THE PLAY, LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT. HE’LL ALSO APPEAR ON SCREEN AS MAJOR HARRY CROSBY IN APPLE TV'S WW2 DRAMA, MASTERS OF THE AIR, AND AS ASSASSIN JOHN WILKES BOOTH, IN THE SERIES MANHUNT, ABOUT THE CHASE FOR PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S KILLER. IT’S ALL HAPPENING FOR BOYLE RIGHT NOW, BUT HE STILL FOUND TIME TO HAVE A CRAIC WITH US.

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So, Anthony, we must talk about your upcoming role where we’ll be turning our eyes to the skies of WW2 for the first time, in the new miniseries, Masters of the Air. Tell us more about it and your character!

I play a character called Harry Crosby, who’s one of the navigators. Most stories like this tell the perspective of the pilot, and they’re like the fucking rock stars you know, and there’s always stories about them. Crosby is more the analytical guy; his heart beats a lot faster than everyone else’s and he’s a nervous little critter. It was an absolute joy and honour to tell the story of these heroes.

Had you read Donald L. Miller’s book that the series is based on, to immerse yourself into the world these men had to navigate and survive in? How did you bring the lived experience of your character to the screen?

The book was very long, but the guy I played wrote a biography called On a Wing and a Prayer, and I read that, where he speaks directly about his emotions at the time and what he was going through. So, I used that as my reference and I was also sent a 7-minute video of Crosby speaking from a cockpit, and you get to see a real sense of who he is. So, I would have that in my ears every day going to set, and mimic what he would say, the voice and the physicality of him. Once I had that in my brain, I would read different chapters of the book here and there, to get a sense of the rhythm of how he spoke and who he was.

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I read that many of the cast went through a mini-boot camp too.

I loved the boot camp, it was during COVID and lockdown, so we were starved of contact for all that time, and then suddenly, there were 250 of us all thrown together in this project, and it felt just like having a craic with your mates! Dale Dye [on set senior military advisor], was teaching us, and he had us marching together, and for the first couple of days, I was thinking, “Why the fuck are we doing this, what’s the point, we don’t do it in the show you know?!” And it wasn’t until the third day we started marching again, and we suddenly realised we were doing it in unison, and started to share breath, and not to think if we were going left or right. It was the first time I got the real sense of this ‘group thinking’, which is so important when you’re those lads in tin cans in the sky, and if one person fucks up, then you’re all dead. So, these lessons from Dale, and our trusting the process, ended up being really rewarding when it came to shooting the scenes.

There are some heavyweight producers behind this series including Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg – were they trusting in the sense of letting you bring your own thoughts and suggestions to the role?

They were very trusting; I would read passages of Crosby’s book and then suggest putting parts of that in, such as he says ‘Holy Mackerel’ in this one part, or I would say there are little instances where he seems to have this kind of a relationship with women, so wouldn’t it be more interesting if we add that in? It was just a great collaborative affair working with those guys, and they were also great at guiding you too.

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What about being on set with the other actors like Austin Butler, Callum Turner and Barry Keoghan – what was the vibe?

Everyone was just happy to be there and be a part of this project. You know, Band of Brothers has such a place in the hearts and minds of all of us involved with a big war drama like this. It’s every lad’s dream to be a part of telling the third instalment of this story, it felt like such an honour.

You’re also appearing in another TV series based on a book – Manhunt, about President Lincoln’s assassination. You’re playing one of the lead characters, assassin John Wilkes Booth - I can’t wait to see it, tell me more!

I watched it recently and it’s so good if I do say so myself! [Laughs] It’s based on the twelve days after Lincoln’s assassination, and it’s a real cat-and-mouse story. It was such a different role from playing a beautiful soul like Crosby in Masters of the Air, to then playing this racist, evil, maniacal Machiavellian c**t!

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And that’s a perfect lead into me asking what drives you to jump into a role?

First and foremost, I always ask, who is he? And for the last few years, I’ve been lucky to play real people, which I feel really drawn to. I like there being a blueprint. I read every letter my character Booth wrote, from age 15 to 25, and you can see his descent into this racist ideology and into a sort of madness and fixation. I like having lots of source material so you can really figure out who that person is or was. You’re breathing life into this person, so it really matters, and when you’re doing that, there are moments on set where you can just block out whatever else is happening in your own life. It allows you to dig deeper and care about the process and project.

Ok, so dead or living, who would you love to play in a biopic?

That is such a good question, I’ve never thought about it! But you know, there is a wee guy that used to own the local shop where I used to live, called Charlie McGlinchey. He used to sell out-of-date sweets and printed his own Pokémon cards! He would print them off and put them on cardboard and say, “Oh that’s a special one,” and you could see it wasn’t real, it looked like a child had drawn it! [Laughs] But I’ve always been drawn to people like that, on the fringes of society, like I love watching Timothy Spall or Toby Jones when they play real people with such humanity and free from ego. So yes, Charlie McGlinchey, coming to a theatre near you soon!

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Does acting on screen excite you as much as doing theatre? Everyone loved you in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the West End. 

Theatre is an actor’s medium, and film is the director’s final say. When you’re on stage, you’re the editor and director and you set the tone and pace, it’s a conversation between you and the audience. It’s the most alive you can feel when you’re acting. I’m doing a play this year, Long Day’s Journey into Night, with Brian Cox and Patricia Clarkson, and the last night of the show is my 30th birthday! I’m buzzing and so excited to get back on stage and do that, and again I’m playing a real person, Eugene O’Neill - it’s a play based on his life and addiction, and the toxicity of families, so quite intense!

It's been an intense whirlwind of a journey for you so far in your acting career. What do you tell yourself every day to keep your feet on the ground?

Going back to something Toby Jones said, when we did a film together – which was interesting. He said that actors are clowns for hire. So, I try to go back to that when I’m thinking about the process, because you can get caught up in the seriousness of it. You should take it seriously, especially if you’re playing real people. But at the end of the day, don’t take yourself too seriously, and don’t get too high and mighty. You know, you’re not saving lives like a doctor! My process changes with each job and I just forensically study whatever that piece is, and then when I get to work, forget it all and be as malleable as possible and try to listen to whatever the director’s vision is. Basically, don’t be a dick!

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Right Full look Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

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Discover the full story in our SS24 CRAZY LOVE Issue .

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Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Daniele Fummo

Fashion by Steven Huang

Casting by Imagemachine cs

Grooming by Tarik Bennafla at Stella Creative Artists

Set Design by Pol Mauri

Stylist’s assistant Niamh Mannion

DANGEROUSLY FUN

There is something that attracts us to danger, to the underworld, to criminals capable of making the most bloodthirsty decisions. Stories about drugs and cartels transport us to intriguing spheres, where narcos fight brutal battles, live turbulent romances and swim among thousand-dollar bills. Cuban actor Alberto Guerra is a star of contemporary Latin cinema and television thanks to the exploration he has carried out through his characters – dark and ambitious men from the criminal sphere. His roles in El Señor de los Cielos, Narcos: Mexico, or more recently Griselda have catapulted him to international fame. But Alberto has not only managed to immerse us in dangerous environments, he has also achieved the difficult challenge of going beneath the surface of his characters, giving them all the necessary complexity to make them humans with deep feelings and great dilemmas. His starring role alongside Sofía Vergara in Griselda has been a hit on Netflix and has made him stand out from the rest of the cast for being the voice of reason in a story where money and power cloud everyone else's judgement. In a very sweet personal and professional moment, Alberto, with a cigarette in his hand, smiles and remains willing to continue exploring the most macabre corners of human nature. It's going to be a dark ride and we are ready to enjoy it!

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¡Hola, Alberto! 

How are you, Juan? What time is it there? 

It's five o'clock in the afternoon in Madrid. How's everything going?

Life is going well!  I’m super happy about the success that Griselda has had. That's something we should always be grateful for. I don't do things thinking about their level of success, but it is very nice when people see one of your projects and, in addition, they come to tell you that they liked it. But beyond the professional aspect, I'm also experiencing a good personal moment. 

Tell me about the feedback you have received for your role in Griselda.

I didn't expect my character to be liked so much – receiving such positive feedback is a great reward for all my effort. I was very excited that even the details of the character had not gone unnoticed. I think there has been real communication between the audience and the series. 

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Of the array of villains we can see in Griselda, your character is the best. 

I don't know if my character is one of the good ones, but I do know that he is the character who is most right when he speaks. He speaks little, but when he does, he is precise and always right. I think that makes you feel some empathy for Darío because he is the voice of reason, but the people around him don't listen to him. What Darío says doesn't necessarily have to be something good or nice, but it’s true. In Griselda, the characters are too complex to define them either as “good” or “bad”, and that's something that I really like. They all have many nuances that make it difficult to judge them.

What do you think Darío saw in Griselda to fall in love with her?

The story of Darío and Griselda goes through many different stages, but I think what really attracts Darío to her, from the beginning, is her drive and how determined she is. Griselda is an ambitious woman who has plans and goals and is not afraid to try to achieve them. That's a characteristic that Darío didn't have and that's why he values it so much in the woman he's with. We all like to have a partner to admire and, honestly, I think Darío admired Griselda. 

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Watching the series I couldn't help but ask, can you love someone in such a bloodthirsty manner?

Griselda was very, very, very bloodthirsty. As I mentioned before, Griselda and Darío's love story goes through many different stages and I tried very hard to show how they change throughout their life together. Darío and Griselda live certain moments that mark and change them and there is no turning back. For Darío, a key moment is when he becomes a father. How does that change someone who has been murdering people since he was fourteen and who lives in the hostile reality of the 1970s? I even think that becoming a father would make the hitmen of 2024 rethink things! I insisted a lot on working on the modification of the character, his evolution from the beginning to the end. Becoming a father causes him to distance himself from Griselda, it is the beginning of the end of their story, as fatherhood puts Darío in a completely different place in his life. As their love for each other fades, Darío begins to see the real Griselda.

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Alberto, like Darío, you are also a father. How did your own fatherhood help you understand your character's situation? 

Being a father and having three children changed my life completely. I wanted the same thing to happen to Darío. I didn't want the decision to take his son away from Griselda to be arbitrary. Darío had grown accustomed to a good life, to the comfort Griselda had given him where he didn't have to kill anyone. His story could have stayed there, but then he has a son and nothing could be the same. Darío becomes a softer man and that is not well regarded in that world. For that reason, it begins to create an antagonistic relationship with Griselda.

Do you think that if Darío's ending was different, he would have ended up going back to work as a hitman? 

Yes, I think so. He didn't know any other way to make a living. I think all parents, at a certain point in life, notice how things stabilize and that our children fly free. That allows us to go back to things from our former life, from when we had different responsibilities. I mean those hobbies or activities like extreme sports or those things you stop doing when you have children. In Darío's case, I think he would have gone back to the work he knows. I also believe that he would not have been able to live a humble life, he would have wanted more and the way to get more would have been to kill for money.

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Can anyone live peacefully in that world, constantly playing the killing game?

Me, Alberto, as a normal human being, can tell you that you can't enjoy it. But in this world, there are many types of people. There are people who spend months in a submarine thousands of kilometres deep in the sea or people who are super relaxed jumping with a parachute. It all depends on the personality, but I don't think that all the people who inhabit a world as dangerous as Darío's are calm, although perhaps they end up getting used to it. Human beings end up getting used to everything. It's a very complicated question.

I have always thought that money gives you peace of mind and from that peace of mind, it is easier to be happy. But when you live in a world like Griselda's?

It is true that money can give you the peace of mind you mention, but it also gives you power. That can change everything depending on what you want in your own life. There are many powerful businessmen who could help make the world a better place, but they choose to have more, earn more money and not lose power. And power does not understand what is legal or not, it is understood by the person who has it. 

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Have you learned any lessons after playing Darío?

I've noticed that certain elements of my characters stay with me. It's not something that happens immediately after you stop playing them, it's something you realize once time has passed and that trait has become part of your life. I like to inhabit my characters and let them be the ones who leave me little memories. I think one of the most beautiful things about being an actor is that it allows you to explore the personalities of so many different people. I think it's also very important to note that you may work on several projects a year, and in those projects, you get together with a lot of creative people with whom you live for a period of time. During those months, you can share your energy and vice versa. All that energy stays inside you if you want it to because making a series or a film is a constant catharsis.

What have you been able to learn from a big Hollywood star like Sofía Vergara?

I learned a lot from Sofía, especially by watching her work. I spent many hours with her because we shared a lot of scenes. Sofía made sure that from the very first moment, there was chemistry between the team. She welcomed us to Los Angeles, which is where she lives, and made us feel at home. She helped create a real sense of camaraderie and fellowship with all of us. That allowed me to get to know her as a person and at the same time see what a great professional she is. She always treated everyone with respect, was punctual and worked very, very hard. There are people who achieve some fame and lose their humanity, but there are people who don't, who despite achieving success continue to respect others.

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You played a major drug trafficker, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, in the series Narcos: Mexico. I want to know if that experience helped you in any way to prepare for the role of Darío in Griselda. 

The story of Narcos: Mexico and the story of Griselda are very different. For me, they are stories about human beings. That's why I think both stories are not similar because the characters I played are very different even though they are connected to the drug world. The filming of both projects has been absolutely different despite having several common creators such as Doug Miro and Carlos Bernard. Narcos: Mexico was filmed by several different directors and completely in Mexico, while Griselda was directed in Los Angeles solely by Andrés Baiz with the story that Sofía had been fighting to tell. The fact that Andrés directed the whole series makes his sensibility felt in every episode. I had never participated in a TV show that only had one director, and it has been impressive.

Why do you think stories about the world of drug trafficking are so interesting? 

Because they are part of the reality in which we live. Remember during the pandemic when everyone was watching documentaries about serial killers? It's a little bit the same with stories about drug trafficking. I think people like us, who behave according to the law, are attracted to stories about people who live outside the rules. We want to understand why people do what they do. A man commits a massacre and we always wonder why he did what he did. We want to understand everything that is incomprehensible to us. We all think about crossing the line but we don't do it, yet there are people who do it and we want to know why.

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What stories interest you? 

I'm interested in narratives that explore the dark side of human nature. Those stories appeal to me as an actor and as a spectator. Those characters allow me to do things that, even if I wanted to do them, I wouldn't be able to. As an actor, I have the advantage of being able to play hitmen and drug dealers, and then go home to my family as if nothing had happened. It's a pleasure to be able to explore these complexities behind humans, even when we live in times when we try to simplify it with technology. Everything is becoming simpler and simpler and I believe that the human being is much more complicated and deeper than all that. People are full of nuances that deserve to be explored.

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Interview by Juan Marti

Photography by Sam Ramirez

Fashion by Marisa Ellison

Casting by ImageMachine CS

EIC Michael Marson

Stylist’s assistant Alexis Kossel

Grooming by Ayae Yamamoto using The Ouai

Photographer’s assistant Andrzej Lawnik

SHE’S ALL THAT

Kaya Scodelario plays characters with perseverance, challenged by lives twists and turns. There was the iconic Effy Stonem, in the throes of teenage girlhood in cult TV show Skins; Carole Ann Boone, the lover and wife of serial killer Ted Bundy in the unsettling film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, and Kat Baker, a solo skater with Olympic dreams struggling to cope with bipolar disorder, in the Netflix series, Spinning Out. Not to mention fighting off alligators as competitive swimmer Haley Keller in the movie Crawl; and rebellious, badass runaway Claire Redfield in Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City or Cathy Earnshaw in indie director Andrea Arnold’s much-lauded adaptation of Wuthering Heights. There’s nothing Kaya can’t do… and up next in her plan for world domination, she turns Cockney gangster with a manicure and wardrobe to die for, in Guy Ritchie’s new Netflix crime drama series, The Gentleman.

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Full look Zadig&Voltaire

Hi Kaya! How are you doing today?

I’m really good thanks!

So, let’s talk Susie Glass and The Gentleman! You play this smart, scary, cockney gangster who runs her father’s weed operation with an iron fist. It’s so refreshing to see the gangster genre making a woman the main protagonist, especially as it’s one of the least progressive genres of the modern era in terms of female agency and representation.

Were you excited when you got the script to see what Guy Ritchie’s vision was for Susie in this male-dominated universe?

Yes, I was really excited to see that we were going to introduce a new kind of female character into the Guy Ritchie universe, or at least one with whom we would have more time to really unpick her and establish her; find out her ticks, her power, and allow her to be vulnerable and to be fierce and everything in between. That was really exciting to me, and I loved Susie from the moment I read the description of her. I knew I could bring something kind of interesting to that, and to have fun with her, and with this show we had time to add in some nuances to her, and I love that.

Did you have some freedom in the way you wanted to play her, was Guy open to suggestions in her story?

I had a conversation with Guy early on about how I wanted to play Susie, and as we started talking, he got a read on how I am as a person, and then decided to make some changes and reshape her. I was very adamant to make sure Susie didn’t just have a love storyline or fade into the background or be cliché as a woman, and Guy really agreed with that. He helped me to have input in building her and he wanted to lean away from the cliché of women in this world. So, he had a big say on her clothes, her hair and he wanted her to be immaculately groomed, to play with the idea that she’s so well kept and stylish, with perfectly manicured nails, but she’s the head of this huge crime syndicate and she never gets herself dirtied, which is important to project the power that she has within that world.

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What was the experience of working with Guy like – did you learn anything new about your craft or develop new skills?

Working with Guy was a unique experience. He thinks on his feet and is incredibly detailed orientated but at the same time, that comes to him at the last minute. Like, we’ll all be on set ready to roll, and he’ll decide he doesn’t like what the character is wearing, or the dialogue for that scene isn’t right. So, he’ll ask the people around him what they think would work, and you can see all the puzzle pieces forming and coming together in his mind, in the moment, which is a really creative way to work, but can be quite intimidating if you’re used to directors who prepare beforehand and put all the pieces in place and so you know what’s going to happen. Guy’s the opposite of that, but it’s a great way to think on your feet and flexing a new muscle and it’s like improvisation without improvising, it’s a very interesting and unique way to work, and you can see how the scene is going to be edited in his mind while he's in that space, and you have to trust that and lean into it and you can find some real freedom in that.

How did you research and prepare for the role as Susie, to find the right essence for her?

I listened to a few podcasts about women in the mafia and crime world, but I also wanted Susie to stand on her own two feet. It’s not difficult to imagine a woman like her, with that much power, and I embrace the idea of that. I think what’s important to Susie is that it’s a family business, and whether it’s about drugs or whatever, it’s important she’s good at what she does. She’s grown up watching her father run the business and she’s now taken the reigns, and it’s how they put food on the table, it’s their bread and butter. She’s never treated as a woman within this male dominated world, she’s treated like a powerful person in this world, and that’s what I wanted, for her to stand out as someone who is really good at her job.

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Your father in the series, Bobby Glass, is played by Ray Winstone, who has a reputation for playing cockney tough nuts. Did he help you in how you hold yourself in terms of characterisation?

He might have a reputation for playing tough nuts, but he’s the biggest teddy bear in the world! He’s kind and the most incredible and giving actor first and foremost, whatever genre he’s in, and he’s very good at what he does, it was an honour to work and collaborate with him. We bonded very quickly as we grew up in the same neck of the woods [in London] and in a similar way too, so with my character it was very easy to slip into the mindset of being his daughter and wanting to impress him, as he’s a very fatherly figure anyway. He’s such a genius you want to bring your best self on set when he’s there.

This series is about how the upper classes play just as dirty as run-of-the-mill criminals. Why do you think the gangster genre is so loved?

I think we’re still fascinated by the class divide in this country and what it means, and I personally like the idea of seeing someone who’s come from nothing and is self-made and has built an empire. Whether it be from the wrong side of the tracks, or not, the finesse and the attitude and the vivaciousness to go out and just stand up there and build a family name or an empire for yourself; that’s something we all have respect and love for and enjoy. Guy [Ritchie] also does it in a really interesting way, as he makes these characters larger than life, but still fundamentally British, with all kinds of accents and everyone’s from different places and micro-cultures, and he puts that all together and unleashes it on a global scale, and it’s great to see British culture put out there in the world like that.

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We have to talk about Susie’s wardrobe on this show too! The gangster silhouette is often about the narcissistic aspect of menacing men and their suits. Then here comes utterly ruthless and effortlessly stylish Susie! There are already websites dedicated to how to imitate her outfits. Did you have any input into your character’s wardrobe and the way she styled it all up?

I love Susie’s wardrobe! It’s one of my favourite things about working on this series, and I worked with our costume designer Lulu who’s a real genius and incredible. We had this very strong idea of who Susie is; she’s somewhat a chameleon who’s able to dress to impress for any kind of situation, and understands the importance of fitting in, in these different worlds no matter what her background is, or her accent or her job title. So, when we see her in the big country estate dealing with the lords, she’ll be wearing a lot of tweed and berets and country attire. Then in the boxing gym she’s got a tighter silhouette wearing double-breasted suits, and always in sky high heels, it’s where she gets her power from. I love the fact that she’s this busy woman with so much going on, but every hair is immaculately in place! We also made the conscious decision to have these ridiculously long nail extensions which are a different colour and style in every couple of episodes. I love that she’s dealing with danger constantly, you know, having people killed, and travelling everywhere around the country, but her nails are still perfect, and that’s because she has people who do all the dirty work for her.

And are clothes your favourite drug in real life, how you would define your personal style?

Yes, I do love fashion and having fun with it, using it as a tool to express myself, whether I’m at home and doing the school run, I’m a jeans and T-shirt girl. But then when I’m travelling, I like to embrace the style within different cities, such as when I’m in New York I’ll wear a lot of heeled black boots and cashmere jumpers, usually an all-black wardrobe! But when I’m in LA, I’ll go for more of a boho beach vibe, and then in London it’s leather jackets and Doc Martens. I think that’s a really fun way to play with fashion, to adapt it to wherever you are in the world and embrace what’s culturally relevant about that city and its influence on fashion.

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So, what style decade do you most identify with?

In a dream world, the 1960s, especially for female liberation within fashion, with having the miniskirt and feminine colours and cool haircuts and it felt very expressive and fun. In what I relate to more of day-to-day, it’s probably an early 2000s vibe as that’s really when I discovered fashion and was going to events and seeing Kate Moss and Sienna Miller around and that whole festival fashion style, I still really love that era.

As a Londoner then, Camden Market or Notting Hill?

Camden Market one hundred percent!! I adore North London, and I love Camden and what it stands for, and what it used to be and what it’s turning into now. I love all the vintage stalls, where I bought my first ever Levis vintage denim shorts, and I still have lots of pieces I collected from Camden Market, it’s one of my favourite places in the world!

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Speaking of London, I also love that you’re always bigging up North London, having lived in Islington myself for years! What is about the place that keeps you here, rather than up sticks and head to LA?

It’s first and foremost where most of my friends are and I love being close to them, but as a part of London to me, it represents so many things, like the hustle and bustle of Camden Town and the vintage clothes and the indie rock seen. Then you also have the Heath [Hampstead] which is a huge area of nature where I try to go for a walk every week, and you can also discover these pockets where you’ve never been before. Like in Green Lanes, where you can get the best Turkish food in the world! It represents how unique and exciting our city can be, so big up North London! And Islington is where I grew up!

I also wanted to ask about your cultural heritage, as you’re half-Latino as your Mum’s Brazilian. Your culture is obviously important to you - do your primal emotions come out of your mouth in Portuguese or English, like, are you more Brazilian in your mindset, as your value system has kept you so strong?

I’m a combination of both cultures, as it’s how I was raised, but my emotions and my passion come more form the Brazilian side. I was lucky enough to work on a Brazilian production earlier this year, and I was in Brazil for four weeks, and walking around hearing the music and the laughter and joy, I felt like I had come home. I do have English traits too though, like I can be incredibly shy and self-conscious and self-deprecating, but I try to embrace both sides. I’m lucky to have grown up with both cultures as it’s shaped who I am. But in my core, my heart and my soul, I consider myself Brazilian first, then a Londoner and then British.

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As a bi-racial woman, do you actively seek out roles where you can portray your own story on screen, and as the industry continues towards more diversity, are you finding that those types of roles are coming up for you?

Yes, it’s something I’ve been actively looking for in the past few years, and as I mentioned, I was lucky enough to shoot on a Brazilian production, speaking Portuguese for the first time, and that was a dream come true for me. I had some insecurities around it, as I’ve never been educated in Portuguese, so I can’t read it or write it, and I’m sure I’ve probably got a bit of a Gringo accent when I’m speaking it! [laughs]. I had an identity crisis growing up, and I felt quite alone in that experience, so it would be great to tell some stories that help other people who come from Bi-racial families and mixed cultures to see themselves represented on screen, and the journey of what that’s like.

Are you decisive about roles? Do you instinctively know whether it’s a woman that you want to play? There’s not really a common thread between all your characters, so is there a particular thing about the women that you play that keeps coming back?

I can usually tell within the first five pages of reading a script if it’s something that interests me or not. First and foremost, it’s the writing, the character, and if there on the page the character seems interesting and flavourful and exciting and dynamic, then your job is half done. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case with female characters, so it takes a little longer to weed that out, and to find those characters that do feel rounded and interesting, which is a shame. I want to play a character that feels real, that I’ve met and can identify with. I’ve never met a woman who isn’t interesting, whether she be fragile or vulnerable or strong and independent, above anything else, she’s always interesting.

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I read that you really want to work with more female directors and prove that women can carry a studio film. What are the ingredients that you need from a director to feel like you can challenge yourself or feel supported in a job?

I think the role of a director is really important, as it should push you and also be collaborative, and a long-standing relationship that develops over time from the beginning when you get the script. The director should reassure you that this role is something you can find all the different notes to, and they basically need to be approachable, and you need to feel comfortable around them.  You may not always agree with them, but that’s also interesting too. I’ve been lucky enough to work with a few female directors, and I instantly feel comfortable around women as there’s a shared common knowledge of how the industry is for us and how much harder we have to work, to be taken seriously or respected, and that’s a safety net that you might not otherwise have on set.

When you’re working on sets where there are more and more women in positions of authority, has it made you look around and think that you would like to direct or write something yourself one day?

One of my goals over the next few years is to be a producer. I want to be part of a project right through to the end. I’ve had so much experience on set and in the industry, and I feel there’s only so much you can do as an actor. For me it would be so exciting to be there from the beginning, from the casting process to having a say in the world around the character, how that’s built and put together. I’ve always been fascinated by set decoration and the skill that goes into that too. I would love to collaborate with people and feel as though I’m shepherding a new generation of talent on set and working with them to tell stories that really matter to them.

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Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Ho Hai Tran

Fashion by Steven Huang

Hair by Bjorn Krischker at The Wall Group using Maria Nila

Make-Up by Kenneth Soh at TheWallGroup using Eight Day and Sensai

Set Design by Felix Villiers

Casting by ImageMachine CS

Styling’s assistant Dominik Radomski

Photographer’s assistants Robin Bernstein & Jeremy Rwakasiisi 

STYLISED EXTREMES

RARE IS IT TO FIND A YOUNG ACTOR WHO ALIGNS SO PERFECTLY WITH THE ROLE HE’S BEEN CAST TO PLAY, THOUGH SUCH IS THE CASE WITH IAN OUSLEY. THE YOUNG TALENT, KNOWN TO FANS OF THE NEW LIVE-ACTION VERSION OF AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER AS MASTER STRATEGIST SOKKA, HAS TURNED HIS CHILDHOOD FANTASIES INTO ADULTHOOD ACTING DREAMS. HE TALKS TO US ABOUT HOW MARTIAL ARTS SHOWCASED HIS ACTING TALENTS AND FINDING LOVE WITHIN.

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Left Full look STRIKE OIL

Right Full look CELINE HOMME 

You’re playing the character of Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe in this new Live-action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender and you’re trying to restore peace and save the world with Katara and Aang. How was it to play such an iconic character?

 It was such a blessing to play the role of Sokka. I grew up on the show and it was one of my main inspirations for starting to do martial arts, so it was surreal to get the opportunity to join this project. Sokka to me has always been the voice to the audience in a way and was obviously so funny in the animated show that trying to capture the essence of the character is something I took very seriously… by not taking myself too seriously. It was a balance of being free in that space while still making it fit the live-action tone of our show. 

How has being Cherokee played into how you shaped Sokka and approached portraying the character?

 Building the world of the water tribe, which is based on indigenous culture, is something that was obviously crucial for us to capture accurately. Sokka is a proud member and leader of the Southern Water tribe and as a show, everything from the set designers, costume department, to props team created the physical world for us to live in, which made it easy to melt into the story we’re telling. I’m incredibly grateful to be on Team Water tribe with such a beautiful cast of amazing indigenous actors and actresses.

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Shirt KIDILL, pants KIDILL X DICKIES 

 It’s never easy to come into a well-established franchise. How does this live-action version remain true to the original spirit of the animated series, will there be any easter eggs in this show that fans of the original series will recognise?

 There are more than a handful of easter eggs in our show that the fans will be excited to see. They’ve already found so many of them just in the teaser, which is so fun to watch. Part of what makes this project so special is that everyone working on it has such a deep emotional connection to the show and wants to make it as good as possible, which means keeping that same breath from the show we’re basing ours on. Everyone was working their hardest to bring to life their side of the world whether that be an actor with the character they were playing or the writers' room bringing the scripts to life. For me, that meant trying to fight for as much comedy as I could every day, which is such an important part of the original show. 

Did you have to learn any new skills for the role and what were they?

 We did a six-week boot camp before we started shooting, which included stunt training every day, with all four of us together for most of it. That meant that I learned how to bend all four elements, and as we all know, my character can’t bend any of the four elements. In fact, when we meet him, he really doesn’t like bending at all because it was the main cause of his trauma in the past. Most of my stunt training consisted of learning how to look “untrained” as a fighter. We worked on throwing wide punches and improper hand placements for the forms with Suki and stuff like that. 

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Pants KIDILL X DICKIES, shoes CELINE HOMME, Tank top stylist’s own 

 Talk to me about the costumes. Do you remember when you did your first fitting, how did it feel transforming into Sokka?

 It was one of my favourite parts of our show, getting to put on such intricate, detailed costumes daily, the costume designers really did such a fantastic job. The first time at the fitting with my wolf tail freshly cut and everything, was the first time any of it truly felt real. When I put on those clothes, especially my “warrior” look, it felt like I was living the real-life version of playing pretend in my room as a kid! Of course, when I was a kid, I was pretending to be Zuko, but still. 

So, how did acting come about for you?

 I got into acting through my martial arts competitions and being in the local paper for winning a state or district title. A talent scout from my hometown reached out to my mom to invite me to come audition, and being 13 years old, I’m sure I was terrible, but I was shameless. I think she saw something in me because she invited me into the class, and then I moved to Los Angeles when I was 14, (where I’m still based), and took acting classes out here. 

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Jacket STRIKE OIL

 You’re still working on learning your craft being so young and ready for what’s to come. Do you see yourself becoming more of a transformational or character actor? What are the dream roles for you?

 What a fun question! You’re right, I’m still working on my craft, and as an actor I don’t think you ever stop getting to do that honestly. What excites me right now is material that is going to stretch me equally as an actor and as a person. I love the research part of taking on a character, so a role where I could totally transform sounds really intriguing to me. I have always been drawn to extremes, so I love stylised films and then also, very realistic films. Tim Burton and Yorgos Lanthimos have been such inspirations to me on the stylised end of things, so the opportunity to jump into something otherworldly would be very enticing. A dream role for me right now would be to do something completely different from Sokka and play the villain of a story whether that be in a superhero context or otherwise.

Would you be open to playing romantic leads too, given your Instagram bio: ‘I was made for love’?

 That’s so awesome. Yes, I totally would be open to playing a romantic lead, but as for my bio, it’s meant to be more of a mission statement in a way. I think we were all made to love and truly be loved. I’ve found that sense of identity in loving God with my heart, soul, mind, and strength. 

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 Speaking of love, fashion is a passion of yours I see. There must be plenty of designers falling over themselves to dress you and make you their muse. Any favourites?

 Some of the brands that are really catching my attention right now are Maison Margiela and Acne Studios, but my personal favourite has been Hedi Slimane’s Celine as you can probably tell!

You have a clothing line called KALÓ SOIL. Tell us about that and how it came to be as well as your passion for repurposing clothing and vintage items.

 Kaló Soil is a project I joined in on with a couple of my friends. We were selling a collection of curated vintage items from the 1940s-1990s. We eventually added our own in-house collection to our brand to learn how to cut, sew, pattern, and creatively direct a brand. Some of our styles include taking patterns from our favourite vintage pieces such as a fencing jacket from the 1940s made with brand new materials with our own twist on the detailing. 

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 What are you wearing right now just in case your style icon is reading this? 

 Well, Denis Rodman, if you're reading this right now, I’m wearing some Hedi-era YSL boots, baggy raw denim Kaló Soil jeans that have some real gnarly heel drag on them, an old 3/4 sleeve French chore jacket and a Tiffany chain from the ‘70s that used to be my grandma’s. 

What about music, a fash-influencer must pay homage to the tunes too. What’s your ear porn?

 I really love music. I had a scary number of minutes racked up on my Spotify wrapped this year honestly. I’ve been listening to a lot of Blaze Foley these days. I grew up in a very musical family, so I’ve played drums my whole life. I sing every day, everywhere I go, and my friends wanna kill me for it, I’m sure!

Ok, choose one song that sums up your wish for the future.

 Let It Be by The Beatles

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Left Shirt CELINE HOMME, vest GOOD FIGHT 

Right Full look CELINE HOMME

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Discover the full story in our upcoming SS24 CRAZY LOVE Issue - mid March release.

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Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Emilia Staugaard

Fashion by Donna Lisa

EIC Michael Marson

Grooming by Stephanie Nicole Smith

Stylist’s assistant Alex Levey

SO FAR, SO GOOD

JOSH DYLAN IS STRADDLING TWO WORLDS: THERE’S THE ACTOR WHO CAN CROSS GENRES, ACCELERATING AT EACH TURN, DELIVERING INTUITIVE PERFORMANCES THAT REVERBERATE FAR BEYOND THE SCREEN; AND THEN THERE’S THE BUDDING FILMMAKER WHO WANTS TO SWERVE BEHIND THE CAMERA AND DELIVER STORIES HE’S BEEN DREAMING UP IN HIS HEAD FOR YEARS.

IT’S QUITE THE BALANCING ACT, BUT ONE THE THIRTY-YEAR-OLD LONDON-BORN TALENT IS EXCITED TO NAVIGATE, HAVING ALREADY EXPLORED HIS ABILITY TO DIVERSIFY IN THE CHARACTERS HE’S PLAYED. HIS CREDITS INCLUDE TURNS AS DREAMY YOUNG BILL IN THE MOVIE MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN, LOVE INTEREST TODD IN THE DARK COMEDY SERIES THE END OF THE F***ING WORLD AND AS ANGSTY JUDE IN THE BBC DRAMA NOUGHTS + CROSSSES. HIS SENSITIVE PORTRAYAL OF THE QUINTESSENTIALLY ENGLISH GENT LORD RICHARD MARABLE IN THE PERIOD DRAMA THE BUCCANEERS, HAS ALSO EARNED HIM A FANBASE EAGER TO SEE WHAT COMES NEXT. HERE HE TALKS TO US ABOUT HAVING DAME JUDI DENCH AS A MENTOR, HIS ROCK-STAR AMBITIONS AND WHY YOU’LL MOST PROBABLY FIND HIM IN A SAUNA.

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So aside from your obvious talent, you also have Dame Judi Dench to thank for your career right, because without her, you wouldn’t have auditioned for drama school?  

 Yes, that’s true, she was really influential when I was 16 years old, as she had come to my school to see a play which I was in, and afterwards wrote a lovely letter to the school about me. So, we met up and she said that I should be an actor and encouraged me to audition for drama school, and she’s been my mentor ever since, and a very important person in my life; that was a very formative moment for me.

Imagine if she put your name in the hat to play the next Bond having played the character of M in eight films - would you be like, hell yeah, thanks Jude!

 I mean, you would have to ask her [laughs], that would be amazing! I might give her a nudge after this call!

Well, you’ve now done theatre, film and TV – which of your roles has been the most interesting or exciting to explore and play?

 That’s a good question… I think every single job I’ve done has been a learning experience. I think there’s a great difference between doing longform TV, and films, but I would say the one I enjoyed most and felt I learned the most from, was The End of the Fucking World. I just absolutely loved it and the writing on the show was great and I had such a good time doing it.

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Pants Zegna

 You’ve also been very popular as the sensitive Lord Richard Marable in The Buccaneers; How was it working on a period drama?

 It was a process of trying to research what life would’ve been like in the 1870s and then just trying to embody that in a modern way, which was the intention of the creative team, for the show to feel relatable and contemporary. It was an interesting challenge and rewarding too. I think the men at that time had a real formality, strength, and structure to them, whereas with modern men, although this might be a sweeping generalisation; some of those walls have come down a bit, and masculinity has changed.

And then you jumped into WW2 drama, Masters of the Air, and you’re playing Lt. George Fred Niethammer. Were you familiar with Band of Brothers before signing on?

 Yes, I was a huge fan, it’s one of my favourite things I’ve ever seen. I play a very small part in Masters of the Air, I’m in and out in the last episode! I knew one of the producers, Gary Goetzman, through Mamma Mia Here I Go Again, and from that relationship with him, I came on board to this series quite late, but with a lovely small role. I was just happy to be there in that capacity, and I listened to the audio book of the original source material and it’s just extremely poignant and I think, very stirring.

Do you want to keep doing different stuff; because as you diversify you see different things as an actor, and it can change the way you nurture your craft?

 One hundred percent. I feel compelled to do that and explore different roles. Being an actor, sometimes there’s this idea that you bring yourself into roles, and the lines between yourself and a part can get blurred. So, to play someone who’s very different to you is where the fun is at, to try and transform and become someone entirely different. I love that sense of creativity and play, and you get to learn about how others think, and find out more about yourself in the process too.

‘To play someone who’s very different to you is where the fun is at, to try and transform and become someone entirely different.’

Speaking of diversifying, you’ve also appeared in the comedy movie, The Licensed Fool about a travelling court jester. Tell me more?

 I’m really proud of this short film, which I made with some close friends. It was so much fun to play this really disgusting, sweaty character with a highly dubious long straggly beard, and I think the world of medieval England with its jesters and castles is just so rich and ripe for a film. It’s always nice to make things with your friends, young filmmakers who really care about what they’re doing, it’s just a big laugh and also so freeing.

I read somewhere that you’ve also written a feature film which Gabrielle Tana is on board to produce?

 Yes, she’s on board to produce and I’m directing a story that I’ve been thinking about and working on for years, and I’m excited to see what happens! I’m also directing a short documentary which I’m so excited about, as I’m really interested in filmmaking broadly; I love acting, but to step into that different lane, behind the camera, is very enriching and a totally different process.

What about doing more theatre, as you starred in Sheppey for which you scooped the 2017 Off West End Award for Best Supporting Actor.

 I would absolutely love to get back on stage! My partner is in a play at the moment and having the most incredible time. The community you find, the freshness and the need to be present and just step up to it every night, is gold. I can’t wait to do another play.

I know that you were really into music before becoming an actor too. Does one come before the other? Are you continuing with it, or have you left it in favour of acting?

 I used to be in bands when I was at school, famously in one called Eric’s First Love, with my best mates, which surprisingly didn’t go anywhere!

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Left Polo Miu Miu, jeans Dsquared2

Right Vest and shirt Hermès, pants Emporio Armani

 Was one of them called Eric?

 No! But that name has been ageing like a fine wine ever since, it’s a great band name!

I love playing music and I just love the idea of being a rock star [laughs]. When I was growing up, the lure of being a musician was stronger than being an actor, which I came to later. But music is something I can always pick up, I love listening to it, playing stuff and eventually one day I would like to record an album, that’s on my bucket list!

So, do you ever use music to get into character?

 All the time. I think it’s a wonderful tool. I would be really interested to do a project where the actors listen to music live on set. I’m sure it’s already been done, but where you can act underscored, it would be really cool.

If you could play the lead in a biopic of a living or dead musician, who would it be?

 Oh, another good question! I was talking about Jim Morrison the other day; I think I could pull that off!

Are The Doors on any of your ultimate feel-good playlists then?

 Well, I have quite a few playlists on Spotify, most of which are private, but I used some of them when I was working on The Buccaneers, and I would also share playlists with Kristine Froseth, who was on the show. She got hold of my Spotify page and some playlists that I had just made for myself with silly names, which I forgot to make private, and she was like, ‘what’s this?!’  I was so embarrassed she found all these half-made playlists most of which were entirely Spice Girls based!

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Left Jumper Dior Men

Right Sweater Isabel Marant, jeans and belt Acne Studios

 You’ve now revealed you’re a Spice Girls fan to the world, ok?

 I want everybody to know that I’m a fan! [laughs] Genuinely, one of the songs I’ve been listening to quite a bit lately, is Two Become One.

Ok, moving on, you told me when we first jumped on to Zoom, that you’re having new windows put in your home, is this a swanky new place then? Have you become obsessed with interior design yet?

 Yes, we’ve just moved in and yes, I love all that, I’m a real nester and I’ve got my work cut out, but I love a project. The older I get, and maybe this is quite sad to admit, but the more I’m getting into DIY and the idea of making stuff really appeals to me! [laughs]

It comes to us all Josh, so it’s a shed you’ll be getting next right?

 I do want to make a shed! It might instantly fall down though, but actually, I want to build a sauna, that’s my next plan. Have you ever had a sauna yourself?

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Full look Valentino

 Funnily enough no, you know what, I haven’t, because the idea of sitting in a box sweating doesn’t appeal to me, I would rather go on holiday somewhere hot and sweat, and not be in a box, you know?

 Haha! I hear you. I love going for a sauna, but I think there isn’t really a sauna culture here in the UK, like there is among young people in Japan or Scandi countries, but I like the social side of it, you know, meeting up with friends and doing something healthy for you.

Well, I guess the next time we speak, I’ll be interviewing you inside your hot box in the garden once you finish it?

 Completely, we’ll do the interview once I’m 20mins deep into the sauna, in a cosmic meditative state!

…

Discover the full story in our upcoming SS24 CRAZY LOVE Issue - mid March release.

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Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Matt Healy

Fashion by Steven Huang

EIC Michael Marson

Casting by Imagemachine Cs

Grooming by Michael Gray

Stylist’s assistant Damini Rehal

BE MY VALENTINE

 HE LOVES ME… HE LOVES ME NOT… HE LOVES ME… WHEN IT COMES TO COREY FOGELMANIS AND JAYLAN EVANS, THERE’S NO DOUBT — THE LOVE IS UNDENIABLE. AFTER PORTRAYING A ROMANTIC DUO ON THE HIT NETFLIX SHOW MY LIFE WITH THE WALTER BOYS, THE ACTORS CREATED AN UNBREAKABLE BOND. FROM THE MOMENT THEY SAW EACH OTHER, A GENUINE FRIENDSHIP DEVELOPED BETWEEN THE TWO. NOW, THE PALS SIT DOWN WITH BEHIND THE BLINDS TO SHARE THEIR FAVOURITE MEMORY TOGETHER, THE PECULIAR STRESS OF CANDY HEARTS, AND THE VALUE OF RED FLAGS.

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COREY FOGELMANIS: Do you remember when we first met?

JAYLAN EVANS: Yeah… We were at a Covid testing soundstage, right? We had our masks on and everything.

CF: I think that was the first time we met, but I’d seen you before when we were doing a table read on Zoom. You were on this huge screen and your voice just filled the room. What was the first thing you noticed about me?

JE: Well…

CF: Did I not stand out? [Laughs]

JE: [Laughs] No, no, I’m trying to remember, it’s hard, it feels like it was so long ago. I think it was how soft-spoken you are. You have music in your voice…

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CF: I think it was the same for me. Maybe it’s because of my theatre training, but your diction really struck me. You don’t hear it often in film actors. But then, when we met in person, I noticed your eyes, they have a doe quality to them.

JE: That’s funny, when you asked, I thought of the Zoom call, not the first time being together. But when I saw you on that soundstage, I saw your eyes. My favourite colour is blue so yours just stayed in my memory.

CF: What’s funny about that is that we were both wearing masks, no wonder we remember each other's eyes, there’s not much else to remember. It’s funny that we didn’t meet on the first day since you had some complications getting to where we were. Where were you when we were doing that first table read?

JE: I was home, back in North Carolina. I was leaving for New York at the time but had to fly back to get everything I needed to travel internationally. I was at my grandma’s house when we had that first table read. Which is crazy to me because I spent my childhood there. To think I would be one day there for my first day on a Netflix series is crazy.

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CF: How did your grandma feel about it?

JE: It was endearing. She always just wants the best for me. Even though she has some technology issues [Laughs]. I’m so family-oriented so it was lovely to be able to do it at her place. I’m so grateful that I can always count on her opening her doors to me whenever I go home. So, we’ve talked about our first memory together, what would you say is your favourite out of all the ones we’ve made?

CF: I think this might be an obvious answer. Going to see the Renaissance tour with your sisters. It felt like a one-in-a-lifetime experience, not only to be there but to be together with all of you. What would you say is yours?

JE: It might seem superficial but watching Uncoupled with you. It’s just such a comforting, good show. It made me so warm and fuzzy on the inside.

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CF: I agree. It came out at the right time, just as we were wrapping up filming season one of My Life with the Walter Boys. We were this family that had been building for five months and it was coming to an end. That show gave us all some comfort, I think.

JE: It’s true. I mean, I don’t even watch TV all that much but that felt different. Speaking of this family we built, would you consider friendship a form of love?

CF: Of course. I feel like friendship can almost be the purest form of love because it’s voluntary. I find it to be very easy to lose myself in romantic relationships. Friendship feels safer in that way.

JE: I agree. The way I carry my friendships is like a form of relationship. I think your friends help you understand your morals, values, and character. It usually definitely feels like a fairer playground.

CF: Do you value romantic love or friendship more?

JE: It changes for me. Friendships are everything to me when I’m not romantically involved with someone but, the minute I’m in a relationship, they become my world. You’re my everything, above everything else. Maybe that’s just the way I love, but they automatically get the number one spot. I’m a sucker for romance, I think commitment is beautiful. It’s a choice that is so intimate, vulnerable and difficult but ultimately is so rewarding. What about you?

CF: I feel I’m the complete opposite. At least at this point in my life. I struggle with the idea of giving myself to someone. Maybe I’m waiting to become sturdy enough for it. I think I value friendships more these days because it’s more on par with how I’m living my life right now.

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JE: We’re all different, I think it’s only a matter of being on another person’s wavelength.

CF: Exactly. So, even though I think I know the answer, do you have any plans for Valentine’s Day?

JE: To be honest, I’ve never celebrated it romantically. When I was a kid, my mom would give me a gift and some extra love. I think that’s where my appreciation for the holiday comes from, the love my mom made sure to give to my siblings and me. I also used to love the candy hearts they gave out in elementary school. I never got that many, but I loved to give them to all my crushes.

CF: It’s shocking that you didn’t have many, maybe they were just too afraid to approach you. [Laughs]

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JE: What about you? Do you celebrate?

CF: I don’t really. I think it always depends on whether I’m seeing someone or not. But I much prefer Halloween as a concept. I even make spooky playlists every year. Redirecting the conversation away from fear and back to love, what did you love most about playing Skylar on My Life with the Walter Boys?

JE: I guess I see myself in him a lot. But, besides that, I admire how much he puts others before himself. Even when he opens up romantically, it’s something I strive to do, to be. He’s also involved with everyone. I feel he’s so in his community.

CF: You’re right, when I was watching it for the first time, I realized he does have his hand in multiple different stuff. In my case, Nathan is just a little boy. He sits in a corner, he’s gay and he plays the guitar…

JE: What’s your favourite part of Nathan? Besides being gay and playing a guitar. [Laughs]

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CF: [Laughs] When I was watching it back, my perception shifted. I saw a kid trying to find himself. He has no idea how to conduct himself with people, he comes off a little too strong, but he’s trying to figure out how to express himself.

JE: I think that’s the best part about all these characters, there’s so much growth to be done. Which ultimately is so relatable and fitting, especially at the age they’re on. I find that so charming. Every person has their red and green flags, I feel like it’s an authentic depiction of growth.

CF: [Laughs] Everyone has red flags, everyone is flawed. I think depicting anything else is unreasonable, honestly. Well, having said that, it was lovely being able to talk to you again. I missed you.

JE: Me too. We’ll talk soon!

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Facilitated by Pedro Vasconcelos

Photography by Hadar Pitchon

BORN THIS WAY

RAFF LAW was born to entertain. So don’t assume that the young musician-turned model-turned-actor booked his way onto our screens purely on the strength of his last name, although it’s not a bad gene pool to come from when it comes to both looks and acting talent. No, this famous progeny is refreshingly forging his own evolution in the spotlight, landing a part in the World War II drama series Masters of the Air, and before that he appeared in the films Repo as Young Remy, and in the dark yet comedic short horror film, Running Man as Fred Love. His breakthrough project came though, in the lead role as Oliver Twist in the 2021 film Twist, a modern re-telling of the Dickens tale.

As the 27-year-old talent rises to prominence, it’s refreshing that Law isn’t content to coast on his celebrity roots, he wants to show the vast spectrum of his acting chops, and with dreams to realise, he’s navigating life on his own terms.

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Before we discuss Masters of the Air, can we talk a little bit about what else you’ve been up to - any other new projects, or personal endeavours you’ve been curiously exploring?

Yes, since I finished filming Masters, I’ve been auditioning for lots of projects and I moved to Los Angeles where I live with my girlfriend now, and I’m just really enjoying the process of going up for different roles and figuring out more about myself in those auditions. I’ve also done a few acting courses and shot a film in Athens, and I have a bunch of cool projects on the horizon, so just keeping focused and keeping my head down!

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 Ok, so, back to Masters of the Air, it’s been over two years since you finished filming. Looking back on that period of making it, were you nervous? were you excited for it to come out?

 When I first got the role, it was really overwhelming and exciting for me, and it was everything I had been working towards, and with filming, playing a real person, you have that added pressure; but I used that pressure and the sense of the role being bigger than me, to really help bring these real men’s stories to life. We as a cast all helped each other and put in a lot of work. I would say the last few years waiting for it to come out, when speaking to friends and family, I was nervous, simply because I wanted to do my best, and now it's out I’m really proud of the work we all did.

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 Were you familiar with Band of Brothers before signing on to this epic WW2 war drama which is the next instalment? It’s surely every lad’s dream to be involved in this.

 Definitely. I remember my best friend showing me Saving Private Ryan as a kid, as it was his favourite film, and it completely blew me away, and we both loved WWII dramas and films. I watched Band of Brothers in my early teens, and I think it’s the best TV show that I’ve ever watched, and I’ve seen it repeatedly! Just to be able to carry on that legacy with Masters, and be a part of that, is so special.

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“I’m at a place where I really want to showcase my versatility and do different projects.”

Your character, Sgt. Lemmons, is a mechanic who worked on the planes but didn’t fly them. How did you get into his mindset because he might not have been navigating these missions; but he was responsible for whether they go well or not. He’s like an unseen hero really?

 He really is, he wrote a book called The Forgotten Man, the mechanic, which was extremely helpful to me, and I used it to try to put myself in his shoes. I read it a couple of times before filming and kept it with me whenever I needed to dive into a scene. I also spoke to his family too, and I found it so special to be able to tell his story and that of the ground crew, as they rarely get that screentime or narrative in these stories, and yet they’re working day and night to make sure these planes fly. Not only that, but the psychological effects these missions would have on the ground crew were immense, because when the planes weren’t coming back, you know, having to deal with that mentally, you just can’t compare anything to it. He [Ken Lemmons] was just 19 years old and in charge of 50 men, so there was a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. He really inspired me in a lot of ways.

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 How was it adopting Lemmons’s heavy Arkansas accent too, did you have a dialect coach, as you’re very much a Londoner. Did you practice with friends and family, any funny recollections?

 I am very much a Londoner at heart! So, this was my first opportunity to show my dialect range, and there were two great coaches on Masters of the Air, and I had worked on different American accents, but once I knew Ken was from Arkansas, I watched lots of videos online to help, and we gave him a thick Southern accent. Then a week before we started filming, his family sent a video of him, and his accent wasn’t as strong, so we dialled it down a bit. I and the rest of the guys in the cast tried to stay in accent quite a bit, and my rule was always, once I put my boots on, then I’m in full character. I also went home to London for a while before filming started, and I would be sat watching football or something on the TV, and I’d put on my American accent and my friends would be like, oh can you stop that now for a bit! I would also go to my local supermarket and talk to the staff who know me there in the same accent, which they found strange! I liked playing around and seeing people’s reactions to it!

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 Speaking of reactions, what was yours when you knew you would be joining in a boot camp with military veteran Dale Dye, who’s worked on so many epic films, to prepare for this series. How was that?

 The boot camp was an incredible experience. Dale Dye has the formula, and it was to install this ‘crew glue’ as it was called, a camaraderie, and he had all of us in the cast marching, which is something the pilots and ground crew wouldn’t obviously do. But he wanted us to feel and move as one, and I remember on the second or third day, I heard all of us moving in unison, and it was just the most amazing feeling, and quite rare to experience. We also went through bonding and physical group exercises and there was so much going on, and it set the ball rolling for us as the cast to be a tight knit group of guys who had each other’s backs, without ego or competition.

 Yes, so how was the vibe with you all, particularly Austin Butler and Callum Turner, as you share a few scenes with them? Did any of their acting skills feed your hunger to want to explore and achieve more yourself?

 Austin and Callum always made everyone feel supported and gave good advice. But I took the whole process in my stride really, and working with their different styles was great, and it would’ve been silly not to try and soak up some tips!

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 Did you see Austin as Elvis? Any star living or dead you would jump at the chance to play on the big screen?

 Yes, he was brilliant, I saw the film at a screening in London, and I got to take my little brother who’s a huge Elvis Presley fan! I’m a big music fan, I love bands, stuff like The Beatles, but there are so many people I like, so I couldn’t choose one that specifically comes to mind, to play on the big screen. However, I would love to do something where I could showcase my own music within a role.

Yes, because you’re a talented musician too.  Do you find you’re able to express yourself the same way between acting and music, or are they separate worlds for you?

 I feel a comfortability in story telling which I used to feel with playing live with my band, although for now I’m just focused on acting. Music will always be a hobby and I love writing music, it’s like a level of meditation for me in many ways, I find it healthy to write about my life and see how that transcends into the music. But I think there’s an element with acting that I don’t really feel with anything else in my life.

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 What about dream roles or projects then? If you had a chance to really showcase what you’re capable of acting-wise.

 I’m at a place where I really want to showcase my versatility and do different projects; I don’t want to be doing the same things over and over, but I’m also appreciative of whatever comes my way. I’m not trying to set myself goals, but I would like a role with lots of grit with a big character arc, with depth.

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 So, with moving to LA and all your new projects, how do you feel about the trajectory of your life right now? Is there a plan, or are you just pursuing things you love without putting pressure on yourself?

 There’s definitely a plan of some sort, you know, I’ve spent a year in a new country which has been a really great experience, and I have a great team around me. But I’m not putting pressure on myself, I’m just keeping my head down and focusing and enjoying what comes my way. At the end of the day, if I’m living a healthy, happy life, and I have all my friends and family around me who I love, that’s where I like to keep my focus.

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Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Elliott Morgan

Hair & grooming by Paul Donovan

Casting ImageMachine Cs

COMPLEXITY IS THE PRIORITY

MYHA’LA HERROLD IS EMERGING AS A COMPELLING FORCE IN HOLLYWOOD. FROM HER BREAKOUT PART IN HBO’S INDUSTRY, TO HER MOST RECENT ROLE IN THE NETFLIX FILM LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND, SHE IS SHOWING THE WORLD HER UNDENIABLE TALENT IN BOTH TELEVISION AND FILM. ALONG THE WAY, MYHA’LA’S COMMITMENT TO PORTRAYING HUMANITY, IN ALL ITS CONTRADICTIONS AND COLOURS SHINES THROUGH. WITH HER WORK, SHE IS CHALLENGING STEREOTYPES OF WHAT IT IS TO BE A BLACK WOMAN, AS SHE BRINGS MULTIFACETED CHARACTERS TO LIFE. MYHA’LA TRANSFORMS HER CHARACTERS INTO MORE THAN JUST ROLES — THEY BECOME VESSELS FOR AUTHENTIC STORYTELLING AND CELEBRATIONS OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE AND ALL ITS COMPLEXITIES.

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Dress & necklace Chanel, tights Wolford

Congratulations on the success of Leave the World Behind, which has been dominating Netflix towards the end of 2023. How are you feeling?

I'm super proud. When people like the work, that’s the best. I'm glad that people are enjoying it. I'm very proud of us.

What was it like working with industry giants like Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke?

It was great. They are giants in their careers and legacies, and giants as human beings — in terms of their kindness, work ethic and respect. I was very much treated like a peer from day one. It never felt like anyone had the need to hold my hand through something, or wasn’t pushing me because they didn't know if I could keep up. I felt very well-respected from day one, which is a testament to them as human beings and as professionals. It was great.

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Dress Valentino, tights Wolford, shoes Marc Jacobs

 What was your first thought when you saw the script? How did it cross your path?

I got an audition. It came through the email. Before I read the script, I was given a description of the project; who's in it, and all of that. I saw the cast and that Sam Esmail was directing, and I was like, "Yeah, whatever it is, I'm down," just from that alone. Then I read the sides and the audition material and got an idea of who Ruth was, and I was into that. I was particularly excited for all the back-and-forths that Julia and I have. What an awesome opportunity to not only work alongside someone like her, but also get to snap at her.  In what world do you get that opportunity to really go for it with someone who's going to give it back to you like that? Everything about it was an A+ for me.

Do you have a favourite memory or favourite part of the experience when you look back on this chapter of your career and what it was like shooting it or even promoting it?

I think there are so many takeaways from everything that you do. I feel like I'm always learning. I will always be learning. I hope I never get to a place in my life or work where I feel like I have nothing to learn. But one of the biggest takeaways is watching these people who have so much star power be so regular. They are just people. None of their star power has made them jaded or unkind. They're respectful, kind, hardworking human beings. They're inclusive. The way Julia commands a set as she leads with so much integrity and kindness. She knows everyone's name. She looks everyone in the eye. It was really great. It felt like a community.

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Left Top, bracelets and scarves Emporio Armani, tights Wolford

Right Full look Marc Jacobs, tights Wolford

 You initially planned for a career as a theatre actress with Broadway aspirations. When did you decide to take that shift into TV and film? What prompted that for you?

It wasn't really intentional if I'm honest. I graduated college and I started working with my manager, who’s out of LA and is mostly TV and film geared. So 80% of the auditions I was getting were for TV and film, and that's literally just because there's more work in TV and film. There's plenty of work, but not a lot of work on Broadway or off-Broadway. The community is just a lot smaller. So I was auditioning more there, and after my first couple of gigs — my first bit of TV or my first indie — I felt like these roles that I was auditioning for, or the projects in which I was getting a lot of positive feedback and making a lot of friends in casting, were stories of people who I could relate to or see a bit of myself in. Stories that I felt particularly passionate about telling. I'm not sure that I ever felt like, "Oh, I want to tell this story,” in theatre or in musical theatre. I was like, "I want to sing. I just want to go be a storyteller," and I wasn't really specific about what kinds of stories I was passionate about telling. I really discovered that through my relationship with TV and film.

You’ve portrayed a variety of dynamic and complex characters that are so different. From Harper in Industry, to Jordan in Bodies, Bodies, Bodies. How important is it for you to be intentional about your roles?

I think a lot of people feel like — and I think this is true to a degree — when you're just starting out, you have to say yes to opportunities. The more you say yes, the more you find out when and how to say no. But it's been pretty easy for me to say no. I feel like I've been incredibly intentional from day one about the things that I want to do. I don't want to do work that I'm not passionate about. If I feel like I'm not the right person for the job, then I can't do it with integrity or authenticity. If I don't like it, then I'm not going to be committed. So I feel like the intention is yes, to a degree, what messaging am I putting out into the world? And the other one is I want to be happy when I do my work.

Corset Stella McCartney

To that point, through your work, you've also been able to challenge conventional narratives of Black womanhood on screen. Is that something that you connect with personally — existing beyond conventional narratives?

Yes. I think when it comes to all of my characters, I'm attracted to them because I relate to them - they don't fit into a box or stereotype of what we believe or what our media is telling us Black people or Black women are. Just by the nature of me portraying them, I hope I’m expanding the representation of Blackness on screen. There's a lot of debate in the comment sections about whether or not Harper is a good person, and that's not the point to me. I think I said this recently, that "I like these people that I portray, and people call them complex because they are more than one thing." I find one-sided characters to be quite boring and also just not very real. I'm many things. I hold a lot of contradictions and duality.  I think that's important, not just to check a box and say, "Look at the colours of the rainbow that we have on screen." To let them be human, all of them, in the many contradictory things that they happen to be. It's not necessarily about putting idealism on screen or telling you, "All Black people are like this," or "All Black women are like that." Representation should mean putting humanity up there in all the shades and colours.

You mentioned your breakout role in Industry. Do you remember how you felt when it first came out? From there to now, where are you as an artist? 

When the show came out, it was November of 2020, deep COVID, and I was alone. I was very alone. I wasn't even home for the holidays because I couldn't travel. There was no premiere. There was no getting together and doing a screening. There was none of that. So it felt quite surreal. It was one of those things where I was like, "Did it even actually happen?" So I was excited, but still quite unsure when it came out, because I didn't really know how people were going to respond to it. As the show has evolved, the audience has grown. When season two came out, we garnered a larger audience. Then, I felt a little more secure, especially as a person and as an actor. Because it was my first time leading a show, my first time being a season regular, and my first time living outside the country for X amount of time. We have some really amazing actors who are joining us in the third season because they respect the show, and that feels really good. I feel really proud of how far all of us have come because we have all essentially grown up with the show as well. It changes every two years. When it comes out, we are all different. We are all older. So yeah, it's a nice place to arrive.

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 How do you see your career evolving over the next few years? Are there any other genres that you want to explore? 

I'm really quite down for any and most things. Although horror, I still have a really hard time with. Just because I'm really easily frightened, and doing scary movies is one of the most exhausting things. because you're pretending to be scared, but your body doesn't know that it's not real. So you go home absolutely wrecked every day. I'd like to dip my toes in all genres. I hope that I continue to do work that moves me, that I'm passionate about. I'm lucky enough that I get to make a living off the thing I was doing for fun as a child. If I can continue to live that dream, it will be a blessing.

…

Discover the full story in our upcoming SS24 CRAZY LOVE Issue - mid March release.

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Interview by Jameelah Nasheed

Photography by Daniel King

Fashion by Aryeh Lappin

EIC Michael Marson

Casting by Imagemachine Cs

Production by Luke Perron & Fiona Lennon at HomeAgency

Hair by Courtney Ainey

Make-Up by Shyanna Beaujour

Stylist’s assistant Ella Christensen

LOVE AND SUPERPOWERS

WE CAUGHT UP WITH RISING STAR IÑAKI GODOY TO TALK ABOUT SUPERPOWERS, GETTING STRETCHY, AND THE PRESSURE OF ADAPTATIONS, IN HIS BREAKOUT ROLE AS MONKEY D. LUFFY IN NETFLIX’S FANTASY ADVENTURE ONE PIECE.

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Left Full look Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

Right Knitwear N21

Iñaki, you’ve been working in film and TV since you were 11 years old in your native Mexico, but your international breakthrough came with your Netflix debut in Who Killed Sara and playing Luffy in the fantasy live-action adventure One Piece. How did this all start for you?

 I can’t remember a time when acting wasn’t a part of who I am. My mom signed me up for musical theatre lessons when I was 4 years old, out of instinct. She just knew the stage was the place where I belonged. I studied theatre for many years until I made my TV debut at 11 years old. Since then, I’ve continued working on many different projects and, thanks to a lot of hard work and amazing luck, life took me to One Piece. However, even though I’ve been acting for some time, I feel like this is just the beginning.

So, what’s it been like portraying the character of Luffy? The series pays homage to its anime roots and has such a massive fan base globally, so did you feel any pressure taking on the iconic character and the expectations from fans?

 There was a lot of pressure. One Piece means a lot to many people around the world, but I knew that all I could do was try my best and have fun. A huge part of One Piece and Luffy’s character is the sense of adventure, friendship, and fun. So, if I could have a positive experience shooting, that energy would translate to the rest of the team and to the final product. Playing Luffy pushed me to be a more confident version of myself, and inspired friendship throughout the entire team. We all genuinely cared about the story, and when you do something with love, it tends to go right. We all loved the project, and I love playing Luffy.

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Shirt & shorts Prada, shoes stylist’s own

 I read somewhere that you made everyone laugh in your audition for the role.

 I knew Luffy was a very energetic character, so my best shot at the audition was doing something unique by getting out of my comfort zone. Going into the audition I wanted to be over the top, do some weird things, and it worked! I’m happy I trusted my instincts. 

 When can we expect season two and what can we expect from it? 

 You can expect more adventure! We are all putting our 100% into making the upcoming season the best it can be, and although I can’t say much, I’m sure it’s going to be amazing.  

Left Full look Dior Men

Right Full look Emporio Armani

How did you approach bringing Luffy to life, how did you find the balance between the Straw Hat captain's many personality traits? Were there aspects of him that didn’t come to you naturally?

 The first thing I focused on was doing research. I read the manga and watched the anime to the point where I felt I knew Luffy’s key traits. After that, it was just a matter of finding a way to translate his energetic, kind, and even mysterious, personality into live action. I realised that I would have to make certain decisions that would be risky, and maybe not liked by everyone. I had to exaggerate at times, because that’s who Luffy is, but in a way where it wouldn’t feel out of place or forced. Knowing I could trust my team to tell me when things worked and when they didn’t, I tried experimenting with my physicality in a new way. Actors like Jim Carrey and Rowan Atkinson were a big reference for what I wanted to try. I have a lot of Luffy’s personality inside me, but reminding myself of that was a hard, and very personal, process. For me, finding that positivity and confidence in myself was the hardest and most rewarding part of playing him. 

 I would imagine approaching how to play his odd physicality was challenging, he’s very bendy! His superpower is that he ate Devil Fruit and gained the power of rubber. Would you like this superpower in real life? How do you think you would use it?

 Of course! I would use it to turn off the light switch from the comfort of my bed. Or at a nightclub to try some weird dance moves. My stretchy abilities would be limited to daily life circumstances, like picking up the TV remote without standing up!

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Shirt & shorts Fendi, shoes Tod’s

 Luffy’s superpower also reminds people to have dreams, be optimistic and believe in themselves. Is that how you’ve got to where you are today, through self-belief, and what have been the challenges along the way you’ve overcome?

 I’ve always believed in myself, and my dreams. Don’t get me wrong, I have many anxieties and fears. But experience has shown me that I can still do the things I have to do even if I don’t think I can. So deep down, I trust that power inside me. I have faced many challenges throughout my career, but most of the time just showing up and trying my best keeps me moving forward. I’m where I am now thanks to a lot of hard work and determination, but also because of the support from the people who love me, like my family. The truth is luck has played a huge part in my career. Somehow, the opportunity to audition for Luffy found me at the right place and time. It’s like magic, and I’m grateful for the opportunities I have received. I will continue to give all of my effort to every single project I do because I love acting. 

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Left Full look Alexander McQueen

Right Full look Emporio Armani

 Speaking of dreams, and all the amazing opportunities that are going to come your way, do you have any dream directors or actors you admire and really want to work with?

 My favourite movie from last year was Everything Everywhere All at Once, so to work with the Daniels would be amazing. Also, any legendary director would be a dream come true, Cohen, Tarantino, Spielberg… but honestly, I would love to work with young actors and directors! New voices are always exciting, and I wonder what stories are yet to be told.

And what kind of genre or story would you like to be part of next?

 I want to do something very different to Luffy, it would be so much fun. I think I’m the type of actor who wants to try every single genre and character, so who knows what will happen next. I just want to do something that is exciting and challenging, with people who have interesting visions.  I do have one dream role though, a villain. But not just any type of villain. A horrible villain, someone who kind of enjoys being mean! I also dream of starring in my own movies, where I’ve directed and written them. I believe that is the one thing I must do, make my own film. 

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Left Full look Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

Right Full look Kenzo

 Now that you’re on this upward trajectory, what’s next? How about the Oscars, is that something you ever dreamed of attending? How do you feel about the idea of making Hollywood blockbusters and potentially going to award shows?

 I would love to win an Oscar! I already have my speech ready - I’ve practised it in the shower a million times! I want to have a long and interesting career, full of many different types of projects. Honestly, I am not sure where I might go next, but I’m going to do my best once I get there! I have big ambitions and many dreams to accomplish. I don’t have a perfect plan, but there’s nothing stopping me either! If I do things with passion, I will be happy.

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Discover the full story in our upcoming SS24 CRAZY LOVE Issue - mid March release.

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Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Raphael Molina 

Fashion by Gorge Villalpando

EIC Michael Marson

Casting by Imagemachine Cs

Production by Juan Villalpando & Tamara Presqueira

Grooming by Anna Bernabe

Stylist’s assistants Olivia Spina and Cerys Davies

IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS

AUSSIE SUPERSTAR PHOEBE TONKIN IS BACK, THIS TIME PLAYING A VULNERABLE CHARACTER IN NETFLIX’S LATEST MINI-SERIES, BOY SWALLOWS UNIVERSE. ALTHOUGH THE SHOW DEPICTS HEAVY TOPICS OF DRUG ABUSE AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, TONKIN SAYS THAT THE ATMOSPHERE ON SET REMAINED JOYFUL AND POSITIVE, WITH A FOCUS ON CONVEYING A MESSAGE OF HOPE. WHAT’S NEXT? TWO FEATURE FILMS IN 2024 - KID SNOW AND AND ON THE EIGHTH DAY, AS WELL AS A DESIRE TO EXPLORE SOME MORE DIRECTING OF HER OWN IN THE FUTURE.

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I first encountered you in H20: Just Add Water, a magical show that only spanned over three years but influenced so many childhoods. What was it like for you growing up with that show? Also, have you seen the “Oh Naur, Cleo” memes? 

I went so quickly from school to working 12-hour days that I didn't really have anything to compare it to. It was like jumping in the deep end and I had no choice but to learn or I would probably be fired. I’m to blame for everyone thinking that all Australians speak like that, because that’s not the case. I was hoping I didn’t say “no” too much in Boy Swallows Universe. It's sweet to think of newer generations watching it because it’s been on Netflix for so long. I think what people loved about it back in the day, and seem to still love about it, is that there wasn't anything sassy about it. We didn't really care about boys, we cared about our friends and not getting caught.

Following H20, you played small roles in soaps like Packed to the Rafters and Home Away. Would you say that Australian soap operas are also incubators for Hollywood superstars? 

 In Australia, there's just not that many jobs. It's quite a small industry so it's like a right of passage. The same way that I had lived with H2O, here, you're not working 2 hours a day… you are learning 12 pages of dialogue every day! It's as hardcore of a learning experience as it gets. I would almost argue that every one of those actors sees it as one of the harder jobs because there's just so much, you're working every day and moving so fast. When I went on Home and Away, I realised that you get one or two takes, and then you’re moving on, so you better hope that you know the lines for the next seven scenes until you can go home. 

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You transitioned into the American market on the CW network with a show called The Secret Circle. I loved that show, I was ready for witches to become the NEW fantastic trope. How does an actor deal with a series being cancelled? 

 That was a unique situation because Kevin Williamson who did The Secret Circle had done Dawson's Creek and The Vampire Diaries. So when he called to tell me The Secret Circle had been cancelled, that same phone call was to tell me that they had a part for me on The Vampire Diaries. But I was really sad when I got the call because I did love that show. I'm still so close with the actors, they're all my best friends and have been since we shot that.

But also thank god for the cancellation because we wouldn’t have discovered you in The Vampire Diaries franchise as Haley. What did you take away from being a part of The Vampire Diaries and the spin-off The Originals participating in yet another influential fantastic universe?

 If H20 felt like a high school experience, then this definitely felt like college. We all lived in apartments in the same area. We all went to the same restaurant every weekend, to the same bar after the restaurant. It was very close knit. There was something safe and special about being in Atlanta together, working crazy hours together. I was excited to explore new things but I felt really safe in Atlanta.

Boy Swallows Universe, based on the coming-of-age novel by Trent Dalton, is an intense story about a family entangled with crime in Australia. How did you feel when you first read the script? Have you already read the book prior?

 I was given the book as a Christmas gift a few years earlier and I was very well aware of Trent Dalton. It was a great resource to have and John Collee, who wrote the series, did an amazing job at adapting it. It's always hard to adapt such a beloved book and a story that everyone, especially in Australia, loves so much. It was really nice to be able to draw from the book, especially in the details. For example, when my character Frankie goes to pick up the Atari with Lyle and the boys, she’s wearing a Rolling Stones t-shirt that she’d had since she was younger, and suddenly she feels really out of place wearing that in the suburbs. Those specific little details from the book allow you to focus on things. Sometimes in scripts you don't really get the backstories, you don't get to feature them as much. 

The show depicts graphic criminal activity shown through a kid’s perspective. How did that affect your portrayal of Frankie, the protagonist’s mother?

 It was written through Eli's perspective which helped because when I was thinking about some of the really traumatic scenes, I focused on what pieces he would notice as a kid. For example, the scene where Frankie is coming off drugs, in his 12-year-old mind, that’s as much of a horrifying scenario as it gets. I really wanted to focus on making sure that even just my hair looked quite scarring and frightening so that physically it replicated what he was imagining. This story is being told by an adult, an older Eli revisiting his childhood memories. So what would you remember from that moment? Would you remember the dirt under the fingernails? The sweat on the t-shirt? 

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That scene was really impactful. How did you prepare to embody your role? 

 I read a lot of stories online. I really focused on addicts writing letters to their family members explaining that the situation is out of their control. Addiction is a disease and they're not trying to hurt their loved ones. They're not trying to hurt themselves, they're in so much pain, they're suffering so much and this is just as bad for them as it is for their loved ones. So that was really important [for me] to ground Frankie. At the end of the day, she just wants to be the best mum she can be. I looked at this woman who was trying her best with what she had at that moment. On the other side of that, a lot of the moments that we see Frankie in, she is healthy. So if anything, most of my focus was on recovery and people who have gone through traumatic experiences and successfully came out of it. 

The series highlights a lot of important issues like the broken prison system, drug abuse in Australia and domestic violence. What would you say the show wanted to denounce? 

 Drugs are some people's only option. Lyle is dealing to take care of his family. That is the only option that he sees within the restraints of his life that he has to get his family out of this situation that they are in. So I think that there's this sense of compassion that the show has for that world. Even with the domestic violence aspect, it was obviously really difficult to film, but again, it showed that Frankie moved into it trying to make a safe home for her children. And that scene where she is breaking plates after she sees this literal representation of a family dinner being destroyed by Terry’s dogs is some kind of breaking point for her. 

It's poetic, there’s a lot of symbolic imagery which serves as a foreshadowing. What do you want people to take away from the show?

 As cliché as it is, the idea that what doesn't break you makes you stronger. Sometimes those really hard moments are what shapes you as a person and dictates the way in which your life can go. I think that's why Trent made this book. 

…

Discover the full story in our upcoming SS24 CRAZY LOVE Issue - mid March release.

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Interview by Gabrielle Valda Colas

Photography by Olivia Malone

Fashion by Carolina Orrico

All clothes Chanel

Casting by Imagemachine Cs

Hair by Hikaru Hirano

Make-Up by Kara Bua

Set Design by Kelly Infield

Stylist’s assistant Mari Enos

LUST FOR LIFE

Carlos Cuevas has a special charm. I wouldn't know how to describe it, maybe it's because of his smile, his charisma, because of that mix of sex appeal and sweetness that makes absolutely everyone fall in love with him. Since he became the crush of all of Spain with his leading role in Merlí, Carlos became a golden boy of cinema and television. But the boy has grown up and with effort has been building a career as an actor full of emotionally juicy roles with which the young Catalan has explored the difficulties that human beings face when it comes to relating to each other. The repression in Manolo Caro's Someone Has to Die, to the lack of communication in Smiley without forgetting his Pol Rubio in Merlí with whom he managed to communicate the concerns of a very young generation that was facing an uncertain adulthood. Carlos has managed to convey all of this with his vulnerability and courage making him one of the most beloved young actors on the European scene. Now, after starring in the unclassifiable and acclaimed film La Ternura, Carlos is willing to take on challenges and surprise an audience that is eager to follow him in this new chapter.

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Left Jumper Carlota Barrera

Right Jacket & pants Ferragamo, tank top GCDS

How strange these days are, we almost have no daylight, they make me miss summer a lot.

 Oh, I had such a good time this summer! I finished shooting a movie and then I was able to go on vacation with my friends and have a very quiet summer.

What movie was it that you finished shooting?

 One was directed by Marcel Barrena, the director of the movie Mediterráneo. It is titled El 47, also stars Eduard Fernández, and is about an act of peaceful dissidence and the neighborhood movement that in 1978 transformed Barcelona and changed the image of its suburbs forever. Once filming finished, my friends and I went on an adventure. One of our guys lives in the United States, he has been there for a year and we all went to look for him to bring him to Spain and we took the opportunity to visit places like San Francisco, the Colorado Canyon, and Las Vegas... they were incredible days.

What did you think of the United States?

I have visited the country a couple of times already, but every time I return, I can see things from a new perspective. I liked the rural areas we visited; the landscapes were incredible. However, I also feel a little internal conflict about how the United States works. I think fewer and fewer people believe in the American dream.

Would you like to start working there?

I would like to work there as much as in France or Germany, for example. In the United States, some very talented people undertake incredible projects, and I know that I would love to be part of them. I once read an interview with Tom Holland where he said that he loves filming in the United States but isn't very into Hollywood. I think maybe the same thing would happen to me. But I'm not Tom Holland, nor do I expect some executives from Los Angeles to call me tomorrow.

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Left Full look Prada

Right Full look Loewe

What did you do after returning from the United States?

I went to the Costa Brava, here in Spain, to rest with other friends in a summer house and visit towns, read, and swim. I think I've decided to take things easy. This fall, I had a shoot, but it was delayed, and I have decided not to accept other projects because I preferred to rest a little.

I'm curious about the books you've been reading. Can you tell me about any?

Sure! I have been reading "The Most Secret Memory of Men" by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, also some books by Annie Ernaux or Édouard Louis. I have also read "Violado o Muerto" by Isabel Valdés since it is closely related to the next play in which I am going to participate. It is called "Jauría" by Miguel del Arco.

I know that play. I saw it in Madrid a couple of years ago.

That's how it is. It is about the La Manada rape case, which shocked the entire country. We are going to perform the play this time in Barcelona with a Catalan cast. I have been learning a lot about everything that happened.

"Jauría" is one of the most controversial and acclaimed plays of recent years. But as an actor, it is quite a challenge due to its great intensity.

When I was much younger, I participated in many plays, but then they began to offer me many film and television projects that I did not want to reject and that I wanted to do. That's why I put theater aside. At some point, they offered me some play again, but I couldn't commit, and I always felt like getting back on stage because I knew it was a place I never wanted to get off of. When they offered me this project in the spring, I organized my schedule to be able to do it, and I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with Miguel and also to talk about such an important social issue. I think there is something in me, like in many of my colleagues, that feels very attracted to the social and political part of the projects. You have mentioned that you saw the play in Madrid.

Yes, a few years ago.

It is the same work directed by the same director.

Well, I have to tell you, man, you are a brave actor.

I’ve been warned, yes. I was able to speak with some of the actors who participated in the Madrid performances, and they warned me that it was a very intense work. As a man, it forces you to review certain behaviors because you play characters on the edge, very convulsive, who tell a tremendously hard situation that not only affects the audience but also the actor. I wanted to explore those dark corners and do it in my city, Barcelona. But also because of the acting challenge it entails since I have had to face several struggles throughout my progression as an actor. One of the biggest has been separating myself from a teenage character.

Are you referring to Pol Rubio, your famous character from the TV show Merlí?

Yes, but it is normal that when you do something with such success, you are offered very similar roles. After Merlí, I could have played many other teenage and university students in a romantic comedy. And it's not that I don't like romantic comedies, I had a great time in that type of fiction but I felt the concern of doing something different, and "Jauría" is completely different from everything I have done so far. It is a play with a social side, a very adult character that even his accent is difficult since he is Andalusian.

You have talked about the challenge of detaching yourself from Pol Rubio, and I think you have achieved it because you have been playing very, very different roles. How do you keep your head from going crazy?

Sometimes very different projects have overlapped, one of three from another, and I have felt like my head was exploding! This fall I will combine the play with the shooting of a film that is completely different. I guess it's all about having experience, about training your acting muscles. But, yes, it is complicated, but no more than any other job.

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Jumper Carlota Barrera & pants Fendi

Jauría is a project of great intensity, and some actors like to jump into the void without hesitation.

Yes, it is a very, very intense project. But I like those projects that make you feel that you are not acting but living it. Coming home and realizing that I have cried, I have been angry... that I have made my body experience strong emotions fills me with satisfaction.

In Jauría, the male actors play many roles in a single performance. You play judges, prosecutors, defendants... the audience is not used to seeing you play a villain.

No, it is not, and that is another of the struggles that I have told you about before. I cherish all the characters I have played; they are all very cool. But I know that my profile as a blonde and smiling boy sometimes means that I get nice and good characters. I want to be considered for other kinds of roles because I know I can play them.

And why do you think Miguel del Arco wanted you to be part of Jauría?

I think he saw my interest in the play and what it wants to tell on a social level. I was eager to work with Miguel since all of his previous work is wonderful, and the team that was involved in the play and being able to do theater again are some of the factors that have made me want to participate. As you have said, in the play, we do not play a single character; we play several in a kind of tour de force, which also seems very appealing to me.

Do you think about the public's reaction when you get involved in a project?

Yes, I think about whether I can add something socially if it will create a new perspective for whoever sees that project and awaken a new sensitivity in them. I don't ask that everyone be transformed when they see one of the projects, but, as an actor, I always ask myself if what I'm doing causes some kind of emotion, if it goes further, if it manages to change something. I think once we're shooting and the camera is on, we should try to step up and move forward.

I believe that your filmography is very unique since in multiple series and films you have explored romantic relationships in all their aspects.

The more terrain we can explore, the better, don't you think? In any job, you end up getting bored if the task is excessively mechanical and monotonous. The good thing about being an actor is that we can embody different people at different times living different lives. What stimulates me is variety, living different experiences that generate empathy with different people. Acting, in a certain way, you do not live another person's life since it is always you and your ideas that inhabit the character, but you do create empathy with what he lives and tells.

Have any of the characters you've played so far changed you emotionally?

I'm a very open type of actor who is always willing to listen to what the character has to say. I always keep with me something that one of my characters left me since they all experience very different things; they have varied stories and voices that have nothing to do with each other. But if I have to tell you a character that changed me, I think I would say Bruno, who interested me for several years in the Merlí series and its spin-off. For me, Bruno was a before and after; it was a very important stage in my life. I also think that there are more secondary characters that I have done that have still managed to transform in a certain way.

Can you give me an example?

Many times the impact that a character can have on yourself depends on the personal direction you are taking at that moment. A few years ago, I filmed a series about Leonardo DaVinci in Italy for many months. You don't know the professional and personal growth that the project entailed! I went to live alone in a country and work in other languages, and I even managed to learn Italian. I spent the weekends alone in a country I didn't know; it was quite a challenge, and I had to wake up a lot. The acting level of the series was very high, and I had to work with people who had come from doing projects with Terrence Malick or productions of the Lord of the Rings level. Leonardo was a show that gave me many professional but also personal things, and I think, in general, all the characters that an actor plays manage to give you something, some in a more physical aspect and others in a more psychological way.

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Left Tee Miu Miu, pants Mans Concept Menswear, shoes Hereu

Right Full look Givenchy

It is said that bravery is being afraid but still getting on the horse. Does Carlos get on the horse?

Yes, I think so. I am a very hard-working person, and the fact that something is difficult is not a problem for me. For me, a problem with a project arises when it does not agree with my values and what I want to say. But the difficulty of something has always been a stimulus, not a problem.

Can we then affirm that Leonardo has been the greatest challenge of your career so far?

I don't know what my biggest challenge has been. Leonardo was a challenge in many ways, especially living alone in a foreign country, but there have been many others. I could tell you about "45 Revoluciones," my first series as a protagonist. I did it very young, at 21 years old, and I had to sing, play the guitar, and even move to a city that was not mine, Madrid. Something similar also happened to me when they offered me to star in "Merlí: Sapere Aude" or "Smiley"; they were two great challenges. "Smiley" was the first time I did a comedy, and it's not that I'm especially funny in my personal life, but thanks to that series, I learned a lot, and I've lost my fear of doing comedic roles since before I was very embarrassed. But now I want to film a comedy; now I feel qualified to do it. Every project I have contributes something, and now I think that returning to the theater will make me want to do more theatrical roles, with greater scope and with a much heavier emotional baggage.

Do you seriously not consider yourself a funny person? You seem pretty funny to me!

I'm very smart and all that, but you know that in every group of friends, there is a funny guy; well, I've never been that person. There is always someone funnier than me.

And what role do you have in your group of friends?

Sometimes I have been the leader, but I am usually the perfectionist and the responsible one. I have always been more serious than funny, to be honest.

Maybe now that you are more into comedy, things will change!

I think I'm referring more to my role as an actor; that's where I've lost my fear. That moment has come in my career when I have understood what this is all about, and I have stopped judging myself. Over the years, I believe that talent helps you achieve your goals, but it is hard work that keeps you going. If we examine the filmography of any actor, we always see an evolution. And the truth is that I think I have a lot left to do.

How do you feel when you see a project you starred in a few years ago again?

I never see them! I have a hard time seeing myself on screen! I know that it happens to most of us actors and that it is an absolute cliché. When I have seen any of my projects, it is out of responsibility, to see my colleagues, celebrate them, and learn what I have done well and what I have done wrong. I don't bother, since the actor plays a specific role, and many times we have no control over the final result. Sometimes we agree with the director's idea, and other times we don't, and when you see the finished film or series, it is not like what you would have made since there are many people involved.

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Jacket & pants Ferragamo, tank top GCDS

Have you never felt like directing a project yourself?

Yes, I want to, and I'm thinking about doing it. I started working as an actor at a very young age, and every time I enter a filming set, I feel an impulse that leads me to think about what intrusion I would give to an actor, where I would put the camera, and things like that. I always try to learn from everyone on set and put myself in their shoes. I think all of these are symptoms that I want to get behind a camera, and I think that's the next thing I should do. What I am very clear about is that I don't want to stop acting because I like it a lot, but maybe I should combine it with directing or something like that.

And have you thought about what kind of stories you want to direct?

I like social, personal, and emotional stories. I wouldn't dare direct something like horror or science fiction. I would love to direct a social drama with a theme that would pique the audience's interest.

You have played a multitude of characters with very different backgrounds, and I would like to know if their mistakes have helped you not make yours.

Absolutely! I recently heard a colleague say that we actors spend our lives trying to understand the psychology of our characters to try to empathize with them. That's why I believe that with each project, it is possible to learn something and mature a little as a person. When you agree to play a character, you know it through a script, and you think in one way about it, but throughout the process, you listen to different opinions such as that of the director, the scriptwriters, or your co-stars, and you constantly learn, opening your mind. It's like intensive therapy.

Don't you get a little confused between your own identity and that of the character?

I don't think so. There are traits of a character that you see very clearly and very far from your own. But sometimes, when you are filming, you notice a plot and identify with it and may think that you should apply some of the characters' behavior to your own life. I think that can also happen when you are part of the audience that watches a series or a movie.

Is there a movie from which you learned something important?

I have learned a lot from the cinema. I recently talked about how important films like "The Dreamers," "Martín H," "Dead Poets Society," and "Good Will Hunting" were for me. "City of God" was also a film that impressed me very much. There are also recent movies from which I have learned a lot, such as "Blue is the Warmest Color" or "The Worst Person in the World." Many times I like to revisit some special books or movies because they manage to speak to me in a different way than they did the first time.

I must confess that I didn't like "The Worst Person in the World" at all.

That's good! There are movies that I don't like, but that interests me. I think that also says a lot about yourself.

You're right.

I also love classic musicals!

Would you like to star in a musical?

I'd love to! When I was little, I wanted to be like Gene Kelly. I like those social stories but also fun musicals. Just because a person likes deep stories does not prevent him from also enjoying action movies or light-hearted musicals.

Your most recent film "La Ternura," which has received critical acclaim, ingeniously mixes comedy, magic, and, in turn, social criticism talking about gender roles. What made you accept this project?

Many factors came together. They offered me a role in "La Ternura" when it was going to be made as a play, but I couldn't accept it due to scheduling problems. I was very frustrated not to be able to do it since I love Alfredo Sanzol's work and it is very peculiar. When I found out about the film adaptation, I didn't hesitate and accepted the role.

I loved the movie, but I saw the play a few years ago and I liked it a lot.

Yes, the text is very good. If you have a text like this, you start from a very very solid base, and if you then form a cast of great actors like Emma Suárez, Alexandra Jimenez, Fernando Guallart... It was a great opportunity to be able to do something different!

The truth is that the film has a very curious mix of genres and its setting on an island lost in the ocean gives it an exotic touch.

Yes! It was also great to be able to film in the Canary Islands pretending that it was the Dominican Republic; it is a paradise! I was also attracted to the Shakespearean aura present in the script… "La Ternura" is a film that is very different from the projects in which I have participated so far.

Since you mention it, what is your favorite play by Shakespeare?

Out of nostalgia, I would say "A Midsummer Night's Dream," but now I think "King Lear" or "Hamlet."

Would you dare to play Hamlet?

Not yet! I still have a lot to learn.

Do you consider yourself an adventurous person?

Yes, but I like to know how much water is in the pool before I jump in. Once I find out, I jump without hesitation. In life, you should always be a little bit responsible (laughs).

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Interview & Production by Juan Marti

Photography by Lander Ibarretxe

Fashion by Fer Sempere

Hair & Make-Up by Eva Garcia

Light tech Adri Piella & Luis Cobo

Stylist’s assistant Barbara Tango

Set designer Celia Andres

Set designer assit Gemma Tresillo

Retouch Luis cobo