last

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.”

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. 

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.

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.

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.

Left Full look Valentino

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

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

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.

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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

…

Discover the full story in our SS24 CRAZY LOVE Issue .

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.

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”.

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!

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!

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.

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!

 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.

Shirt Givenchy

 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.

Full look Celine Homme

 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!

Shirt Dolce & Gabbana

 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!

…

Discover the full story in our SS24 CRAZY LOVE Issue .

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.

Left Full look N°21

Right Full look Louis Vuitton

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.

Left Full look Paul Smith

Right Full look Dior Men

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.

Left Full look Louis Vuitton

Right Full look Alexander McQueen

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.

Left Full look Paul Smith

Right Blazer, pants and shoes N°21, brooch Dior Men

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…

Left Full look Fendi

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.

Jacket and pants Bluemarble, coat Kenzo, brooch Dior Men, shoes N°21

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.

Left Full look Dior Men

Right Full look Prada

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.

Full look Miu Miu

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.

Left Full look Fendi

Right Full look Prada

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.

Left Full look Givenchy

Right Coat, vest, shirt and pants Givenchy, necklace Sweetlimejuice

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!

Full looks Alexander McQueen

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!

Full looks Alexander McQueen

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!

Left Full look Dior Men

Right Full look Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

…

Discover the full story in our SS24 CRAZY LOVE Issue .

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!

¡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. 

Left Full look Emporio Armani

Right Full look Kenzo

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. 

Full look Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

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.

Full look Valentino

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.

Full look Fendi

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. 

Jumpsuit Hermès, tank top Calvin Klein

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.

Left Full look Emporio Armani

Right Full look Kenzo


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.

Left Full look Dolce & Gabbana

Right Full look Valentino

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.

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.

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.

Left Full look Zadig&Voltaire

Right Full look Miu Miu

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.

Full look Sportmax

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.

Left Full look Prada

Right Full look Zadig&Voltaire

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.

Left Full look Louis Vuitton

Right Full look Givenchy

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!

Left Full look Valentino

Right Full look Zadig&Voltaire

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.

Full look Zadig&Voltaire

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.

Full looks Zadig&Voltaire

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

Full looks CELINE HOMME

 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. 

Full look GOOD FIGHT 

 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

Left Shirt CELINE HOMME, vest GOOD FIGHT 

Right Full look CELINE HOMME

…

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

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.

Left Full look Prada

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.

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!

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!

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?

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

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.

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]

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]

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!

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.

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!

 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.

 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.

“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.

 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!

 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!

 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.

 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.

 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Full look Louis Vuitton

 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.

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.

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.

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!

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. 

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. 

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.

…

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

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.

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. 

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? 

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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

SUBLIME AND TRIVIAL

ACTORS AREN’T REAL. THEY EXIST THROUGH A SCREEN, THEY DON'T HAVE AN APARTMENT, THEY DON’T BUY GROCERIES, THEY DON’T WAKE UP OR GO TO SLEEP - THAT’S WHAT STEFAN CREPON USED TO BELIEVE AS A KID. A YOUNG FRENCH THEATRE AND FILM ENTHUSIAST, HE IS KNOWN FOR PLAYING PHILLIPPE COURBET IN NETFLIX’S LUPIN AND BEING NOMINATED AS ONE OF THE BEST EMERGING ACTORS AT THE FRENCH CÉSARS, FOR HIS SILENT ROLE IN PETER VAN KANT. WORKING AS AN ACTOR, AS UNOBTAINABLE AS IT ONCE SEEMED, ALLOWS CREPON TO LIVE FROM HIS PASSION, AND HE HOPES TO DO IT AS LONG AS HE CAN. CINEMA STILL HAS ITS HARSH TRUTHS AND REALITIES THOUGH, SOMETHING THAT CREPON EXPLORES IN HIS LATEST PROJECT, MAKING OF - A MOVIE BY CÉDRIC KAHN IN WHICH HE PLAYS THE ROLE OF JOSEPH, A YOUNG EXTRA LOOKING TO BECOME A DIRECTOR. WE SAT DOWN WITH STEFAN IN A SMALL CAFÉ NEAR MONTMARTRE TO DISCUSS HIS ADMIRATION FOR CINEMA, LIFE IMITATING ART, AND GETTING TO WORK WITH ACTORS WHO MADE HIM FALL IN LOVE WITH THE CRAFT.

Left Jacket Maison Margiela, knitwear Lemaire

Right Full look Celine Homme

Tell me a bit about your youth, how did you get into acting?
By chance, really. I was quite young, around 11 or 12, thanks to a suggestion from my French teacher at secondary school. When all my friends were going to play football or tennis after school, I went to do a little amateur theatre course in my neighbourhood. And that was when I had the big revelation because I had never felt as free and alive as I did there. Everything I was forbidden to do at school, which was considered transgressive, people there congratulated me for and pushed me to go further. Then a year later, I was chosen for a film. I was supposed to be in the 9th grade, I was supposed to be in a maths class yet I was on a film set. That, plus I went to see a play at the Comédie Française, Cyrano de Bergerac, directed by Denis Podalydès. And that's when I said to myself, “This is what I really want to do.”


That’s incredible because you then ended up working with Denis in Making Of!
I actually told him that it was partly thanks to him that I found myself acting with him today.


Let's talk more about Making Of.  What is the story about?
It’s a film that takes place on a film set, with a director who is quite renowned for “films d’auteurs”, and who is making his new film about the occupation of a factory by workers. However, nothing goes according to plan, and he spends the whole shoot trying to save his film like the captain of a ship adrift. And he's going to recognise himself a little in a young extra who he eventually hires to do the behind-the-scenes of the film, and we follow the trajectory of this director who's starting to become disillusioned, and this young extra who's full of hope and desire.

Left Full look Celine Homme

Right Jacket Dolce & Gabanna, shirt Maison Margiela

This film is a kind of mise-en-abîme. Were you under the impression that you weren't really playing a role at times?
Well, luckily for the movie, I had a camera in my hands at all times, and I was shooting real footage. I was even shooting between takes, so when they weren't filming, I was still trying to steal moments of the actors’ lives. Having this camera put me in a rather luxurious position, I believe, where I was both an actor and a spectator. Sometimes I'd stop acting, and I'd be genuinely amazed by what was going on around me, a bit like the character. So that's where he and I met.

Full look Valentino

I think Making Of comes out at an important time in the world of cinema when we can see the engagement of extras, actors and writers, a kind of social solidarity in a world that seems disconnected from reality at times.
What I really like about this film is that it draws a parallel, a kind of mirror image of social struggles in all realms of life. It goes back to what Cédric Kahn says, he defines cinema as something both sublime and trivial. It's true that sometimes we tell ourselves that we're working for the art and we allow ourselves to accept things that we wouldn't accept otherwise. But no, it's not an environment that should be spared from this. There has to be social justice on film sets too.

Left and right Trench Dries van Noten, boots Celine Homme

And your love story with Nadia, played by Souheila Yacoub, that story draws a parallel with Joseph's relationship to cinema, a personification of his dream that seems almost impossible to attain.
There's a bit of that. Because for him, at the beginning, cinema is an impossible story, and the story with Nadia is the same. But in the movie, Nadia and Joseph are the two purest characters. They're the ones who haven't yet been tainted by cinema, they have this very simple relationship with the profession, and in fact, they're full of desire, naivety and innocence. So it seems quite logical that they should meet.

Tell us about Drone, another project you embarked on.
It's the first feature film by a director called Simon Bouisson, who's already done quite a few things, short films and very interesting experimental films. And he really has his own universe. I also shot a film with Cédric Kahn, but this time as an actor. We ended up reading lines to each other. It was very funny and touching.

Left Jacket and pants Maison Margiela, knitwear Lemaire, boots Celine Homme

Right Jacket Ferragamo

What was the last film that affected you?
I saw Mississippi Burning with Willem Dafoe. In this film, he's about my age, and he's fascinating and impressive. With Jenn Ackman too, they're both dazzling. There's a fight scene between them that really impressed me. And then I saw a French film, by Pierre Granier de Ferre, called The French Detective, with Ventura and Dewaere.

Left and right Jacket Dolce & Gabanna, shirt Maison Margiela, pants Prada, boots Celine Homme

You have zero digital footprint. Is that a conscious choice?
Yeah, completely. But it's more personal. I don't recognise myself in it. I like the idea that what I'm going to show about myself is going to be in films. Even if I try to play different roles each time, there's still going to be a small part of me in them. I like that more. In that way, the directors can know as little as possible about me, they can make me play what they want.

Interview by Gabrielle Valda Colas

Photography by Hanna Pallot

Fashion by Jorge Garcia

Hair by Anna Grego

Make-up by Fay Bio-Toura

Photographer’s assistant Lukas Doulsan

Stylist’s assistant Guillem Rodriguez

PLEASURABLY DISORIENTING

MODEL, ACTOR AND ARTIST, PARIS BROSNAN, IS BRIGHTLY COLOURING OUR LIVES IN ALL THE RIGHT WAYS, WITH HIS URBAN STREET-LIKE FREE-FLOW PAINTINGS THAT ARE AS IN-YOUR-FACE AS GRAFFITI. WE CAUGHT UP WITH THE RISING TALENT TO TALK PALETTES, PASSIONS, AND RAW ENERGY.

Full look Givenchy

There is such an energy to your paintings. Not just in the bright colourful vibrancy, but the emotive movement and narrative that resonates within the compositions. How would you describe your artistic style?
I would call it some form of expressionism because that’s what I’m doing – expressing myself. Whether it’s abstract or surrealist, I paint characters out of my imagination with colours that I think are interesting and complementary. I love bright colours and pastels; I think they can be easy on the eye when balanced correctly. They can make you feel happy and energetic, and I’m still learning how to find middle ground with my colour palettes. I try not to overthink my work or put any labels on it, I’ll leave that up to the art critics and gallerists …and just keep painting.

Left Full look Miu Miu

Right Jacket and pants Miu Miu, shoes talent’s own

When you start a new piece, as you add to it, does it feel like you’re having an intense conversation with it? Do you ever need to stop and go back to it, and maybe tinker with the conversation?
I start my paintings with an open mind which allows for spontaneous creativity. I usually play music I like and get into a groove. I paint reoccurring characters and figures that are familiar to me, and I like to paint for a while before taking a step back to really look at the work. Occasionally I move onto a new or different painting and then go back to the first painting so I can see things differently and come at it with a new approach.

It’s conversational, sometimes literally because I write words and phrases on the canvas, especially in my earlier works or on the back of my paintings. I have old paintings hung up on my wall that I will just go up to with a paintbrush or sharpie and scribe on.

Full looks Celine Homme

Is art an escape for you?
Yes, it’s an escape and embodies freedom to me. My favourite thing about painting is that there aren’t any real boundaries and I’m free to do as much or as little as I would like. I can add, take away, bring back. I decide the story, and I determine the outcome.

Full look Miu Miu

So, tell me about your process?
In my earliest paintings I used very limited materials, a can or two of spray paint, some oil markers, and tubes of paint. It can be fun working with less materials at times because it makes me more resourceful and, in some cases, more detailed. For example, I would spray paint a canvas and then paint thousands of dots over the spray paint. Now that I draw with oil sticks and paint with brushes, I have more choices of materials and sometimes I don’t know where to start… so I just grab my brush or oil stick and get going.

Who or what inspired you’re ‘aha, I love painting’ moment? 
I’ve been painting since I was a little kid. I grew up watching my father [Pierce Brosnan] paint and he’s been doing that since the mid 1980’s and is a true artist in every sense of the word. His artworks really inspired me to take my art practice more seriously, and at the same time to do just it for myself.

Full looks Miu Miu

Any other artistic inspirations, or arty quotes that fuel your passion for it all?
So many! Jean Dubuffet, David Hockney, Keith Haring, Peter Beard, Damian Hirst, Tracey Emin, and Willem De Kooning among others. There are also so many new and outstanding painters and visual artists whose work I appreciate. As for quotes, I really like Francis Bacon’s “I work much better in chaos… chaos for me breeds images.” It just reminds me of working in a crowded studio with paint and canvasses everywhere while blasting loud music. That’s where I make most of my work.

Let’s talk about some of your other passions too. You’ve made some short films, including one which raised awareness about child famine and poverty, and you’re now stepping on to the big screen in your first theatrical role. Tell me more.
I’ve always had a love for filmmaking and telling stories, and I hope to do more humanitarian based short films, and I’m working on writing and producing my own show. And yes, I’ve just worked with an amazing Australian director, Richard Grey, in my first acting role in a film called Unholy Trinity. It’s a western set in Montana and it was such a pleasure working with Richard and watching him bring the movie to life!

Full look Celine

You’re also saving the marine environment too. You’re quite the influential activist.
I’m inspired by my mother who has done so much important work to protect the environment. Recently I travelled to the Maldives with Global Green, where we were doing beach clean-ups, collecting plastic which was recycled into things like chairs and tables. I even made a four-panel canvas out of plastic and painted on it!  I plan on auctioning it off for charity and donating the funds to the local school I visited in the Maldives.

What’s your take on sustainability and the fashion industry with this climate crisis we’re in, as you’ve previously collaborated with eco-fashion brand Paul & Shark in the past?
Sustainability in fashion is very important to me as it’s one of the most wasteful industries in the world. Fast fashion is a no-go for me. I like clothes that are durable and timeless and can be worn for a lifetime. Buy less, buy quality and thrift more! Donate what you don’t need to others. For example, I gift clothes I’ve outgrown to my nephew or friends. I think we can all benefit from minimising, and one of my guilty pleasures is thrifting for vintage Levi’s!

Full looks Miu Miu

Any favourite pieces of fashion you own then?
My father’s old jackets and button ups that he’s passed down to me. He’s also gifted me most of my ring and watch collection. Laurie Stark made me a beautiful Chrome Hearts suit that I will have forever!

You also worked with iconic brand Golden Goose on a limited-edition collection that featured your artwork. Are you planning any more partnerships or how about launching your own line one day?
Working with Golden Goose was a dream come true, and they gave me such creative freedom. It was a full circle moment because I remember wearing their shoes growing up! I’m planning more partnerships with like-minded brands, including a watch company, and may have something of my own in the works soon!

Left Jacket Miu Miu

Right Jacket, top and pants Celine Homme, shoes talent’s own

Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Emilia Staugaard

Fashion by Carolina Orrico

Hair by Candice Birns at A-frame

Make-Up by Holly Silius at R3 Mgmt

Casting by Chris Brenner

Photographer's assistant Adam Pracher

Make-Up assistant Natalie Tchokreff

Stylist’s assistant Grace Grant

SENSORIAL INSTINCT

SHE’S THE NAME ON EVERYONE’S LIPS. LONGLISTED FOR A BAFTA BEST ACTRESS AWARD AND BAFTA RISING STAR NOM, AND ALREADY THE RECIPIENT OF A BIFA GONG – 26-YEAR-OLD TALENT MIA MCKENNA-BRUCE HAS MADE THE TYPE OF MOVIE THAT DEMANDS ATTENTION, AND NOT JUST FOR ITS SCENES OF PURE NOSTALGIC GENIUS. HOW TO HAVE SEX, IN WHICH SHE PLAYS THE CHARACTER OF TARA, IS A GIDDY, THOUGHT-PROVOKING, AND SUN-FILLED TEEN COMING-OF-AGE STORY, WHICH HAS INTRODUCED THE WORLD TO MIA AS ITS BREAKOUT STAR.

YOU’LL HAVE SEEN THE BRITISH ACTRESS AS TEE TAYLOR IN TRACY BEAKER RETURNS AND ITS SPINOFF THE DUMPING GROUND, AND IN THE WITCHER, FANTASY HORROR SERIES VAMPIRE ACADEMY, AND IN NETFLIX’S JANE AUSTEN ADAPTATION PERSUASION.  WELL NOW MCKENNA’S HAVING HER BIG MOMENT, BALANCED WITH ALSO RAISING HER FIRST CHILD, AND AS A MOTHER AND PERFORMER, SHE’S A FORCEFIELD FOR SELFHOOD AND AN ARTIST WHO CHALLENGES, DRAWN TO FUTURE ROLES WHICH MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO PEOPLE’S LIVES.

Full look Jacquemus

So, Mia, first off, we must discuss your sequinned-covered baby bump on the Croisette back in May last year. Also, that standing ovation for How to Have Sex, and all the awards and now the exciting noms! Where was your mind at that point, as it must have been crazy having these major moments in your life happening all at once?
Pure insanity. Honestly that all felt like a movie in itself. I have dreamed of moments like this for the longest time, we all had, so we just wanted to make sure we were not taking any of it for granted and just having the best time. I think I’m still processing it all now! 

This film’s been hailed as your breakout moment – and it comes at a time when the subject of women, sex and consent have never been more on the agenda. When you got the script, did you have an idea of how you would like to embody the character’s journey through the fragility of coming-of-age and entering womanhood?
When I first got the script, I wanted to do it because I knew how important this story was. I would have benefited from a film like this, and seeing how truthful director Molly’s writing was, really excited me. So that was the main thing for me from the get-go, I just wanted to be as honest as I could in playing Tara - which meant being super open and vulnerable. We worked hard during a rehearsal process at the beginning to really get to know these characters, their back stories and what makes them so relatable to so many people, we wanted people to watch the film and feel seen and see themselves reflected in some way.

Left Full look Zadig&Voltaire

Right Top, shorts and shoes Miu Miu, socks Falke

“I just wanted to be as honest as I could in playing Tara - which meant being super open and vulnerable.”

Well, the film explores director Molly [Manning Walker’s] own personal experiences. What’s been the response so far from girls and women who have similar stories to tell, as your character Tara’s – have many felt they’re never been confident to talk about them. Has it become more obvious that it was so important to make this film?
Definitely. So many people have said that seeing the film has given them the space to talk about what they went through or has helped them process things that they didn’t even know they were feeling. A lot of people have said they feel so seen by Tara, it’s a film you walk away from and want to talk about with your friends - which is a good thing of course. With the response that we’ve had I think it really goes to show the need for films like this.

You mention you would have benefited from a film like this in your own teen years too. Do you think sex education in schools should move from the biological side to a conversation about consent and safe sex for the post #MeToo generation?
Yes, I do wish we had more films like this. Just in a way to encourage teens to talk more and be more empathetic towards each-other. I think it’s so easy in your teens to become very self-absorbed and forget how much your actions can impact others, so I think seeing that played out on screen is important. I do also think it’s vital we moved forward from just the biological side of sex education, otherwise we are encouraging young people to figure out consent and sex on their own, potentially through other means. 

As a new Mum yourself and having your little boy, obviously I’m going to ask if you’ve instantly found yourself thinking about what type of society he’s being raised in – especially with young teen boys scarily taking cues from people like the self-proclaimed “misogynistic influencer” Andrew Tate?
Oh, for sure. I think for us it’s just very important to being completely open with our son about these things. Our family is very woman heavy, so he’ll have a lot of positive female influences and I’d then want to encourage him to have conversations with his friends to hopefully share those positive influences.

So, getting back to the film’s theme, when was your own first teenage, all-girls’ holiday, do you have any memories or secrets from it that you would like to share with the world now about having the “Best! Holiday! Ever!”?
I think I had my first girls’ holiday when I had just turned 18. I fell out with a group of girlfriends from school because they all booked to go on their holiday without me while I was on a job. I was very sad ha-ha, just goes to show how much of a rite of passage these holidays are. I felt completely abandoned!

Left and right Dress Giorgio Armani, shoes N21, bracelets Sweet Lime Juice

Well, you shot everything in Malia, in Greece, which is always full of party-buzzing rites of passage-seeking young Brits! Did filming ever overlap with any real clubbers, boozed up looking for a kebab shop?
Yeah! So, shooting the party scenes did slightly overlap with the end of the season so we had a few real-life party goers, which was crazy watching life imitate art. We were filming in a chip shop and three girls came in and started eating the props.

And I’m imagining that some of the prep for this role didn’t involve downing a bottle of Ouzo, so how did you get the act of looking totally plastered down to a fine art? It looks like you all had a lot of fun making the film!
Ha-ha! Honestly the main thing was we were just very hyper! And we used to spin around in circles before action was called so that we felt dizzy!

Left Full look Miu Miu

Right Full look Isabel Marant

“So many people have said that seeing the film has given them the space to talk about what they went through or has helped them process things that they didn’t even know they were feeling.”

The clubbing style in this film is spot on too. Was there direction in terms of how they wanted your character Tara to dress, or were you able to have your own input with her wardrobe too?
So, George Buxton (the costume designer) is just amazing and first and foremost wanted us all to feel comfortable. But particularly for Tara, like when she starts wearing Skye’s clothes, they wanted the outfits to be slightly “ill- fitting” so we could tell they weren’t her own! They also used colours to represent different things - like orange was a danger colour.

You’re obviously into fashion off-screen too. What’s your style go-to and which designer (if they’re reading this, free clothes, you’re welcome), would you love to be a muse for?
Am I?! I’ll take that ha-ha! I’m very much for comfort always, and you’ll usually find me in a tracksuit! I love TALA for day-to-day stuff.

Well as this film also depicts, fashion and music are always a perfect pairing. So, harking back to your hedonistic teen soundtracks, what was the first album that really spoke to you?
Don’t laugh at me. Bratz Rock Angelz.

Ok, we’ll move on quickly! I read that you grew up in Southeast London, but I don’t know what kind of upbringing you had. What kind of London girl were you and were you a wannabe child star, or was there a pushy parent shoving you on stage, as your first acting role was as a ballet girl in the Billy Elliot musical in London?
It definitely wasn’t a pushy parent situation. None of us had any clue about the industry and I just started dance lessons at a local dance school in New Eltham as a way to expel energy! I knew I enjoyed performing for people but didn’t really register that I could do it as a career!

Right Full look Isabel Marant

Right Shirt, skirt and shoes Fendi, socks Falke

And what kind of London girl are you now? And has your work ethic changed a bit, balancing motherhood with acting?
I think balancing the two has made me more relaxed! Weird I know. But somehow motherhood so far has given me a lot more faith in myself, and also, I have more to think about than just work now, a tiny human is dependent on me.

But is there an actor or director that you’re like, “Before I die, I wish to work with this person?”
Kate Winslet!

What about a genre you really want to try out?
I’d love to give action a go at some point, I think. I love the idea of doing stunts!

Well you’re having a massive moment, or whatever longer than a moment is. This is your time, shall we say? So, what’s your next move?
Thank you so much! I feel very excited and very grateful. My next move, hmm, hopefully to get to continue telling stories that make a difference to people. 

Left Full look Zadig&Voltaire

Right Full look Fendi

Voting for the EE Rising Star Award is now open at ee.co.uk/BAFTA until 12pm GMT on Friday 16th February 2024. The winner will be announced at the EE BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday 18th February 2024. How to Have Sex is available on MUBI now.

Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Bruno McGuffie

Fashion by Steven Huang

Make-Up by Francesca Angelina Brazzo at The Wall Group using Giorgio Armani Makeup

Hair by Sven Bayerbach at Carol Hayes Management using Drybar

Photographer’s assistant Oskar Sinicki

Stylist’s assistant Damini Regal

SHINY DREAMS

WHO HASN’T BEEN OBSESSED WITH HBO’S OSTENTATIOUS COSTUME DRAMA, THE GILDED AGE, SO MUCH THAT EVEN INSTAGRAM HAILS IT AS THE ‘DYNASTY OF THE 1880S’. SO, IMAGINE OUR GLEE WHEN THEATRE-LUVVIE-TURNED-BREAKOUT STAR OF THE SHOW, ACTOR BEN AHLERS, YES HUMBLE FOOTMAN JACK TROTTER HIMSELF, CAUGHT UP WITH US TO TALK ABOUT SHINY DREAMS, INNER HAPPINESS AND NEW YORK, NEW YORK.

Hey Ben, let’s talk about how things have taken off for you. Theatre is where it all started before you jumped onto our TV screens. How did the acting bug begin?
Hey, what’s good! Well, theatre was the natural path to start, since that’s where I got the bug growing up.  Like many artists, I didn’t mesh too well socially when I was a kid.  Performing gave me an identity.  It also gave me the attention and love you so desperately crave when you’re young.  We still crave that, I guess.  But once I got to college for my study in musical theatre, I felt a bit limited in how I wanted to express myself.  I dove into student theatre and short films, so when I got out on my own professionally, moving into TV seemed like the clear next step.  I’m aching to do theatre again though.  That’s where I feel most free and myself.

Why is that?
Theatre is a sacred place to me.  I miss the live connection to the audience.  Over the last year and a half, I’ve been developing a reading workshop that’s turning into a bit of an incubator for new work with my extremely talented friends.  We have some plans for bringing a few of the pieces to production this year.  We need more consistent, risk-taking, accessible theatre that lives outside of the existing model.

Are there any inventive or risk-taking stage or screen directors you would love to work with then?
I’m a big fan of Sean Baker and Chloé Zhao.  Sam Mendes is the North Star for both filmmaking and theatre directing.  And I’m a huge fan of Yorgos Lanthimos.  He’s so inventive with his story telling, and there’s a size, peculiarity, and urgency to his filmmaking that I find so inspiring.  Dogtooth is a masterpiece.  Poor Things was superb and will really stretch mainstream audiences’ understanding of what’s possible through cinema.  I remember seeing The Florida Project and Nomadland and thought, “those are the stories I want to tell.”  This country is so big, and I hope my work can reflect as much of that diversity as possible.  There’s a lot of healing to be done.

Did any of your own experiences growing up in the US, in Iowa, inform any of your passions and dreams?
People back home really work so hard.  Maybe too hard.  One grandfather was a small-town lawyer, and the other was a cattle farmer.  They were role models for the daily grind, and made it clear to me that process was more important than product.  I think dreaming sometimes gets in the way of what’s right in front of you, the steps to accomplishing that dream.  And that Iowan discipline and humility instilled a work ethic that I can trust while everything else sorts itself out.

So, you find yourself in the big city (New York), right in the heart of an opulent period drama, in The Gilded Age.
Period dramas always felt daunting to me, especially an era so distant from our lived experience.  You can find videos and interviews from the 1930s or 70s.  But it’s a different time of creative leap to do something from so long ago.  We had the most in-depth research assistance from our historical experts on set.  And every element of the productions design from Bob Shaw and costumes from Kasia Walicka Maimone did all that imaginative work for us.  We got to focus on the heart of these characters and their journeys.  There’s a universality in their experience that makes the show so compelling and the performances accessible.

And your character Jack is really of the modern age too, as he’s kind and empathic and a real optimist, Gen Z’s idol! How’s it been embodying this character and bringing him to life?
I’m such a big fan of Jack.  He’s taught me a lot about how to get through the chaos we’re going through right now.  Be good to the people around you.  Do your job.  Find hope and embody it.  The best part about this job is that your characters get to unlock different parts of yourself, and I have a lot to thank him for.

What do you hope for him in Season 3, he’s got such a rich backstory?
We’re coming back, baby!  Well, the season ended on such a high note, and we’re all itching to see what’s next. I’m so glad we get to give our audience what they deserve.  They’ve been so loyal. That said, I have no idea what’s coming, so I’m just as eager as everyone else!  I want to see how Jack navigates success.  We see two extremes between the Old Money and New Money.  But Jack has such a distinct POV, and to watch him rise as the embodiment of the American Dream could give a fresh and nuanced take on the joys and pitfalls of that journey.

Can you imagine if WhatsApp existed back then? I mean, the group gossip those footmen of the upstairs / downstairs would share having been privy to everything!
Who needs reality TV?  The servants had a front row seat to the original Real Housewives.  The gossip had to be their number one form of entertainment.  With the wealth disparity, too, I wonder whether the servants took inspiration or harboured resentment toward their employers.  Jack certainly couldn’t help but get caught up in the dream of something greater.

Do you like a good gossip, or do you prefer to keep a secret?
I’m too sensitive. Gossip and secrets stress me out.

Speaking of social media. I noticed on your IG that you’ve travelled to Europe a fair bit, with its rich architectural history, much like those amazing homes we see in The Gilded Age which have all but disappeared now. Do you enjoy discovering the past through travel?
Good question! That’s exactly why I like to travel to those places.  Everywhere you go in Europe you get a much clearer sense of what’s come before you.  I’m filled with gratitude and humility for how small I am in the grand scheme of things.  There’s a sense of responsibility, too, to make your life mean something.  When you’re standing on streets hundreds of years old, you realise how fast this thing goes.  New York is constantly revolutionising itself.  But you lose a lot in the process.

Someone once told me about being a New Yorker whether you’re born there or not - that you just know when you are one, and you can certainly spot someone who’s not when you meet them! Are you a New Yorker now?
I think you either become a New Yorker or you end up leaving town.  And if you leave, I totally get it.  There’s an armour you have to wear in order to get through all of the madness.  The highs are so high, and the lows can be so low.  But if you can make it through the resistance, there’s a deep feeling of possibility and importance in a place like this that I haven’t found anywhere else.  I’d say I’m a New Yorker now.  If your bodega guy knows your order when you walk through the door, you’ve made it!

If you weren't an actor, what would you be doing?
I’d probably be living on a beach somewhere teaching yoga and selling homemade jam or something.

Yes, you’re very into practising mindfulness in nature, right?
I definitely feel most whole when I’m in harmony with nature.  I think human beings generally feel separate or above the natural world, and that’s led to most of our problems, on the individual and collective levels.  So, any chance I get, I try to find a forest or a beach and turn off the worldly distractions that lead to nowhere. Happiness comes from within, no matter the cliche. 

Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Hadar Pitchon

LEARNING THE ROPES

Stanley Simons is tagging into the big leagues. The Australian actor makes his debut in The Iron Claw, a film that delves into the tragic tale of wrestling's most renowned dynasty. Despite the movie’s melancholic tone, the young actor clarifies that life only imitates art in some ways. The sombre atmosphere wasn’t present on set, but the wrestling scenes and the brotherhood developed between the all-star cast were real. The latter was particularly important to the actor, as he enters the Hollywood rink in full force. Despite being fresh to the scene, Simons hesitates to limit himself to the role of an actor. Instead, he sets his sights on something deeper. Dabbling in writing and music, art has always been a way to express and heal himself. The only difference? Now he’s “getting paid to do this.”

How's your day going?

 It’s been fun. I just came from a Saint Laurent fitting, so it’s obviously been a good day. [Laughs]

 That is a sure-fire way to have a great day. Speaking of good things, your new movie The Iron Claw is creating quite a buzz. Were you a fan of wrestling before you got the role?

 I feel like wrestling was a part of everyone’s childhood in my generation. I’d seen some WWE. My cousin was a big fan… I remember being terrified of The Undertaker. I was a huge fan of Rey Mysterio. I had a John Cena action figure. It was all around me in a way, even where I grew up in Australia. People sang the walkout songs, and everyone got on each other's shoulders and picked each other up.

 Wrestling blurs a line between fighting and performance art. Do you think that’s why it resonated so much with our generation?

 I think it’s the entertainment aspect that hooks people to it. It’s not the actual sport that brings people out to these huge arenas. It's the moments between extreme physicality. Jeremy [Allen White] said it well the other day. I think he was quoting Chavo [Guerrero Jr], a former WWE professional and one of our stunt coordinators. He said that it's the moments in between the fights that make it what it is. It’s the expression on your face, how you rile up a crowd, how you make the fans love or hate you. Watching people create characters and express themselves in odd ways is fun.

 You just mentioned the physical aspect of wrestling, which of course is a big part of it. How did you prepare for the actual fight scenes?

 So, I had a great stunt double on set named Tanner, he was great and super impressive, and he did some amazing work. But, when it came to the wrestling scenes – because I didn’t have that many – it was all me. He was always on standby, waiting with the costume on, but I never gave him the chance.

 What were those scenes like? Did you have muscle memory from playing as a kid?

 [Laughs] Well, not so much of that. We had Chavo, who was amazing. We had a week with him just going over the basics of wrestling. We started from the ground up. I’m naturally athletic and I played a lot of sports growing up, so I think that helped. I was just having a lot of fun with it. I was taking it as seriously as possible, but I couldn’t help but feel like “This is crazy, I’m getting paid to do this.”

 You worked with some amazing people on this movie. What was it like acting alongside Zac Efron or Jeremy Allen White?

 I was a fan of pretty much every other cast member on set beforehand. The first day I met Zac, Harris [Dickinson] and Jeremy, we were all wrestling and practising before we started shooting. I was shitting my pants. I was sitting down, watching them all wrestle while I read my book, but they all came and introduced themselves. Everyone was so nice and down to earth. I don’t know what I was expecting, I guess I didn’t have any expectations but soon the four of us all developed a nice banter. They all knew it was my first big production, they were very encouraging and helpful. I asked for advice and stories of their careers…

 Was there anything that stood out to you?

 Well, it wasn't actual advice. I learned a lot just by watching them. Zac was asking for advice from everyone. That’s someone with a big name in the industry who is open to figuring out a scene with a different approach. He asked me for advice at one point and I was trying so hard to give him something worth his time. I remember taking a step back while shooting and thinking, “Wow, these are amazing actors.” They were just so good to work off. Even on days I didn’t have to be on set, I would be there watching them do their thing.

 I’ve heard some stories of the dynamic on set, particularly one where you sang a High School Musical song to Zac.

 [Laughs] Well, I have this big music scene that we were unsure of. For weeks we were having conversations about how we were going to do it, if we were doing it live or pre-recording it. The night before, we decided I would do it live. I was freaking out. I had to pull myself out of that, to bring some levity to it. So, I learned the chords for the final duet in that movie, and I thought you know, if I get the chance, I’ll do it. And in between takes, I saw the opportunity, so I started singing it. It was fun, we all started laughing and joking around.

 You mentioned this was your first major project and you had a quite tragic role. How did you access that vulnerability?

 I honestly find it kind of difficult to reach that place. But what I’ve learned is that it doesn’t matter how internal a performance is if it doesn’t resonate with the audience. It all depends on the scene and character. But I think it's more important to project something instead of internalizing it, but that might be more of a writer’s perspective than an actor’s.

Do you ever think about writing?

 Definitely. I mean, I’m not the best writer but I’ve been trying to get better for the past couple of years. Screenwriting specifically is something I love doing. I make music as well and I love writing songs too. At this point, I’m just doing it for myself, it's meditative and rewarding. I feel like I'm an artist at the forefront. I want to do different things.

 

Do you see yourself diving into more light-hearted roles in the future? Or do you enjoy exploring your vulnerability?

 Of course, I’d love to explore everything. But honestly… I come from a very creative family, but we have this genetic tendency to bottle our emotions up. I have that trait too, which is not necessarily great for an actor. But I think that’s kind of my way through it. By playing a character, I have a way to express myself emotionally.

…

Interview by Pedro Vasconcelos

Photography by Ritchie Jo Espenilla

Fashion by Simon Dae Dissing Bacher

Grooming by Jessica Ortiz using R & Co

All clothes Celine Homme

TBT_BTB_ARchive

Access to our exclusive interviews and features, selected weekly by the BTB team

TBT
©Nouaunu_Behind the Blinds_2022_05_22_4886.jpg
NO LIMITS
Pomme by Jan Philipzen_BTB13_14.jpg
CONSOLING MELODY
OP17084_AP_CHANEL_4149_13_CMYK.jpg
THE COLOR MAGICIAN
IH_BTB_TBT6.jpg
PLEASURES OF PARADOX
BTB6_FATAL_SS18_BERLUTI_11.jpg
ROLE-BREAKING BEAUTY
Behind The Blinds Issue 5 _ Austin Augie BTB_2.jpg
BMX REVOLUTIONS

// LATEST // 

Featured
Vandals_Exhibiton018.jpg
ON BELONGING
image00078.jpeg
LDSS FW24 BACKSTAGE
Featured
Baby One More Time_BTB_Online_.jpg
BABY ONE MORE TIME
ONLINE_layout2.jpg
SOMETIMES THEY'RE IN MY DREAMS
Featured
1998 Press clipping Graduation show.jpg
POLITE REBEL
ONLINE_layout.jpg
INSIDE / BACKSTAGE AT LA CAMBRE MODE[S] 23