DADDY COOL

CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY HAS DELIVERED ONE CHARMING PERFORMANCE AFTER ANOTHER, BOTH IN FILM AND TV, FOR OVER TWO DECADES. MORPHING SEAMLESSLY INTO LOVE INTERESTS TRISTIN DUGRAY IN GILMORE GIRLS, CHARLIE TODD IN DAWSON’S CREEK, LUCAS SCOTT IN ONE TREE HILL, AND AUSTIN AMES IN A CINDERELLA STORY – HE’S UNDENIABLY CLAIMED A PERMANENT SPOT IN HEARTTHROB HISTORY. AS 2025 SEES THE 43-YEAR-OLD REPRISE HIS ROLE AS JAKE IN DISNEY’S FREAKIER FRIDAY SEQUEL, WE CHAT WITH THE ACTOR ABOUT LIFE BACK IN THE 2000S, AND WHY HE’S MORE ZEN THESE DAYS.

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Right Tank top Dior Men

Hey Chad, how’s things, where are you right now – I’m assuming it’s cold, as you’re wearing a hat and gloves indoors.

Haha! I’m in Buffalo, and I’ve been out shovelling the driveway as we had a really big storm here last night. I love it though. Love, love, love being here!

I know you’re only 43 years old, but we can officially call you an industry veteran now! You’ve never really stopped acting, but having had a family, how have things changed for you?

Everything is about timing right now. My kids are in school, but we home-schooled [them] for the first 8 years, travelling everywhere as “the pack”, and we always keep the pack together, never apart for more than a day. They’ve been privately schooled in Nova Scotia where I film Sullivan’s Crossing and here in Buffalo, so really, it’s about what’s coming when and where it is, and how that plays out for the family. A lot of the projects I’ve been choosing lately are lighter. I like being in that mental space as a dad, not having to dust off a lot of mental darkness.

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Right Jacket, top, pants and boots Dolce&Gabbana, belt Rebecca Turbow

With age comes wisdom – so the saying goes. What have you learned about the journey you’ve been on up to now?

It all stems from faith in family, that’s where my happiness comes from. The victories with film and TV mean so much to me because of the bonds and relationships I’ve made with the fanbases. I love that. But at the same time, I’ve learned that it’s a marathon, not a sprint, your career can be made over the course of 50 years, it doesn’t need to be about making it in one year. Sometimes there’s that project out of the blue that catapults off to an astronomical direction and never touches back, but I don’t want the stress that goes along with it. I have three kids under 10, that’s enough responsibility, and I want to give them the time, love and patience they deserve. It’s about choosing things that keep me calm and in a good place and don’t eat into my dad time. As they get older, we’ll adapt and then it will be time to perhaps make different choices. Right now, I’m very content with where we are.

Tank top Fendi, coat and shorts Dior Men

So, you’re after all the dad roles then!

Well, I’ve got to grab that project where my kids can look at me and say, ‘Good job dad,’ because all the rest of the stuff they could care less, they’re like, ‘Whatever.’ So, I need something like Sonic the Hedgehog!

They must be excited about Freakier Friday though.

I don’t think they see what I do as real yet, because it’s just something, “Dad went to work on last year.” As it’s promoted, or their friends start mentioning it at school, maybe it will become more real to them. We sat down and watched the first movie together, so I could do some homework on my character Jake, and what he was like 23 years ago, to help build where he’s at now. They loved the film, and it’s a cool thing to share with them!

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Were you excited when you were approached about the sequel?

I was excited to hear from the producers and everyone involved, and when we were back on set, it felt like a high school reunion. Seeing Jamie [Lee Curtis] and Lindsay [Lohan] and sitting down to do the table read 23 years later, it was so bizarre!

Was it emotional for you at all? As all your lives have changed, you’ve been on different journeys and evolved in that time – that’s a whole other story.

There was so much pride and joy for each other. It feels like a family, with everyone going on to have different journeys and successes, and you’re so excited to hear about what they’re doing, where they’re going, and everything about their partners and kids. There’s a lot of love there and that’s what I took away from it.

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Was being on set again just as fun this time around?

It was a wild ride with a great team! Everyone had input and was given the chance to elevate in whichever way they found worked for them. The story takes it up another level, with lots of mayhem, and it was confusing at times, working out who’s who and I just had to pause to gather my footings and work it out. It was fun!

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Any ideas to write or produce your own projects?

Yes, but now it all comes down to time. When I’m filming Sullivan’s Crossing in Nova Scotia, I’m a husband, dad, football coach, actor and I also like to work out and train to keep myself upright. So, when I find something that piques my interest, like when an idea comes to me as I’m lying down at night, I put it into notes and send it out to a little vault I have. Then when the kids are older, I can scroll through this vault of concepts and ideas and dive in. I have two screenplays I’ve finished that I love, and I want to make them and get them out to the world, and I promise you, they’ll be fantastic!

Any teasers as to what they’re about?

One is a comedy that reminds me of my childhood and my relationship with my brothers and our sense of humour growing up as a family. The other is a homage to films that inspired me growing up and turned me towards this industry. Ultimately, we all become actors because we probably saw something that inspired us to want to be an artist, a storyteller – we had that ‘I know what I want to be’ moment.

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Such as?

Taxi Driver with Robert De Niro was my ‘I know’ moment. It floored me, and it’s a movie that probably couldn’t be made today. It’s a funky indie that would get all kinds of positive and negative reviews and people would probably make a mountain out of a molehill about it. I love everything about it though; it feels very voyeuristic and intimate watching Travis Bickle. Also, Halloween with Jamie, we would go to Blockbuster Video and rent that every year!

You’re in a happy, zen place, and I feel like the projects you’ve been choosing are perfect for this moment in time.

Well, I’ve been spending the last 25 years of my life studying and learning about my world, and what it requires. When you do something like The Merry Gentleman – something you’ve never done before – there is so much that goes into the whole process, from the singing to the choreography.  I love it and it feels great to get the opportunity to do those things. I’m blessed because I have a great support group in my family and the team behind me. I’m having a great time, and I might fall flat on my face, but I’m going to have fun doing it! [Laughs]

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And how are you handling the new generation of fans?

What I’ve learned is that I love the relationships with the fans, and I love the bond with the audience that’s created with storytelling – that bond can shape someone’s day; their month, their life, or alter someone as a person. A movie can speak to someone or a generation, and if as an actor, you’re fortunate to be in something that hits home like that – all I can do is show up on the day, do my best, and bring the light and love.

How blessed am I to have a job where I can spread happiness and joy with the simplest gesture of just having a photo taken with someone, or signing an autograph and make someone’s day better? I just want to keep the pack together, travel, go to work, meet people, high-five, hug it out and continue on!

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Discover the full story in our upcoming SS25 Issue - release end March 25.

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Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Hadar Pitchon

Fashion by Michael Andrew Rosenberg

Casting by Imagemachine cs

Grooming by Laura Costa at Exclusive Artists using Skin Gym

Stylist’s assistant Clove Pulido

STUDYING AMBIGUITY

HAZEL DOUPE IS ATTRACTED TO PROJECTS THAT EXPLORE THE GREY AREAS OF HUMANITY. WITH HER MOST RECENT PARTS, THE IRISH ACTRESS TOOK ON TWO CHARACTERS RICH IN COMPLEXITY – AND RECEIVED TWO NOMINATIONS, AND A WIN FOR ONE OF THEM AT THIS WEEK’S IFTA AWARDS! REPRISING A ROLE SHE PLAYED IN A 2020 SHORT FILM, DOUPE EMPATHETICALLY EMBODIES THE PROTAGONIST OF THE FEATURE KATHLEEN IS HERE – A TROUBLED YOUNG WOMAN LEAVING THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM, WHO RETURNS TO HER HOMETOWN AFTER HER MOTHER’S DEATH. LAST AUTUMN, DOUPE ALSO INTRIGUED AUDIENCES WITH HER QUIETLY INTENSE PORTRAIT OF MARIAN PRICE – A BELFAST-BORN ACTIVIST AND MEMBER OF THE IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY – IN SAY NOTHING, FX’S GRIPPING SERIES EXPLORING THE NORTHERN IRISH CONFLICT KNOWN AS THE TROUBLES. AS FOR WHAT’S NEXT? STEPPING OUTSIDE REALITY AND DIVING INTO THE FANTASY REALM LEADS THE WAY ON HER ACTING WISHLIST.

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Right Top Marni, skirt Rabanne

Hi Hazel! I have been watching your show Say Nothing this weekend and found it very eye-opening. I didn’t know much about the day-to-day reality of The Troubles. The series presents a complex take on these events, showing the cost of the war and all of its grey areas. Which aspects of this project spoke most to you?

When I first read the script, I found myself rooting for the leading characters we follow on the show. And then all of a sudden, I would not be rooting for them and wonder why that was and why they were exploring it in that way. I found it a very exciting and refreshing take on a conflict, it was like the writers had accepted that it was never a black-and-white struggle, there was no perfect victim, no ideal hero or villain – it was all just messy. And that’s why I wanted to do the project. I thought it was a very level-headed depiction of the war without romanticising it, showing how someone can get swept into the romance of rebellion that turns ugly.

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What was the research that you found most helpful in learning about the history of the conflict?

Lola Petticrew and Anthony Boyle [Doupe’s co-stars] are both from West Belfast and getting to work with them on set every day was an education in itself. It was so eye-opening to hear the stories they would tell me or even their sense of humour. Generally, as Irish people, we have the craic and we don’t take ourselves too seriously, but in Belfast, they level that up a notch. There’s so much research that happens while you’re working on set and absorbing things as they are happening. It’s not necessarily the direct research that’s the most valuable. I feel like the show couldn’t have been made without Lola and Anthony, the richness of their culture permeated from them.

When it comes to Marian, my character, it was very hard to find interviews with her – there were some written ones and one video interview – so I decided that I would go with what was on the page and try to bring that to life, as opposed to going off the very little resource that I had from the real-life Marian. Also, I did a lot of research into what the political climate was like back in the 1970s and 1980s and how people would become part of the IRA at such a young age.

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The series doesn’t shy away from the brutality of The Troubles. Which of the scenes were the biggest challenge for you?

There were definitely scenes that were hard on the body, such as when Marian loses her motor skills and needs Dolours to undo her nightdress and help her along the way. Another scene was the strip search with the dog. The dog was trained, but it was a scary dog. [Laughs] And when you’re in your underwear in the scene, it’s really visceral – it feels very violent and like a strong attack on the body. So I think me and Lola were both on an adrenaline high in that moment, in a kind of petrified way. It was really revealing but also very important to show because that is what happened. And I’m sure I didn’t even feel a tenth of the fear and violation that Marian and Dolours did at the time.

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Right Dress and belt N°21, gloves Paula Rowan

From one dark project to the next – let’s talk about Kathleen is Here, your new feature.

It is a dark story, but there’s so much light in it as well.

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Right Full look Tom Ford

It’s based on a short film you did a few years ago, right? How did you first encounter this story and character?

Yeah. Eva Birthistle, the director and writer of the film, wrote the script around nine years ago and I auditioned for it about six years ago. When I was exiting the audition room, I said that I just couldn’t leave without expressing to her how much this story spoke to me and how much I needed to play Kathleen. I was like, “Eva, if you choose me for this, I will do everything in my power to make Kathleen proud and care for her.” Then, after a while, she said that she definitely wanted me for the role but that things would go slow, as it’s really hard to get funding for the first feature. And although it was a real pity that it took that long, I think it was necessary for Kathleen and her spirit to imbue themselves into me. There was a period where she kind of laid dormant in me – I was going about my daily life and not thinking about her consciously, but in the subconscious, she was always there simmering in a lovely, vibrant way.

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Right Jacket, top and shorts Fendi, tights stylist’s own, jewellery 886 by The Royal Mint

You said that you had a very strong reaction to Kathleen as a character. What elements of her did you connect with?

There was this one scene that really spoke to me, which I think is the saddest scene in the whole movie. It’s of Kathleen sitting in her living room, being on the phone with a woman doing a vlog-type thing. She wasn’t actually having a conversation with this woman, she just needed company. I think I related to it in a more juvenile way because it was what I would do as a kid if I were ever lonely. I’d just talk around the place, make up little stories or pretend I was the host of an Airbnb out of my shed. And that was the feeling that made me want to perform and act, I was constantly creating this make-believe of everything around me. My imagination was really big and expansive as a kid. And I really felt that from Kathleen – even though she had been through so many horrible, devastating things in her life, she still had this hope that she could make something out of it. Also, the way she would interact with people. She’s so blunt and direct, she’s hilarious because of it and doesn’t realise that she is. That’s something that I admire about her.

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Right Dress and belt N°21, gloves Paula Rowan

Did she have an impact on the way you are today?

Each character you take on leaves an imprint on you and lets you discover something about yourself that you didn’t know before or weren’t allowing yourself to play with before. That’s what I love about acting – you get to really play with who you are as a person and how that connects with the character you’re portraying. You take what you want, you don’t have to take it all.

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What types of stories do you hope to tell as an actor next? What realms do you wish you could enter?

I read a lot of fantasy books, so I would love to do something in that genre. I’ve been in a show called Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale, a fantasy series based on a book, but it’s very grounded in our modern-day real world. I’d like to do something that takes fantasy to a whole new level, with mystical creatures and all. I also love the work of Ruben Östlund, I think there’s such an interesting study of the human experience [in his films]. It’s so grounded in reality, but it’s so absurd, it’s got all the little nuanced absurdities we all contain as humans. His films are so refreshing, and something like that would definitely be on my radar should it come my way. 

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Interview by Martin Onufrowicz

Photography by Ho Hai Tran

Fashion by Steven Huang

Hair by Takumi Horiwaki

Make-Up by Yoi Wan

Photographer’s assistant Adam Roberts

Stylist’s assistant Eve Lam

TRANSFORMING IDENTITIES

OULAYA AMAMRA, WHO WON THE CÉSAR AWARD IN 2017 FOR HER BREAKOUT ROLE IN DIVINES, CONTINUES TO IMPRESS WITH HER TRANSFORMATIVE APPROACH TO ACTING. FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF ANIMALE LAST NOVEMBER – HER THIRD COLLABORATION WITH DIRECTOR EMMA BENESTAN, WHERE SHE IMMERSED HERSELF IN THE WORLD OF BULLFIGHTING – AMAMRA IS NOW TAKING ON AN AMBITIOUS NEW PROJECT. IN TOUTES POUR UNE, ALONGSIDE HER BEST FRIEND AND FELLOW CÉSAR WINNER DÉBORAH LUKUMUENA, AMAMRA UNDERWENT A COMPLETE TRANSFORMATION TO PORTRAY A FEMALE D’ARTAGNAN. THIS INTENSE PREPARATION INCLUDED "DRAGGING UP" AS A MAN, WORKING WITH A VOICE COACH, LEARNING SPANISH, HORSEBACK RIDING, SWORD FIGHTING, AND EVEN MASTERING THE FLUTE. WE CAUGHT UP WITH AMAMRA TO DISCUSS THE CHALLENGES OF BRINGING HER CHARACTER’S IDENTITY TO LIFE, SEARCHING FOR GENEROUSNESS IN HER PERFORMANCES, AND SHINING A LIGHT ON WOMEN’S ISSUES WITH HER UPCOMING PROJECT.

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Right Bra Proenza Schouler, pants Loewe, necklace around the waist Messika

Toutes pour une, your second film with your sister Houda Benyamina, is being released this month, bringing you together for a second time after the fantastic film Divines. The film is based on the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas, a story we're all very familiar with. How does this adaptation differ from its source?

It’s inspired by but it's completely revisited. It's new because we've never seen women musketeers before. In films from this period, women either serve or are lovers, but they're not really heroines. At least not in the films I like. And Houda has completely revisited that and I think that's what cinema allows, it allows us to say that yes, we can have women musketeers, we can and it's not a question of the fact that we're women of colour, it's not a question, it's a story. What it tells is above all a story of friendship, a bit like Divines. It's a story about sisterhood and she uses Dumas and everything we know only as a context.

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When you were younger, was working with your sister something you always wanted? 

Honestly, it just happened. She was a drama teacher and she started an organisation called Milles Visages. I was thirteen or fourteen and I had no idea that I wanted to act. I actually wanted to be a paediatrician. But she didn't have any students, so she took me and my brother and said, “Well, I need pupils so I can give lessons,” and we never left.

Was she a good teacher?

She was. I thought to myself, “No, I can't stop here, she passed her passion on to me”. But we never spoke about it.  For Divines, she didn't want me to audition, but I had to. On audition day, she was like, “‘What are you doing here?” I think she was afraid because it's a job that you have to be passionate about. It's so random because you depend on the desires of others, and it can be painful if you're not passionate.

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Right Suit Givenchy, earrings Messika

Which heroine did you draw inspiration from in preparing for this role?

Frankly, it was more from heroes because I had to cosplay as a man and there was some real physical work involved. I felt like I had to pick a man. I watched a lot of Brad Pitt, Pacino, De Niro.

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Your character Sara is a young Morisco woman, who unmasks the three musketeers protecting the Queen of France and decides to hang on to these powerful women and their brilliant ideals. How did you prepare to play her?

By researching, I learnt all about the history of the Moriscos, who were expelled because they were Muslims. I read and spoke a lot with Houda. I also put a lot of myself into it because I'm Oulaya in 2024, but I'm also an Arab in a complicated political context. So I didn't have to look too far. All these characters, you see it in Divines as well, they are the same, they are people who are excluded from society. People we don't look at, who feel alone and who, as a result, are looking for something, and Houda often does this through friendships, like looking for a family. And Sara, she's going to find her family and they happen to be these women.

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What does the motto of the film – “To transform in order to be free, to transform in order to be yourself”–  mean to you?

That's the question: Who are we really? A question that's too deep to answer. It's what life is about: identity. Sara is rooted in her Morisco background, which is what makes her who she is, her origins and her parents who were killed. And when she’s told that she’s not Spanish anymore, that she has to learn French, she’s denying a part of herself. That's something that follows us, our parents’ stories, and their parents’ stories. That's why I’m more affected by certain stories. For example, people who are hunted, people who suffer injustice, sometimes it touches a part of my flesh and I ask myself why. Because my father lived through the Algerian war and he too was chased out and colonised. It all stays with you. It's no small thing to be told to forget where you come from, to forget your language, to forget all that you know. 

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Right Tank top Bottega Veneta, necklace Messika

Emma Benestan, who you worked with on Animale describes your acting style as elegant and subtle. What were your inspirations when you were young?

Romy Schneider, Isabelle Adjani, Penélope Cruz, Frances McDormand, Viola Davis. Actresses who are generous. They are gritty, they show you what's bad in human beings, but at the same time what's beautiful, and they don't keep it to themselves, they give it all away. They're going to sweat, and I think I want to be like that, I don't think I can be otherwise.

La Maison des Femmes will be released in 2026, it’s a film that discusses women and abuse, can you tell us a bit more about the project?

We just finished filming. It's about a women's centre in Saint-Denis that was created in 2019, where women who have been beaten, raped, excised, and are victims of abuse can go. There, midwives and police officers can take complaints directly, and it's linked to a hospital. Recently there was a law in France that came into action where they require one of these centres in each town. Clearly these are places that need to exist, and it's good that there's a film about them.

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What does your role entail?

I play a doctor who goes in and I've got a bit of a spectator's point of view because I'm doing my internship, so I go into this women's home and, through my eyes, you get a feel for how things are going. I'm more of an observer and then I go and operate on women who've had excisions.

And what do you want people to take away from this film?

First of all, I want them to realise the extent to which (abuse) can come from anywhere, that you have to be vigilant, and that when we have someone around us who is suffering from abuse, we should not hesitate to try to help them talk about it, to advise them to go to these shelters because they have services where they can feel safe. If it pushes people to do that, then we’ve already won something.

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Left Coat Jacquemus

Right Suit Givenchy, earrings Messika

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Interview by Gabrielle Valda Colas

Photography by Hanna Pallot

Fashion by Thomas Turian

Hair by Philippe Mensah

Make-Up by Chynara Kojoeva

Stylist’s assistant Ali Marashi

FINDING HIMSELF

ACTOR AND SINGER GAVIN LEATHERWOOD HAS CRAFTED HIS DUAL CAREER AROUND HIS OWN TRANSFORMATIVE TASTES, CREATING MUSIC YOU WANT TO GO ON ROAD TRIP ADVENTURES TO; AND TURNING OUT PERFORMANCES IN GENRE-BENDING TV SHOWS AND MOVIES FROM THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA TO THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS AND THE RECENT HORROR-COMEDY IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE. PERFECTLY BALANCED BETWEEN SELF-EXPRESSION AND COMMERCIAL RECOGNITION, HERE THE 30-YEAR-OLD MULTI-HYPHENATE REFLECTS ON HIS JOURNEY TO EXPLORING AND HONING HIS CRAFT.

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When we first meet your character in It’s What’s Inside, he’s defined as this ‘Trust fund baby-turned-rapper’. What did you think about Dennis when you first read the script?

When I read the script, Dennis struck me as this bold, layered character — a “trust fund baby-turned-rapper” isn’t just a label but speaks to both privilege and yearning for authenticity. That complexity intrigued me.

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The movie’s theme is intriguing too, with all that body-swapping existential chaos. It must have been so challenging as you’re all playing each other at different points. How did you approach embodying Dennis in that evolving narrative, as you’re not only unpacking his layers, but others too?

The body-swapping narrative is wild! You’re constantly playing different personalities, which is both a challenge and a thrill, sometimes confusing, especially in unravelling Dennis while embodying others’ quirks. Playing Dennis in this layered story is a dive into identity. Embodying different minds in one body taught me a lot about perspective and empathy. 

You know how they say you never know someone until you walk a mile in their shoes? Well, this movie is a very spicy take on that metaphor.

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What do you feel the movie says about society today with your generation? Is there a common theme in all the different character representations, like, everybody either knows or has met a Dennis?

The movie is a mirror to today’s social media-driven world — so much identity and performance. Everyone might know a “Dennis” type: someone who’s navigating their privilege or image.

What’s the meaning behind Dennis’ chest tattoo that reads, “Forgiven”? Do you have any tattoos yourself?

“Forgiven,” hints at his backstory and the idea of seeking redemption. I do have tattoos, and some are personal, others capture something close to me — they all symbolise some form of growth or self-reflection.

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Speaking of growth, in your acting credits so far, you’ve explored many different characters, and now genre-bending again in the thriller Fade to Black. Is there anything you can reveal about the role or the movie so far?

Fade to Black stretches into thriller territory, and another character so different from any other role I’ve taken on… so it’s an exciting challenge. My character has a large ego and makes a fun little splash. Can’t reveal too much yet, but it’s intense!

So, what kind of part would you really desire to play that you haven’t yet, or that you hope is coming down the line?

I’d love to tackle a light-hearted comedy or a crime drama, something deeply psychological. Maybe a character who faces profound transformation. 

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Transformation as an actor in and outside of a role, brings reflection, so what are the biggest confrontations you’ve had with yourself, when you’ve had the time to reflect and reevaluate? Do you have a motto or a proverb you live by?

Reflection brings up big questions of purpose. My motto? Maybe something like, “Stay curious, stay grounded, stay kind.”

What was your perspective of acting when you were growing up in California? Were you auditioning here and there? I want to know what you sunk your teeth into to keep developing yourself.

Growing up in California, acting always felt close by. There is no better feeling than playing pretend. Auditioning was a learning process, and I threw myself into every role, whether small or big, to hone my craft.

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You’re also a musician. So, when you’re studying and preparing for a role, where do you find the connection and the mood and the rhythm that you get from music? Are you a playlist-maker too?

Music is part of my process. Each character has a rhythm, and music helps me connect. I do create playlists for some roles — it’s like capturing a character’s mood. It’s a powerful thing, music. 

Are you able to express yourself the same way between acting and music, or are they two separate worlds for you?

Acting and music are two sides of expression for me. They’re linked yet distinct; music feels more personal, while acting lets me explore outside of myself.

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What are you working on now?

I’m diving into several things — some acting, some music-related, some art-related. Each project feels like another step in my journey. But I’m in no rush. I’m enjoying the process of honing each respective creative form. 

I’m curious to know, as you mentioned about staying grounded, what do you value most at this stage in your life, and what song would you use to describe yourself?

At 30, I value simplicity and self-awareness. I value peace more than I might have in my youth. Right now, the song that resonates would be something introspective, maybe Bon Iver’s, “Speyside”.

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Discover the PART2 - Story in our upcoming SS25 Issue -End March 25 release

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Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Doug Inglish

Fashion by Sharon Chitrit

EIC Michael Marson

Casting by Imagemachine CS

Grooming by Mira Chai Hyde

Digital by Max Hegedus

Production by Denise Solis

Stylist’s assistant Gabrielle Ram

FIRE WITHIN

IT’S NEW YEAR’S EVE, 1999, AND IT FEELS LIKE ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN, AND IN THE APOCALYPTIC COMEDY MOVIE Y2K, IT PROBABLY WILL. AS THE CHANGE IN MILLENNIUM IGNITES A Y2K BUG WHERE ELECTRICAL GADGETS GO BESERK, MURDEROUSLY TURNING ON HUMANS, THE FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL BEGINS.  AT THE HEART OF THE DISASTER, IS ELI, A NERDY LOSER CRUSHING HARD ON A GIRL, WHOSE LIFE REVOLVES AROUND HIS COMPUTER AND HIS BEST FRIEND, PLAYED BY ACTOR JAEDEN MARTELL.

THE 21-YEAR-OLD IS NO STRANGER TO TENSE, HORROR-FILLED AND APOCALYPTIC WORLDS, HAVING PLAYED A NERVY YOUNG BRAINIAC IN THE SURVIVAL THRILLER, ARCADIAN; THE YOUNG BILL DENBROUGH TERRORISED BY A KILLER CLOWN IN IT AND A TEEN ACCUSED OF MURDER IN THE APPLE TV+ MINISERIES DEFENDING JACOB. SINCE HIS BREAKOUT IN 2014 IN THE COMEDY DRAMA ST. VINCENT, WITH OTHER CREDITS INCLUDING THE WHODUNNIT MYSTERY KNIVES OUT, MARTELL HAS BEEN FLEXING HIS RANGE AS AN ACTOR, WITH A COMPELLING ON-SCREEN PRESENCE. HERE HE TALKS TO US ABOUT COMFORT ZONES, LIFE REALISATIONS AND LEARNING TO EMBRACE THE FIRE WITHIN.

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Your character in the movie, Y2K, is a bit of a nerd and outsider and I imagine that’s fun to explore, figuring out who this character is, and being on set with your peers and bringing that vibe together?

What’s fun is every character comes from their own clique and has their own identity. Eli is a nerd because who knows what else there is to call him? He’s shunned for his lack of self. He’s a blank canvas without any ties to a niche, or slice of culture like everyone else, so it comes across as a lack of conviction. He’s eager, he’s hunting for some idea of self. That’s why he tries so hard to be the hero too.

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You weren’t even born at the end of the 90s, the era in which this movie is set, so tell me what preparation you did for the role to really get into character?

We were constantly absorbed in the music of that time, and of course wearing the clothes too, but again my guy, Eli, is so far removed from all of that. I was blessed with Lachlan [Watson] and Rachel [Zegler] to always keep me in the moment, with their non-stop singing of 90s and 2000s songs. Haha!

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Ok, so name your best 90s artists?

All the hip-hop! Tribe Called Quest, Pharcyde, Digable Planets, Del, Nas.

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What about 90s movies?

Magnolia, La Haine. It was a crazy time for Asian cinema too, so A Brighter Summer Day, Rebels of the Neon God, and all Wong Kar-wai’s films. I love Mike Leigh’s stuff too, like Naked and Secrets and Lies.

Worst 90s fashion trend?

What was with everyone’s vendetta against their eyebrows?!

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I’ll have you know I rocked that skinny brow look! Anyhow, moving on. Let’s talk more about fashion and your red-carpet style. How do you approach dressing for events? What other brands do you love and where do you shop?

These days I dress myself. I wear a lot of vintage stuff. I love Bode.

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Ok, back to the acting. You’ve played so many complex characters since starting out as a child actor, so I’m curious to know what subject matters are you more drawn to?

All I really want is a role that challenges me, because I need it. I’m not a genius actor or even a natural-born performer. I need experience to push me out of my comfort zone. I say that because I would’ve answered... dark roles, bad guys, I want that. But at the same time, I’m so attracted to something like Y2K because it’s the most challenging of them all, because what do I know about comedy? I get to work with my comedy hero and analyse his approach to performing and he’s directed me. Like what?!

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You fell into acting at a young age too, when you moved to LA, but was there ever an experience or moment that changed everything for you; like seeing a theatre show or film that really ignited the fire in you?

You know what, not really. There was never this singular big realisation for me, but a sort of continuous stream of those moments throughout my life. Constantly trying to understand that weird fire, that thing that feels like unconditional love for something that can be so fruitful and hypnotising but then so damaging and, at the end of the day, will never really say it loves you. It comes with a lot of bad habits, anxieties, and shallow desires and expectations… all these things that make you ask why you care so much! It tests people because it is such a mystical, enticing way of life and if you can’t handle it responsibly, it turns you rotten. So, every day, the fire goes up and down. 

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So that fire has changed your approach to your craft over the years, would you say? What have you learned about yourself along the way, both professionally and personally?

It changes every time it seems. I’ve been looking for an equation ever since I started, out of fear for my luck running out. But I’ve realised lately it’s mostly about being adaptable and open, which is the same as in life, really. Doing all the work, all the practice or the thinking, right now and always, but being okay with it all shifting, and that work being “wrong” or one big realisation erasing all the other big realisations. 

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So, I’m guessing you critique your performances then, and is there one that you look back on with a specific fondness?

Yes, I do. Performances, no, not really… but the experiences of shooting and the things I learned performance-wise, absolutely! 

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Any acting and directing heroes you’re super keen to work with?

I LOVE Mark Ruffalo. He was in my dreams recently! He and Kang-Ho Song are my favourite actors. They just beam love and energy, with this deep, twisted empathy for their characters. My favourite directors are Bong Joon Ho, Paul Thomas Anderson and Robert Altman.

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What about directing in the future, is that something you would like to do and are there any ideas or stories bubbling away in your mind that you want to explore on screen?

I’m writing a movie right now with a friend, and I think it’s about men. The culture of man, growing up and becoming attuned to all the bad qualities of man. The stifled, sad, and silly ones too. It’s also really about control, because men are more outwardly and often more devastatingly, obsessed with control. I am also writing (and have been writing for nearly 10 years), a movie that will help me understand my relationship with all the stuff I’ve mentioned earlier about acting. Not in a self-pitying or self-flagellating or self-indulgent way… although, maybe it will be all those things, because I’ve got to address those qualities which are present in most actors; but in a way that understands it all, out of intrigue. 

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Well, on that reflective note, which is a good place to end, as we’re heading towards the end of this year; what would you like to do more of next year?

Every single year, I tell myself… It’s bulking season. It never sticks. Obviously!

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Discover the full story in our upcoming SS25 Issue

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Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Wish Thanasarakhan

Fashion by Mauricio Quezada

Hair by Takuya Yamaguchi at The Wall Group using Oribe

Make-Up by Asami Matsuda at Saint Luke Artists using La Prairie

Photographer’s assistants Atiwat Mondee and New Saralertsophon

Stylist’s assistant Eva Megannety

WE'RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE

IT SEEMS THAT MAGIC IS SOMETHING FICTITIOUS. A KIND OF FORCE THAT ONLY EXISTS IN MOVIES AND MOST FANTASTIC STORIES. AND THAT IS NOT TRUE, MAGIC EXISTS AND IS WITHIN OUR REACH. BUT MAGIC IS NOT LIGHTNING OR COLOURED SMOKE, IT IS A STAGE WHERE THE DEDICATED ACTORS, EITHER ON A HUGE SCREEN OR LIVE, JOIN THEIR ENERGY TO TRANSPORT US TO OTHER UNIVERSES. FOR SEVERAL HOURS, IN TOTAL DARKNESS, WE CAN STEP AWAY FROM OUR OWN REALITY TO FACE A FRENETIC ADVENTURE, A HUMAN DRAMA OR A HORROR STORY. ETHAN SLATER IS ONE OF THOSE MAGICIANS WHO HAS BEEN ENCHANTING US FOR YEARS WITH HIS WORK IN FILM, TELEVISION AND THEATRE, WHICH HAS LED HIM TO BE ONE OF THE MOST RELEVANT NAMES ON BROADWAY TODAY, HAVING WON A DRAMA DESK AWARD AND RECEIVING SEVERAL TONY NOMINATIONS. NOW, SLATER HAS IMMERSED HIMSELF IN THE FABULOUS WORLD OF OZ THANKS TO JON M. CHU'S ADAPTATION OF WICKED, A WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON RACKING UP MILLIONS AT THE BOX OFFICE. ETHAN IS LIVING THE SWEET DREAM OF PLAYING THE CUTE AND CUDDLY BOQ WOODSMAN, AN INSTANT FAN-FAVOURITE. NOW, AS WE IMPATIENTLY AWAIT THE SEQUEL, WE TALK TO ETHAN ABOUT HOPE AND THE POWER OF DREAMING OF A BETTER WORLD.

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Ethan, it's a pleasure to talk to you. I like this time of the year, the award season, because it makes us talk about films and go to the cinema to enjoy the big premieres. Tell me, how are these months for you?

Thank you, Juan! It’s so great to speak with you too. Awards season has never really stuck out to me in the past as a moment other than watching and following along casually to see how the films I loved were doing. But what’s been really exciting this year about being so near to (and involved with) the award season with Wicked is that I have had an excuse to watch and rewatch so many great movies, just so I can know what’s up for “work”. And then to have the opportunity to meet some of the filmmakers who made these incredible things! It’s really cool, it’s really special.

You ended last year with great success, as Wicked has become one of the highest-grossing musical adaptations of all time. Where would you say the magic of Wicked lies?

Wicked has magic all over it, it’s hard to pinpoint one place where it comes from. But I think it all comes back to the two women at the centre of it, the story of friendship, love, acceptance, and growth. It’s a big reason Wicked has been such a huge part of the culture for so long already. And then to have those roles inhabited by Ariana and Cynthia with such power, grace and skill takes it from great to… indescribable. They are magic. So, I guess the magic lies with them.

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 You are one of the biggest names on Broadway at the moment and so I would like to know what your relationship with Wicked was before you took part in the film.

I don’t know about “one of the biggest names”! Not even close! I have always loved Broadway and Wicked has always been a huge part of that. I saw the show with my 6th grade class, we took a day trip from DC to NYC to see the original company of Wicked, and all I remember is singing the songs from the OBC the entire 5-hour bus ride home. Then, I took my niece to see Wicked as her first Broadway show when she turned 9, and it really hit home how special the show is. To be able to watch it through her eyes, to see how it moved her (in the same ways, and different ways, that it moved me). So my relationship with Wicked before the movie was mainly as a fan (though I did audition once for Boq back in 2013, but I didn’t get the role).

Now you play him in the films! I was very surprised by his style because it is absolutely current – even in cities like New York or Madrid we can see people who seem to follow his style faithfully. What was your characterisation process to become Boq like?

Do you mean his fashion sense or his style of moving through the world? Because for the clothes, I have to say Paul Tazewell is just unbelievable. The way he created a modern, current, off-kilter but still uniform look for Shiz (and for the whole of Oz) was so transformative. On set, it was such a huge help, honestly! I don’t believe that “the clothes make the man,” or whatever; but I do believe there’s something to be said for “dressing for the job you want.” Paul made every single person on set feel exactly themselves (in character) before we even left our trailers. And I think, for me, after the steps of doing script work and creating a backstory or whatever, the next most helpful things are the tangibles: the set, the props, the wardrobe.

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 I love films that take place in a student environment, in this case at Shiz University, but I would like you to go back a bit further and tell me what you were like in high school.

Oh god. I don’t know how I would describe myself in high school exactly. I loved theatre, and I loved wrestling. Those were the two biggest things that I devoted myself to in high school. I would make the wrestling team sing during workouts (which, in retrospect, was equal parts funny and really obnoxious of me), and then run from the gym to the theatre to start rehearsal (probably a little too sweaty for everyone else's comfort). In some ways, I think I was a lot like Boq (part 1) in high school, though. I had friends, for sure, but I also always felt a little on the outside of the friend group. Some of that had to do with strict parents, but probably most had to do with my insecurities. And because I felt a little out of place, I was looking for places to fit in. Hence throwing myself so fully into wrestling and theatre.

I love fantasy and science fiction. I wish I could live in one of those universes, I would love to wake up in the world of Blade Runner, for example. What about you? Which fantasy universe do you wish you could move to?

I know it’s a cop-out, but Oz! Truly! Especially Jon Chu’s Oz. If some of the political and social turmoil could be, you know, worked on, it’s a universe I would love to live in.

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 I know you like to write songs. What are the themes that you are drawn to exploring with your music?

I don’t know if I have specific themes that I like more than others. I love to write, and I think songwriting can be a wonderful way to explore all the different sides of yourself! Whether the song is actually about yourself, or a character you create. Most of the songwriting I do is just for fun, mostly I write plays and screenplays, but occasionally I do write music for musicals I’m working on. One in particular, called Edge of the World, I guess contains some of the themes that I often find myself writing about.

We live in strange days in which the world often seems terrible, and sometimes beautiful. Do you think that musicals are an escape from these crazy times?

I think musicals (and theatre and film in general) can be an escape or a reflection. Some are more one than the other, but the best (for my money) are both. And I think Wicked, for one, is a really great balance of the two.

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 I'm very curious about the way Broadway has changed in New York since you started working there. How has it evolved?

I don’t know exactly how to answer that, to be honest! Certainly, Covid changed Broadway (and the theatre community) quite a lot. So it’s constantly in flux. Both in terms of the audience and the art that is being made. Which is sometimes a scary thing, and sometimes a beautiful thing.

When was the last time you felt excitement sitting in front of a stage or screen?

I have felt so much excitement even in the last few months going to the movie theatre to see Wicked, and Conclave, and A Real Pain, and on and on. Of course, I love watching movies at home, but to be in a theatre full of people experiencing a movie (or a play or a musical) together? It’s always exciting.

 And (maybe this is what you were getting at too) watching Wicked with an audience for the first time at our world premiere was thrilling. In a way that’s hard to describe.

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 Do you think you are born with a love for theatre or do you grow to love it?

I think we are all born with a love of stories, but everything needs to be tended to in order to grow. Which is why arts education, and teachers, are so important. I am unendingly grateful to my theatre teachers growing up, and in high school, Laura Rosberg and Jim Mahady, in particular. But it’s not just important for the kids who might become artists or actors or writers or whatever; arts education is important for everyone. It helps teach us empathy, it helps teach us media literacy, how to engage with the world, how to engage with the people in our lives, with the stories we tell each other and the stories we tell ourselves. Which is to say: yes.

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Interview by Juan Marti

Photography by Erik Tanner

Fashion by Nicholas MacKinnon

Casting by ImageMachine cs

Grooming by Laramie

Photographer’s assistant Jared Christiansen

WALKING THE LINE

BILLY EICHNER HAS MASTERFULLY WALKED A DELICATE TIGHTROPE, BALANCING A HEARTFELT DEVOTION TO POP CULTURE WITH A BITING PARODY OF HOLLYWOOD'S ABSURDITIES. HIS ABILITY TO NAVIGATE THESE TWO SEEMINGLY OPPOSING FORCES HAS MADE HIM A SINGULAR PRESENCE IN ENTERTAINMENT. WHETHER DELIVERING RAZOR-SHARP COMMENTARY ON THE LATEST CELEBRITY NEWS, HOSTING IRREVERENT GAMES ON THE STREETS OF NEW YORK, OR VOICING ANIMATED CHARACTERS WITH EQUAL PARTS WIT AND CHARM, EICHNER MANAGES TO BOTH CELEBRATE AND CRITIQUE THE INDUSTRY IN A WAY THAT FEELS SIMULTANEOUSLY AFFECTIONATE AND HONEST. BILLY ON THE STREET IS A MANIFESTATION OF THIS PUSH AND PULL. THE CHARACTER IS A DEEPLY DISTANT YET INTIMATELY CLOSE PORTRAYAL OF HIS 12-YEAR-OLD SELF, A PERFECT EMBODIMENT OF STAN CULTURE.  THIS DUALITY COMES THROUGH IN HIS RECENT ROLE IN MUFASA: THE LION KING, WHERE HIS TAKE ON TIMON CLEVERLY BALANCES NOSTALGIA WITH A MODERN EDGE, INFUSING THE ROLE WITH HUMOUR AND HEART IN A BELOVED STORY.

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I read that you had a Madonna-themed bar mitzvah. I need to know more about it.

So, I know it’s been widely reported that it was Madonna-themed but that is not 100% accurate. The actual theme was Broadway meets pop music.

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 Oh, that’s so much better, somehow even gayer.

Exactly, see the thing is, I couldn’t decide which one I liked more so I thought, “Why not?” There was an almost life-sized airbrushed portrait of Madonna in the Blonde Ambition Tour. She was standing on one side of the DJ booth; on the other, there was a similarly airbrushed portrait of the Phantom of the Opera.

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 [Laughs] This was the party of the season.

[Laughs] This is true. There is video evidence that will come out one day. I was a huge Madonna fan and grew up in New York City. Luckily for me, my parents and I shared a love of culture, specifically a love for musical theatre. We didn’t necessarily get the most expensive seats—we weren’t rich—but we got the seats we could afford. This was the late ‘80s, early ‘90s, so MTV was playing on a loop in my apartment. Pop culture always played a big part in my life. I have an older half-brother, but we weren’t raised together. I grew up as an only child in a small apartment in Queens. The entertainment industry was my friend. It was always something I was fascinated by, I wanted to be a part of it.

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 Did you go to the latest Madonna tour?

Of course, I went twice. My parents took me in 1990 to the Blonde Ambition Tour. I was in the sixth grade, and I sat there with my parents, a little fat, gay Jewish kid voguing in my seat. I was incredibly lucky, I had liberal and accepting parents which was especially rare those days. I benefited from the fact my parents had grown up in New York. My mother had gay friends. They always encouraged me and supported my interest in the performing arts. They took me to Madonna, Barbra Streisand, and Bette Midler at Radio City Music Hall. That love and support laid the foundation for my success in entertainment later.

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 Has your relationship with pop culture changed over the years?

I mean, I’m an adult now so it’s not as idealized anymore. Certain parts of Hollywood that I used to romanticize when I was a child have changed. Some of that comes from having an adult’s perspective, some of it from being part of the industry, and some from just cultural tastes changing. Yet, I’m still such a fan of the entertainers that I love. They hold space in my heart—in my mind, in my life. I rely on their stories and their work even more now that I am a professional going through the ups and downs of show business. I look at their careers and creative choices as blueprints to follow. It remains something that inspires me and comforts me. I was thinking about this recently. Someone told me, “Wow, you’re still such a fan.” A lot of people enter the industry and they get caught up in the game—they forget why they entered it, why they loved it in the first place.

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 It’s interesting to hear you say that because so much of your work addresses show business and yet you are very much in it. Do you ever feel any sort of tension in parodying the system you’re a part of?

I do feel conflict sometimes, but I embrace it in my work. I think Billy on the Street is the ultimate example of it. That character was someone I created as an adult but that was inspired by the 12-year-old Hollywood-obsessed version of me blown up in the six-foot-three adult body. I made him up for my live comedy show in New York, way before YouTube or TikTok, way before I found the success he would have. When you’re watching him, you’re both seeing my absolute love and affection for the entertainment industry while I’m satirizing someone who is as emotionally invested as he is in it. I’m always walking that line—somewhere between celebration and satire.  I’m satirizing the space it occupies in my mind. It’s a bit complicated, perhaps even hypocritical but I love it. So yes, I feel the conflict and I love it, I embrace it. You can love something to an irrational degree and understand its absurdity but still not be able to help yourself.

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 I’m sure it being a character provides you with some protection but still, you are putting yourself in a hard situation to improv in.

I don’t have a hard time anymore thankfully, I’ve been doing it on and off for two decades, it's almost the entirety of my adult life. It’s easy for me to slip into even if doing it is extremely hard. There’s a high level of degree of difficulty in Billy on the Street. We make it look easy and breezy, but I am wandering around the street, sometimes by myself, sometimes with a celebrity guest, a camera guy, and a mic. If you ever came and watched that shoot, it’s challenging. I have to fire on all cylinders because there’s no way to phone it in. He has to operate at such a high level of energy. I’m literally making it all up on the spot. I might have some idea going into it of what the segment is, but more often than not I have the beginning of the conversation and nothing else. For it to be funny, so many things have to fall in the right place. Who knows who’s going to be out on the street that day?

I have circled the block with my friend that’s behind the camera working the nerve to talk to anybody because it is not in my nature to talk to people in that way—the character is not close to me, he’s somewhere in me, but not close. The satire of it is that I heighten my behaviour, that’s where the social commentary comes in. So many times I meet someone who is astounded by the difference between the character and myself. It’s been out for a long time, but people find it every day on TikTok. I now have young people that come up to me that weren’t even born when I started doing it. 

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 Yeah, but it isn’t surprising that Billy on the Street is so viral –  the snappy, organic nature of it seems as if it was designed for social media. Of course, you created it before virality was a success mark. Has the dawn of its online success changed the way you think about it?

The metric of social media is just as simple as “Are people watching it?” and “Are people liking it?” That’s what I had always hoped for. But I’ve had many years of viral videos, it’s not the end of the world if something doesn’t [go viral]. I don’t expect every single thing I do to connect in the same way. I just want things to be funny. Whether every single thing is popular in that way doesn’t concern me, but it did at one point. I needed it, it was a huge part of my success. I don’t know if I’d be here talking to you without it. Social media allowed me to sneak around the gatekeepers. When I started it was a different time in culture. There weren’t openly gay actors but, even beyond that, I have always had a unique point of view. When I started, I had execs come to me saying they didn’t know what to do with me, they couldn’t fit me into the Hollywood puzzle.

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 But defining you is still quite hard. You do improv, you’re a stand-up comedian, you’re an actor, you’re a host. Where do you feel most at home creatively?

First and foremost, I am an actor. That’s what I started as. I went to Northwestern University which has had a lot of great actors come out of it. My first love was acting, and I still think of myself as an actor. Even Billy on the Street, while it’s not acting in the traditional sense, it’s still a character. There are many lessons I learned in acting classes that I’ve applied to it. I mean first rule of acting is listening and reacting in the moment. That’s the name of the game with Billy. I have to drop all preconceived notions of what this person is going to say and drop in, just be in the moment with them. If anyone told me I’d be known as a comedian when I went to school, I would’ve thought you were out of your mind. I was doing Greek tragedy, Shakespeare, and scenes from Angels in America. When I was in high school if you had asked me what I’d like to do, I would’ve said, “I just want to do plays in New York,” which is surprisingly one of the few things I haven’t done yet.

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Right Sweater Loro Piana

 How does that love for acting manifest when it comes to voice acting? As you reprised your role as Timon in Mufasa: The Lion King, do experiences like that scratch the acting itch?

There may not be physicality involved on screen but, in the recording studio, the character is still in my mind in the same way. Especially for this, because we established Timon’s character in relation to Pumba, played by Seth Rogen, we come as a duo. And the character does have physicality and, even if it’s not directly mine, the animators do take inspiration from the way we move in the studio. Obviously, he is a small meerkat, and I am a large human man so it's not a one-to-one transfer. Also, improv plays a big part of it. Seth and I are playing off each other as if in a traditional set.

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 Bros marked such a significant moment in the studio system. It sits as a sign of progress. Do you think the pendulum will swing back?

I love that movie, I’m so proud of that movie. It was a wonderful, glorious, complicated, challenging experience as it was always going to be due to the rare nature of the film. I keep reading that that pendulum will swing, that it’s going to be a much more risk-averse moment in entertainment. I’m hoping the progress we’ve seen that Bros was certainly a part of—but so was Billy on the Street even much sooner—of queer-centric projects doesn’t retreat. In the past 10 years, queer comedy has come along a way. It all felt so overdue but so exciting.

It’s a tricky time for the entertainment industry. We went through a golden age when it came to the amount of movies and TV shows being made at every level. Along with it came opportunities for people who were previously ignored. We have to get ahead of it because there are people out there who think we have to purely do broadly appealing projects. We need to stay in the fight. My hope is that progress keeps going forward.

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Interview by Pedro Vasconcelos

Photography by JJ Geiger

Fashion by Marco Milani

EIC Michael Marson

Casting by Imagemachine

Grooming by Jason Schneidman

Photographer assistant Brandon Young

BLUE GAZE

THERE ARE GAZES CAPABLE OF TAKING YOUR BREATH AWAY. IF ICY EYES FALL ON YOU, YOU CAN'T HELP BUT FALL UNDER THEIR CONTROL. THEY HAVE THE MAGNETISM OF A GRAY SKY, A SNOWY FIELD OR A STORMY HORIZON. THEY MAKE YOUR SKIN CRAWL AND ARE UNBELIEVABLY ATTRACTIVE. GLEB ABROSIMOV HAS ONE OF THOSE LOOKS. THIS YOUNG RUSSIAN ACTOR, BASED IN SPAIN, FELT FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE THE MAGNETISM THAT AWAKENS THE SEVENTH ART. WITH HIS CATCHY PRESENCE AND HIS AURA OF MYSTERY AND MISCHIEVOUSNESS GLEB WAS THE PERFECT CANDIDATE FOR THE UNIVERSE ELITE, ALWAYS LUXURIOUS AND CRAZY. HIS PERFORMANCE IN THE SERIES HAS MADE HIM A VERY SOUGHT AFTER FACE IN THE INDUSTRY AND SPANISH FASHION THANKS TO THAT AIR OF BAD BOY BUT AT THE SAME TIME SENSIBLE AND HARDWORKING THAT PERMEATES ALL THE ROLES HE ACCEPTS. NOW, AFTER CLOSING HIS CHAPTER IN LAS ENCINAS, HE BEGINS A NEW STAGE FULL OF CHALLENGES AND ADVENTURES THAT GLEB CAN'T WAIT TO TACKLE. CAN YOU FEEL THE SKIN ON YOUR NECK CRAWL? GLEB ABROSIMOV'S MOMENT HAS BEGUN.

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Left Jacket and shorts Abra, boot Rombaut

Right Coat JW Anderson, boots Abra

Gleb, it's a pleasure to talk to you. We are approaching the end of the year, the arrival of winter, how do you welcome this melancholic time of the year?

I really like this time of the year. I like the cold more than the heat, so I prefer to be a bit cold but not too much, just enough to wear a sweatshirt and sleep without heat.

Winter in Madrid is strange, it can be a very romantic time or, on the contrary, gray and rainy. Do you remember the days when you arrived in the capital?

I arrived in Madrid in summer if I'm not mistaken, what I do remember is that I wasn't very warm. Besides, the days were very good, you can say that Madrid received me very well.

Coming to Madrid requires a certain strength of character, do you consider yourself a brave person?

I don't consider it as a brave act, I consider it as a good decision I made at the time, a bit risky, but sometimes you have to make decisions like that to move forward or to achieve different things and get out of your comfort zone.

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Left Jacket and shorts Abra, boot Rombaut

Are you a person who tends to look back to the past or do you prefer to focus on the future and what's to come?

I prefer to focus on the present always, although there are times when it is difficult just to be in the present. Many times I go back to the present and many times I go to the future, I try to stay firm, not to get carried away and build the present to have a better future.

I remember wanting to be a writer since I was very young, but I also wanted to be a doctor, a judge, a private detective... Did the same thing happen to you?

Yes, the same thing happened to me, I did not understand what I really wanted to be, what I realized is that whenever I saw a movie or series I tried to imitate the character and wanted to do the profession of the movie I liked, until I realized that what I really want is to be an actor.

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Left Full look Abra

Right Jacket Y/Project, socks stylist’s own

You are an actor who gives a lot of importance to training. Since you started acting, are there any valuable lessons you have learned?

The most valuable lesson is that the actor never has to stop training, training and learning, keep doing courses, classes, training, that's the most valuable lesson, the rest are resources that you learn to be a better actor.

Tell me about a scene of “Elite” that you keep with special affection among your memories of the years you've spent in the series.

Possibly the scene I remember most fondly is the one on the roof when Eric wants to jump, because it was a complicated and very nice scene with Ander Puig, there was a lot of work and it was also my last day, so I remember it with special affection.

How did you feel when you said goodbye to this character so significant for you?

Honestly it didn't hurt me much to say goodbye to him because Eric was in a good place, recovering, with his family. It hurts more not to be able to connect with him, but who knows, maybe in the future I'll come back to him.

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Left Jacket Avec armour

Right Jacket Gant, shorts Carhartt, boots Camperlab

In an actor's career you play characters that have absolutely nothing to do with yourself, is it easy for you to get into a skin very different from your own?

It's all a job, it's the most beautiful thing to empathize with your character, understand him and then get into his skin, there are times when it is more difficult to connect with certain characters but that's what I like about this profession, to work, look for the connection and connect with the character.

Are there any other actors who are references for you and whose careers you admire?

There are many actors that I like, but I don't have references as such. I've even used references from films or actors for certain characters, I continue with my goals and my career.

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Left Jacket Avec Armour

Right Jacket and shorts Abra, boot Rombaut

Many actors become interested not only in what happens in front of the camera, but also in what happens behind it. Are you interested in exploring the possibilities of writing or directing audiovisual projects?

Yes, of course, I love cinema in general, in fact I am writing a film with my friend Guillermo Fernandez who is a director. In this film obviously I will not be directing at least for now..., but it is a world that I obviously want to explore.

Tell me about the last time you were excited in a movie theater.

It's been a while since I went to the cinema, a mistake on my part but due to time it has not been possible, the last film I saw in a movie theater was Challengers, which I liked very much, many other premieres I have seen from home due to lack of time and finally I encourage everyone to go more often to the cinema and theater

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Interview and production by Juan Martí

Photography by Antártica Studio

Fashion by Gonzalo Ortuño

Art Direction by Miriam Velo

Grooming by Laura del Muro

Production assistant Vini Dore

EXPANDING HORIZONS

CHRIS MASON IS NO STRANGER TO THE SPOTLIGHT. OVER THE PAST DECADE, HE HAS BEEN PART OF SOME OF THE MOST CULTURALLY RESONANT SHOWS, FROM RIVERDALE TO DOCTOR WHO. NOW, WITH HIS ROLE IN DUNE: PROPHECY, THE LIVERPOOL-BORN ACTOR STANDS ON THE BRINK OF A SEISMIC CAREER MOMENT. STEPPING INTO THE VAST AND STORIED SCI-FI UNIVERSE, HE TACKLES THE LAYERED ROLE OF KEIRAN—A SWORD MASTER FORGED BY A PAST AS COMPLEX AS THE DUNE MYTHOLOGY ITSELF. YET, DESPITE THE ALIEN WORLD DUNE IMAGINES, CHRIS MAKES IT DEEPLY HUMAN. SO MUCH SO THAT HE BRINGS HIS OWN LIVERPOOL ACCENT TO KEIRAN—A CREATIVE CHOICE THAT NOT ONLY DISTINGUISHES HIS CHARACTER BUT GROUNDS THE FUTURISTIC EPIC IN A SENSE OF AUTHENTICITY, THAT’S THE ESSENCE OF CHRIS’S APPEAL: HIS ROLES ARE NEVER MERE CHARACTERS BUT FULLY REALIZED PEOPLE, ALIVE WITH DEPTH, EMPATHY, AND HUMANITY. WE SAT DOWN WITH THE ACTOR TO DISCUSS HIS COMEDIC BEGINNINGS, HIS JOURNEY INTO WRITING, AND HOW HE BREATHES LIFE INTO EVERY STORY HE TOUCHES.

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Full look Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

Hi! How are you?

I’m good, I’m excited right now.

I get that, with Dune: Prophecy about to come out. I always think the most exciting time is the moment right before something is about to happen.

Obviously, I’ve done shows before that you wait to see them, and you can’t wait for them to be out but there’s definitely something about this show that feels different—both in exposure and scale. I got my first taste of that when we went to the New York premiere. I just want it out so I can see what people think about it.

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Jacket and pants Emporio Armani, watch Omega

Do you find there’s any pressure because of the audience Dune comes with?

Probably. My first reaction to getting this role was “Wow, I’m going to be in Dune.” Then my next reaction was, “Oh dear, I’m going to be in Dune.” [Laughs] But that’s what was only in the beginning. After I spoke to the showrunners, I felt safe in their hands. They’re veterans of their craft as the actor you can’t take on that pressure, you’re there to do your small part of it.

Projects of this magnitude are characteristically secretive. Did you know what we were auditioning for?

Not at first. I think the description at first just said “Untitled Drama.” I was like “Ok, this is cool, it’s sci-fi.” The role at first was called Dimitri but they didn’t give me much about it. Then two weeks later I got a call back for a different character, Alexander, I then sent it off. But what was rare and strange about it, and that never happened, was that I forgot about it. Then, two weeks later, I got a text from my agent saying “Yeah, this is Dune.” A few days after that they told me it was looking good. I thought “Okay, cool, maybe I’ll get a call back or get to meet the showrunner.” But then I just booked it. It was a welcome surprise; it never really happens for actors.

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 In the past years, you’ve been part of shows that are so in the zeitgeist, Riverdale, Doctor Who, now Dune: Prophecy. When did it click that this is something you wanted to do?

My brother is an actor, he’s six years older than me, Sean Mason—fantastic actor— and I grew up watching him, first in school plays, then in theater, he went on to do a British soap. We’re both very different from each other but I kind of looked at him arrogantly as a kid and was like, “I can do that too.” When I was in my mid-teens, I realized it’s a real craft. I got to work with some great directors at the theatre level in Liverpool, they taught me storytelling on an entirely different level. That’s what made me fall in love with it. When I left school, I thought I would take a stab at it. I got a job then I didn’t have a job then I wouldn’t get a job—it’s a tough career. You face a lot of rejection but if you can make it through, it’s a great thing.

The Dune universe is so complex. I was reading that you read the books before you went on set. How did that inform your narrative?

It’sfascinating because in a lot of roles, you turn up you only get the script, the backstory falls on you. You ask questions like, "Is this where this person comes from? What drives them?" With this we were lucky. They gave us the books that precede the story, so we read those, and there’s so much family history there. I was looking at it from a tragic angle, you know? We even discussed inherited trauma—like passed-down PTSD—from parents and how that shaped Keiran’s character. It was great to have all that background, but it was also freeing to create a new character that hasn’t been seen in the books. We weren’t tied down, but we had his backstory and family history right there to draw from and use to create the man he is today.

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Coat Emporio Armani

Do you approach a show like Dune: Prophecy or Doctor Who differently than something like Broadchurch, which is more rooted in the real world? Does the genre change how you connect to the humanity of a character?

Yeah, I think the number one rule is the same no matter what show you’re working on—whether you’re playing an alien or something else—it’s about finding the truth about the character. With Doctor Who, I was playing John Lennon. Everyone knows who John Lennon is, so you work on his mannerisms, movements, voice—all that. But there’s a scene where he’s worried, and he breaks a little, showing real emotion. For me, it’s important to prioritize humanity over impressions. With Broadchurch, it was completely different. Chris Chibnall, the writer, told me that a lot of the dialogue I had to deliver came verbatim from interviews with a real serial rapist. That was tough, it made me sick to my stomach. It was about accepting that someone could have actually said those things and finding a way to portray that truth. With Dune, it’s a mix. It’s sci-fi in space, sure, but the roots of the story are grounded in humanity. The flaws and emotions are very real, so you stay true to the character and ride through that.

Do you think empathy plays a role in connecting with your characters?

Definitely. Sometimes, though, it’s hard. Broadchurch is an example where I struggled with empathy. But you still have to do the job. You spend so much time with your characters that you end up understanding their intentions, even if they’re twisted or wrong. With Keiran, I feel a strong connection.

Keiran's a very physical role, there's a lot of stunt work involved. I've had people describe stunt work to me as a performance art really. What was your relationship to the Keiran’s physicality?

When I saw the brief that said Keiran is a sword master, I thought, “Okay, I’m under pressure now.” I had some stage combat training back in the day, but it’s slower and safer than what you see on screen. Before heading to Budapest to shoot, I did a couple of weeks of Japanese hapkido training. It wasn’t just for sword skills but to understand how a sensei teaches, because Keiran is also a coach. I wanted to channel that discipline into the role. It’s kind of a dream for an actor, all you want to do is to run around and play with swords all day.  We had an amazing stunt team who were patient with us. They took us from zero to a place where Sarah Sophie and I felt comfortable doing long takes together without cutting. It’s a dream come true to be able to spend so much time learning a discipline and then get to put that on screen.

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Coat Emporio Armani

When it comes to accents, do they add to your portrayal, or do they feel like extra work?

Accents are environmental, so they inform the character’s world, where they grew up, and how they think. For this role, I initially auditioned with a standard British accent, the Queen’s English kind. But as we got closer to shooting, I felt like my own accent would add something—which is never my instinct as an actor, I rarely use my own accent—but it fit Keiran’s story and helped differentiate him. In the U.S., I usually work with an American accent, and there are so many varieties of that. I love accent work. I’m always up for the challenge.

Do you find that an accent provides emotional protection between you and the character?

It’s a performance element. It’s an easy switch for a character, it makes it so I can turn a character on. I start using an American character and there he is. It does help it separate it a little bit which can be nice. But if I’m struggling with a line—or the truth of it—I’ll just say it in my accent and that’ll help me find the core of it. It’s easier with Keiran being able to go in and have him sound like me.

It's so interesting. I was going to ask, but you kind of answered it—what do you choose when it comes to something like Dune, where the concept of regions, at least the way we perceive it, doesn't really exist?

Yeah, we’ve got so many talented actors in this show, you know, a lot of them British, and then some Australian, and a lot of different accents in there in general. Pushing for my accent, I wanted it to kind of have a separation because of where the Atreides are, and their planet is very separate in their story. Having Keiran in this world is very much an outlier on his own right now. So having that separation was good, but also kind of just, I think, having something interesting to listen to helps overall. You know, the Liverpool accent—or the softer Liverpool accent that I’m doing—is not something people might associate with that time. But who knows? It’s sci-fi, right? No one can say what the history of accents and lineage and all that stuff does. So, we have a little bit of creative license there.

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Full looks Emporio Armani

It’s so interesting to hear you talk about accents as an active part of storytelling from an actor's point of view. I’ve read before that you have a passion for writing and storytelling that differs from acting. Do you ever consider going behind the cameras or working on writing?

Yeah, absolutely. It’s actually something I’ve been passionate about these last couple of years. I shot my first short film this year here in the States, and it was a huge learning curve. We gave ourselves the challenge of shooting something in three weeks, starting from scratch. It was a real eye-opener in terms of production elements—how hard it is to gather and wrangle everyone, how much things cost at certain levels, and all that. I wouldn’t say I’m naturally built for that stuff—I like the creative side more—but it was fun to learn. My aim now is to eventually get to a feature film where I could at least have written it, maybe even directed it. I want to test the waters. I could be a terrible director, but there’s only one way to find out. Writing, though, is something I love. When you read a script, you kind of play all the characters in your head. Writing is just that—it’s creating characters, finding their little quirks, and trying to keep them consistent. It definitely helps with storytelling in my acting, knowing how to get to the end of a story.

Do you think this love for writing and understanding of storytelling helps you when it comes to acting?

Absolutely. I wasn’t very well-educated in terms of writing—I never went to university or studied writing formally. One day, I assumed I could write a script, and I did, but it was dreadful. From then on, I bought every screenwriting book and screenplay guide I could find to teach myself about story, dialogue, and character. It’s one of those things you never stop learning. Watching people like David Mamet talk about storytelling is different from how Ron Howard approaches it as a director. There are so many great resources out there now, and I’ll continue learning throughout my life. In terms of acting, it’s helped me to pick out beats in a script, understand the arc of a character, and see the bigger picture of the story. Looking back at some of the indie movies I’ve done, I wish I knew then what I know now because we could have brought the story together better. Any reading, writing, or practice helps you craft your skills.

I’ve read that you did stand-up back in Liverpool. Is that something you’d be interested in doing again or developing further?

I loved doing stand-up. It was so much fun, especially when I was a young actor trying to get jobs and there weren’t many opportunities to perform. Getting on stage gave me the buzz of a live performance, which I loved. It’s something I’ve always thought about revisiting. Living in the States is different—the sense of humor and crowds are more forgiving, which might make it easier for me. Back then, I played off my youth and cheeky charm, which I don’t quite have anymore, so it’d have to be different now. These days, I’ve found myself happier writing comedy. That’s likely where it’ll come out now—through scripts and storytelling—rather than getting back on stage.

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Left Full look Alexander McQueen

Right Full look Emporio Armani

So you think your writing tends more toward comedy?

Definitely. I grew up watching movies like Ghostbusters without realizing as a kid that it was a comedy. Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate how brilliant it is—every time I watch it, I catch jokes I missed before. I was obsessed with Austin Powers, Mike Myers, Robin Williams, and Jim Carrey. Family movie nights were filled with Mrs. Doubtfire, Liar Liar…. Stand-up wasn’t something I planned to try—it came from a random workshop day. I got on stage, liked it, and people encouraged me to do more. I had regular gigs in Liverpool, working with different comedians. But stand-up is hard work. Writing scripts and figuring out what’s funny feels much easier to me now.

Does your sense of humor and early exposure to comedy inform your acting, even in dramatic roles?

Maybe not my acting directly, but it informs my approach. I like to have fun on set, laugh, and keep things light-hearted off-camera. When it’s time to focus, I bring it in. Some actors need to stay in a certain headspace but that’s not me. For me, humor is just part of who I am more so than my acting.

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Interview by Pedro Vasconcelos

Photography by Debora Brune

Fashion by Steven Huang

Production by Lea Bütefisch

Grooming by Talia Sparrow at A-Frame

Photographer’s assistant Eli Hatfield

Stylist’s assistant Aaishah Perager

CHAMELEONIC CHARM

Zac Burgess isn’t interested in being an actor— he wants to be a chameleon. Rather than simply play people, he aims to embody them fully, to completely immerse himself in someone else and access parts of himself he never knew existed. This desire isn’t born of artistic impulse alone—it’s rooted in something deeper. For the young actor, each role is an opportunity to unearth a new fragment of himself, to explore a corner of his mind previously uninhabited. His latest endeavor? Lucien Belmont in the Cruel Intentions series, based on the cult classic film of the same name. If the goal was to step as far away from himself as possible, Burgess struck gold with this character: a loving sociopath whose charm masks his venom. But Lucien is much more than a caricature. Even with a character this extreme, the actor manages to find something real—something human. To channel Lucien’s attitude, he sought confidence that felt earned, not performed. For Burgess, acting has always been more than a craft—it’s therapy. We catch up with the young actor just as he’s returned home after an intense press tour, still catching his breath from a whirlwind couple of weeks.

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Hi, how are you? I’m sorry to have you wake up so early.

 No, it’s good, I’ve been up for a while now, I’m still readjusting to jet lag.

How long have you been back home in Australia?

 I got in about 3 or 4 days ago. It’s been a whirlwind but it’s good to be home. I was in LA doing the press junket, then we had the premiere, but I managed to make my way back.

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 It must be hard to go back and forth between the two. But I’ve heard you say you would never leave. What keeps you tethered there?

 I grew up in the countryside, so away from all the major cities. The peace that being back home brings is next to nothing. It almost feels funny, but I grew up with a river in my backyard. I’ve always been close to the water, with animals always around. I’ve got wonderful friends and family who can keep me humble.

Growing up so far away from a city, how did you feel the magnetic pull of acting?

 My dad was an actor in Australia, and he passed away in 2016 and I was quite young. I was only 13 years old, and I didn't really know much about his life. I wanted to get a deeper understanding of who he was, and that's why I gave acting a go. I wanted to understand what his career was like and what drew him to acting. I also had all these different emotions that I was feeling at the time, and acting was one of the best ways to be able to move through them, picking up different pieces and expressing some of the deep pain I was going through at the time and turning it into something more tangible.

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 It's interesting hearing you talk of acting as a sort of therapy or a way to process emotions. Do you still feel that way now?

 Definitely. There are times when I feel disconnected or unsure of what’s happening around me because it’s such a chaotic industry. There are all sorts of things happening all the time and being able to jump into scenes with other actors. It allows me to come back into myself, feel my body and respond to those around me. It’s therapy.

Having that said, how do you pick roles? Do you tend to choose characters that feel closest to you?

 Oh, absolutely no. I think everything I want to do is stretch myself and have major versatility. I guess my ultimate goal is to become sort of a chameleon, to disappear within roles. I think that is such a gift to be able to work towards. Yeah, something the next thing I do, I hope it's completely different from anything else.

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 Is that what attracted you to Cruel Intentions? Lucien seems so different from everything else you’ve done.

 Absolutely, I think that’s probably the best part of what I got to explore with him. The other characters I've played in the past have been sort of younger teenagers who are going through troubles in their lives—most of them Australian characters too. So being able to find Lucien and play with the American accent dive into, like, the nitty gritty, juicy, raunchy… fun stuff that Lucien represents. I think that’s what drew me to play with those things I haven’t had the chance to do before.

I read that you never actually watched the Cruel Intentions original movie because you didn’t want it to bleed into your performance. How did you find him?

 I started with his voice. It was an interesting process. I had never done an American accent before, so it started in a high-pitched octave. But then I saw a clip of Gossip Girl on YouTube—I’ve never actually watched the show, but I think the character’s name is Chuck Bass...

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 Oh, that’s a great place to start.

 Yeah, I really liked the way he sounds. I took inspiration from him in the way he portrayed his confidence. I guess I was trying to find this part of myself I hadn’t experienced yet. I tend to find myself not being super confident in some aspects of life. Something freeing about Lucien was being able to step into pushing myself to find that confidence. Then I was fortunate to be able to sit down with Sara (Goodman) and Phoebe (Fisher), our showrunners, and pull apart who Lucien really was. I had to see his behavioral patterns and the choices he made throughout his life in a different way. I think a lot of it comes down to the trauma he had to endure as a young man. I think the final step into being him was the clothes. Being able to jump into the costume room and pick out this crazy vibrant stuff—which in so many ways act as his cover—was key.

Was the accent part of your character work?

 I was fortunate it became second nature, so it wasn’t inhibiting me unless I was stuck on a line. Other than that, it definitely helped inform the character and step into him every time we were on set.

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Have you seen the movie now?

 I still have not. I think if the series is ever concluded I’ll give it a watch. It’ll be like a parting gift.

You mentioned that you think so much of his actions come from trauma. Do you need to find a level of empathy between you and a character before you play them?

 Oh absolutely, I definitely have to. You can never judge a character because it makes it almost impossible to play them. You have to find a way to empathize with what they’re feeling. You’re playing a real person with real feelings. Also, in any relationship in life you need to have empathy, this is just another example of that.

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 He is human but he is also quite villainous. How did you feel knowing you were about to play a role many people might dislike?

 It’s gold as an actor to be able to dive into a character that isn’t necessarily always good because it creates a conversation. It makes people question their morals and ethics.

One of the best parts of the show is the dynamic you have with Sarah and Savannah. How did you develop that chemistry?

 We hit it off from the get-go. We really did understand each other from the beginning. We are also quite fortunate because we got to have sessions with an intimacy coordinator. He allowed us to work in intimate spaces and control breath work. That was a big part of understanding intimacy without physical touch.

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 There’s something about the cult following of Cruel Intentions that attracts so much attention. How has the response been?

 I’ve been very fortunate with close people around me who guided me through the process. Let’s say I have felt some nice reactions and tried to avoid others. At the end of the day, I’m incredibly proud of what the cast and crew created. I worked with such amazing people who have creative outlooks and insights that I appreciate so much. I’m incredibly thankful for the whole process.

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 You mentioned you’re interested in expanding your repertoire. What would be your next step?

 I’d love a Western, I think it would be a fun blending of the country I grew up in and what I do. It would be a dream come true. Let me put some muscle on and some fake tattoos. Do an Irish accent. Just something completely different. 

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Interview by Pedro Vasconcelos

Photography by Lauren Withrow

Fashion by Yuval Ozery

All clothes Celine Homme

Grooming by Destiny Venice

Photographer’s assistant Cameron Lee Phan

A DARK DEBUT

NICHOLAS ALEXANDER CHAVEZ HAS ENTERED THE ZEITGEIST GUNS BLAZING — BUT ENOUGH ABOUT HIS ARMS. FROM TINY RED SPEEDOS TO LEATHER CHAPS, THE YOUNG ACTOR HAS MADE HIMSELF A MODERN SEX SYMBOL. THIS WAS, OF COURSE, NOT HIS INTENTION— IT’S JUST WHAT HE DESCRIBES AS A “FUN” BONUS. CHAVEZ IS INCREDIBLY SERIOUS ABOUT HIS CRAFT, BUT THERE’S NO WAY HE COULDN’T BE. TASKED WITH PLAYING HALF OF THE INFAMOUS DUO IN MONSTERS: THE LYLE AND ERIK MENENDEZ STORY, HIS PERFORMANCE DELIVERS AN INCREDIBLY NUANCED PORTRAYAL OF AN EQUALLY COMPLEX PERSON. THAT IS HOW NICHOLAS LOOKS AT LYLE: NOT AS A CHARACTER, BUT AS A HUMAN BEING HE HAD TO UNDERSTAND BEFORE PORTRAYING. FORTUNATELY, THE ACTOR HAD THE ADVANTAGE OF A FRESH PERSPECTIVE—HE ONLY LEARNED ABOUT THE CASE WHEN HE FIRST AUDITIONED FOR WHAT HAS BECOME THE SHOW OF THE SEASON. THE ONLY COMPETITION THE SERIES FACES IS IN A PROJECT THAT, COINCIDENTALLY, IS ALSO DIRECTED BY RYAN MURPHY AND FEATURES CHAVEZ. IN GROTESQUERIE, THE ACTOR HAS THE FREEDOM TO EXPLORE THE RELIGIOUS UNCANNY VALLEY OF MIDDLE AMERICA. UNSURPRISINGLY, HIS PORTRAYAL THREADS THE FINE LINE BETWEEN TERRIFYING AND COMEDICALLY UNPREDICTABLE. PLUS, HE PLAYS A HOT PRIEST. NO, NOT IN THE PG FLEABAG WAY, IN THE HELLFIRE-BURNING, LEATHER CHAP-WEARING WAY — IT’S CHAVEZ’S WORLD, WE’RE JUST HAPPY TO WATCH.

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Left Top Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, coat Emporio Armani

Right Coat Brunello Cucinelli, tank top stylist’s own, pants Fendi, boots Dolce&Gabbana, belt Tom Ford, gloves and sunglasses Lanvin

Hi! How are you?

I’m good!

You look better than good. I wish I was in a hammock in the sun right now. 

Yeah, I had the choice between taking this call sitting at a desk, or laying outside. I think I made the right one.

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Left Tank top stylist’s own, pants Fendi, belt Tom Ford, gloves Lanvin

Right Jacket Fendi, turtleneck and boots Tom Ford, pants Brunello Cucinelli

.I would agree. I wish I could do the same… If I lay outside, I’d freeze. 

You’re based in London, right? I’ve been a few times but mostly did super touristy things. I definitely need to go back.

I’ll give you some pointers when you come. But before I do, I want to congratulate you on Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, it’s been such a success. I find that the Menendez brothers' story can be so polarizing. When were you first made aware of it?

Right after I got the audition. It seemed like such an interesting project and I’ve been wanting to work with Ryan Murphy for a long time. He’s incredibly creative. But as soon as I got it, I researched the brothers and what they went through. I had to familiarize myself with the culture of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. I watched everything I could and that continued through until we finished the project. 

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Top Dolce&Gabbana, leather coat, boots, jewellery Celine Homme

I get that, it feels like a character that would require constant attention. How do you prepare yourself for something like that?

For anything you’re tackling with a real human being, research is necessary. But then, at the same time, as an actor, you’re led first and foremost by the script and the story you’re being asked to portray. There’s an aspect of dramaturgy to it. But even then, it was important to me to distil the core truths of this character and make sure I was empathizing with him rather than judging him. Even though I was tasked with playing someone whose presence in this series can be erratic or impulsive at times, I knew that underneath all of it was a core pain that came from a dark and hurt place. They say anger is a secondary emotion, it’s usually there to cover up hurt. 

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I’ve heard you in an interview talk about how playing a character is about finding the Venn diagram intersection between their emotional spectrum and yours. How do you go about protecting your mental well-being while committing to your technique?

I think that’s the job. In some ways, there’s no getting around that. Ultimately, only you the actor need to know what the crossover is between you and the character. How you’re empathizing with the character—how you find your way in as an actor— is an incredibly personal thing. That introspective process can sometimes be enlightening in ways you didn’t expect it to be. I certainly surprised myself several times throughout this process, both in good and bad ways. But you can’t play a character as complex as this without learning a few things about yourself along the way. 

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Your co-star Cooper Koch recently spoke to us about a visit he paid to Erik Menendez. Would you like to do something similar or do you find that you need some separation as an actor?

I think that art is inherently political. It’s always been and it always will be. But the political commentary that I have to make is in the art itself. And so, any contribution that I could make to the conversation I’ve already made.

Is that also your stance when it comes to the conversation that’s spawned from the airing of Monsters?

My performance is one aspect of the whole. This show is the culmination of a lot of different artistic perspectives. We are also portraying so many different points of view. We are telling the parent’s side of the story, and the brothers’, and Dominick’s, and everyone else’s. It’s impossible to say that my point of view of who I perceived Lyle to be as a human being is portrayed within the show. What I can tell you is that I’ve developed a strong point of view of who I perceived Lyle to be while still working within the limitations of the script that I was given. But I definitely tried to bring as much truth and humanity as I possibly could to the role. And, more than anything, I view Lyle Menendez as a deeply wounded human being. 

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On this project, you’re acting with juggernauts. What did working with Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny so closely teach you?

I think the most important takeaway for me is to lead with kindness in all things. I thought that Javier and Chloë displayed exemplary leadership. Throughout the entire project, they were warm and incredibly professional but still brought a sense of play. When you’re a younger actor, you want to be looking towards the veterans to see how to do it. They set an incredible example for both Cooper and myself. It was so inspiring to be around people who are both serious and dropped in while on camera and such warm human beings when the cameras are off. 

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You’re also participating in another exciting Ryan Murphy project, Grotesquerie. How does your approach differ from playing a real character and a fictional one?

Well, with Monsters, you have a set context. You’re covering the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, and it covers something that’s based on real-life events—you have a prescribed context. With Grotesquerie, there’s nothing of the sort. The sky's the limit, the only boundaries you have are set by Ryan Murphy’s imagination, which is boundless. You are free to explore anything. You can afford to be an incredibly impulsive actor in a story that has looser parameters. It can be an incredibly specific world but everything is up to interpretation because it explores a setting of hell. I got to exercise my interpretation of hell in this project.

You’re playing an objectively sexy priest— an incredibly popular trope online. How have you found the perception of the character?

For me, it’s honestly all about the work. But it’s fun. Occasionally I’ll get sent a tweet by a friend of mine. I’ll laugh about it. More than anything, I’m just glad people are enjoying the show and that people like it. TV is such a fun medium because everyone gets to decide their way to enjoy it. But I feel like number one, it’s impossible to listen to all of it, and, number two, if you tried to listen to all of it, you’d probably drive yourself crazy at the end of the day. I think it’s important to have the confidence and discipline to stand by your artistic decisions and ethics. The reception will be what the reception will be. Valuing your artistic perspective and point of view enough to not depend on what other people are saying to validate it. Of course, I want it to be entertaining and received positively but, at the end of the day, it’s a feeling that comes from inside, and if you don’t have it, no amount of validation is ever going to be able to compensate for it. 

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You’ve mentioned the joys of working with Ryan Murphy. How has collaborating with him changed your perception of the industry?

Ryan is always learning. I think that’s the most impressive thing about him. He’s constantly educating himself and finding new things to be obsessed with. He operates with such tenacious curiosity and you can’t help but admire it and want to emulate it. I think that has to be the quality of Ryan’s that I want to take with me in the future, that of always remaining a student.

What’s interesting in both of these roles is that they’re darker than some of your previous work. Is that a path you think you’d like to keep trailing?

I think the world is a lot more dynamic than just light and dark. There are a lot of different shades and palettes to play in. I’m deeply fascinated by both. I think there’s comedy in tragedy and tragedy in comedy. The idea of doing complex projects that have both feels more honest to me because my life has both. The truest projects feel like some kind of hybrid. 

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Interview by Pedro Vasconcelos

Photography by Sam Ramirez

Fashion by Nico Amarca

Casting by Imagmachine cs

Creative direction by Ton Aguilar

Grooming by Christine Nelli

Stylist’s assistants Jackie Reyes and Jake Johnson

THRILLS AND CHILLS

YOUNGER KHOBE CLARKE SPENT DAYS RECITING MONOLOGUES AS A RADIO BROADCASTER, FIGHTING ALIENS ON THE GOLDEN DESERT PLAINS OF TATOOINE, TRIUMPHANTLY SKATING TOWARD A STANLEY CUP WIN, AND RIDING MOTORCYCLES ACROSS MONGOLIA FOR A MONTH WITH HIS DAD—YES, HE REALLY DID THAT ONE! HE’S INSPIRED BY ANTHONY BOURDAIN, WHO ONCE WROTE, “I WANTED THE KIND OF MELODRAMATIC THRILLS AND CHILLS I’D YEARNED FOR SINCE CHILDHOOD. I WANTED TO SEE THE WORLD—AND I WANTED THE WORLD TO BE JUST LIKE THE MOVIES.” WE THINK KHOBE WANTS THE SAME. HE TALKS ABOUT THE CINEMATIC MOMENT HE FELT “ALL WAS RIGHT IN THE WORLD” WHILE TRICK-OR-TREATING FOR THE FIRST TIME. AMONG COSTUME, HE FOUND THE UNMASKED AUTHENTICITY OF COMMUNITY. AGAIN AND AGAIN. 

WE ALSO DISCUSS HOW IMPORTANT CAMARADERIE IS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY GIVEN ITS DISCOMFORT AND FEAR—BOTH FEELINGS BEING PRESENT WHILE PLAYING SCOTT IN PRIME VIDEO’S CRUEL INTENTIONS. BUT KHOBE LIKES BEING A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE, WHETHER IT’S SLEEPING ON THE GROUND IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY OR STEPPING INTO A CHARACTER’S SHOES THAT MAKE HIS HEELS BLISTER RED. 

AN ACTOR’S ADVENTURE ALWAYS AWAITS.

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Hi Khobe! How are you feeling now that Cruel Intentions has been released? 

It’s definitely scary and exciting. I feel super lucky to be a part of something like this, but the internet is so mean. [Laughs] I think staying away from reviews and comments has been challenging because it’s my first big project. It’s all positive things though. I’m glad it’s out and I get to stop doing all the anticipating. 

Do you feel a sense of relief or are there still more nerves related to you thinking about audience reactions? 

The majority [of it] is a relief, but there are definitely nerves. Sometimes I have these moments at night when I can’t sleep because I think, “Ugh my friends and family might not like my work.” There's always this fear. 

If my opinion matters, I thought you did such a great job, genuinely. I watched all of the episodes in one night. 

Thank you, Tessa. I appreciate that. 

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Since you’re talking about fears, did you have any fears going into playing Scott in Cruel Intentions?  

Yes, of course. For my ego, it was difficult because he is kind of the butt of the joke. His type of character isn’t one that I would usually audition for.  So I think going to work every day knowing you’re not one of the cool kids and you’re this goofy, comedic relief where we’re often laughing at him, not with him…that was a fear of mine. It’s a selfish fear that comes from ego probably but it was nice to overcome that and recognise how important a character like Scott is to that story. 

Right. The first impression you get of him is that he’s a “no thoughts behind those eyes” character, but it changes. His relationship with control was really interesting. At first, you think he doesn’t need control, but as he struggles with his sexuality, you find he is trying to control that perception of him. How did you feel reading through his arc? 

Oh man, I felt great. I wanted more. I still long for that scene that didn’t exist where he tells his dad that he’s gay. I think that would’ve been such a beautiful moment for Scott. There’s so much more to explore with his battle with [his sexuality]. There’s such turmoil in that for him. I think we only cracked the surface of what time he had. Phoebe [Fisher] and Sara [Goodman] did a great job at developing him and I was glad to see that he got some redemption. I feel like every scene was just beating down on him, which got tiring as the actor. 

It is interesting because he is a very separate entity compared to everyone else and functions as the pawn in many ways. You hear a lot about Scott through conversations other people have about him, rather than what he’s saying about himself. Did that affect the way you played him? 

That’s a great question. People ask me about my “prep” and I’m fairly new to this so I can’t give some veteran answer. When I got the scripts, I read them, but I tried my best to not know what they were shooting on any given day. I didn’t want to have a scene in the morning with Blaise where I was signing fraudulent checks for the frat and know that after lunch that day he and Sarah Catherine [Hook] were talking about manipulating him into presidency. Since he is so in the dark, I wanted to have some aspect of that where I also separated myself from it.

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That’s really interesting! I didn’t even think of it that way in trying to live in that “ignorance is bliss” mindset on set too. 

Thank you! I mean, it was easy, it’s not like it was difficult to not know. I just didn’t look. [Laughs] It just made it feel a little easier to be blind to it. 

On that “ignorance is bliss” topic, sometimes in creative fields, I think it’s easier to feel more creative freedom the less you know about the workings of the industry. I know you’re very green in a way, but have you felt that? 

Definitely! When you start doing this, your ceiling is so high because it’s a pipe dream. Then you get the ball rolling and it’s getting close to a job in the audition process. That’s what kind of created this cynical being in me. You can go audition for this big job that could set your career up for life and then not get it and you just have to be okay with that as if you did one audition. I think starting, I would see an audition come through my inbox and think, “I have a high chance of getting it.” It was this blind optimism that got me to this spot in the first place. But now that I’ve reached this next tier, I know the system more. So now, when I get an audition or a callback, I'm like, “They still have ten guys, then they have to eliminate five, and then they're gonna do another round and then there’s a chemistry test…” So the more I know, the less confident I feel about getting the call that I got the gig. 

It’s also a form of rejection that I bet must be so difficult. And that’s just the name of the game. Do you feel that will eventually be something you feel more at peace with? 

Rejection is so hard. It’s thickened my skin tremendously in all aspects of life. I used to take it so personally. But I realised that none of this is personal. There’s a great line in one of my favourite books by Mathew McConaughey called Greenlights where he talks about his journey in the industry. He writes, “They will pick you up in a limousine and send you home in a taxi.” That’s so true to this. It’s not because you did badly or they don’t like you, it’s just that your moment shines brightest when it is your moment, and then when it isn’t, it’s someone else’s. They’re not rejecting you, you’re just not the solution to their problem. 

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Right. It’s good to work towards not taking it personally. It could have to do with someone’s mood on a certain day too. You really can't control it in any way. What is your relationship with control in the acting industry? 

As an actor, you control very little, even down to your performance. There are scenes in Cruel Intentions where I finish the scene and I’m like, “Oh I did a really good job.” They're on my coverage which means they're shooting over my scene partner’s shoulder onto me and I think, “Man, that’s gonna play so well.”  And then they decided that my scene partner listening was a better moment than me talking. I’m watching it and think, “Why wouldn’t they show me when I’m speaking?” It’s very trivial because the audience doesn’t know the difference, but you control very little. You don’t control what you say, you don’t control what you wear, and you don’t control the edits. The more you serve the story as a whole and less yourself as the performer, the happier you’ll be. That’s really your job—to serve the story. 

Absolutely. I really liked the way you played Scott’s mannerisms. That’s the first thing I noted when I was watching it. The way he moves brought me into the frat environment. Can you tell me more about physically embodying Scott? 

Honestly, I let my inner monologue guide me. I thought a lot about how he felt. I think confusion is very telling and when someone’s confused, you see it on their face. It’s the same for excitement especially for Scott being so animated and goofy. I didn’t have to hold anything back. The reins were loose in terms of my physical choices. I remember this one scene where I signed over a check for a really big pig to Blaise, and the director didn’t yell cut. [Laughs] I was walking around the room and I saw a baseball bat and just decided to swing it as if I hit a home run and threw my hands in the air. That’s not something I ever expected to make the final cut but they left it in. They let me find that freedom with him. 

I remember that scene! It felt so authentic, I’ve seen many imaginary golf swings in real life. [Laughs] A lot of the show is about first impressions so what do you think is the first impression you give off? How do you differ from that? 

Oh, man. I think my first impression is that I seem very extroverted. When I meet new people or I’m in a new group, I want everyone to feel like they’re heard and engaged. So I like to ask a lot of questions and get to know people. But as much as I love doing that, I think it drains my battery. I honestly prefer not to say anything. In reality, I think I’m quite introverted. 

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I can relate, I ask people questions all the time as you see, but I am quite introverted too. On a set, do you feel more energised after the day or drained? 

It depends on what we’re shooting, for sure. But most of the time, I’m energised. A set is my favourite place to be—it feels like a home. In the green room, I try not to say anything. I have the Calm app. Are you familiar with it?

Yes! 

I’m from Alberta in Canada so I spend a lot of my summers fly fishing with my dad. On the app, there’s an audio of this dude, a flowing river, and the sound of a fly fishing rod. I would just put that in my earbuds and try to read and not say anything. So, there is a social aspect that exhausts me on set because there’s so much downtime between scenes so you’re in the green room just chatting away. There are often five to fifteen people in there. I like saving my energy for the work and kind of separating myself. But if I feel good with my work by the end of the day, I am so amped. It’s one of the greatest feelings.

Your talking about going fly fishing with your dad just made me think of a memory-related question. Cruel Intentions is a remake, so if you could think of a memory to relive in the present, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

That’s good! I remember so vividly the first time my dad took me trick-or-treating. Obviously, I was dressed for Halloween, but I didn’t understand the idea of trick-or-treating. He took me around my neighbourhood and said, “Go knock on that person’s door and say ‘Trick or Treat.’” When I said it and they opened the door and gave me candy, I was like, wow! It felt like everything was right in the world. [Laughs] It was the first time I believed in people and felt this sense of community, camaraderie, and friendship in strangers. That was a very powerful moment for me, as trivial as it is. I would relive that shock and wonderful surprise of trick-or-treating. 

That’s such a good answer! I don’t know how you thought of that so quickly! [Laughs]

[Laughs] I haven’t even thought of that in I don’t even know how long. 

I love that answer because that says a lot about you too in terms of a want for community, maybe. It's so important to have people who support you in any creative field. 

Community in the film industry is everything. My long-term goal is to write and direct my own projects. I can’t do that by myself. It takes more than one person. It takes a village. When you have a close-knit group of creatives working towards one project, it’s a magical thing. It’s a very dog-eat-dog world and it’s super competitive. Having a group of people who have your back is a really nice feeling and relieves some of the daunting nature of it. 

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That makes me think of one line I wrote down from the beginning of the show during the hazing incident — “so young, so supple, so eager to be tortured.”  When you’re young,  you’re so eager for that community too to be a part of something. Do you relate to that in any way, to a lesser extent? 

Yeah, when you want something so bad you’re kind of blind to the negative consequences of something. I’m willing to let this torture happen to get to a place I want to be in. It’s a great line. I think John Harlan Kim said that. 

I think so! I wanted to get back to you having a hard time with Scott being the butt of the joke. There are so many goofy lines where I can’t imagine how you had to be totally serious saying them. Were there any lines you could barely get out? 

Yeah, you nailed it on the head with that. Scott’s very funny on the page—Sara and Phoebe did a great job at writing jokes that are so dumb and funny. I had to take a very simple question that I would have a very simple time answering, and then say something so ridiculous. For that to be funny, I had to deliver it with the utmost sincerity. Scott needs to believe it, so a portion of me has to believe it for it to land. There's a scene where the fraternity gets audited and they come in and say, “We need to take a look at your records,” and I’m like, “Well, we just use Spotify.” And that’s so ridiculous to me but I had to say it in the same tone as I would say, “Yeah the financial records are in the basement. We reported them last week.” I had to know how I would say that and just use the same tone to say something so ridiculous. I didn’t work with everyone else a ton, but John [Harlan Kim], Zeke [Goodman], and I had some times when we could not keep it together! 

You said in a past interview that you really want projects to take you out of your comfort zone. Do you feel like Cruel Intentions took you out of your comfort zone in any way? 

Yeah, I did. With acting, I seek to explore people that are far away from me. With Scott, there are many aspects—practising his sexuality was out of my comfort zone. Like I said earlier, it was kind of an ego check for me to be okay with being the dumb, comedic relief. Every day I was on set I felt out of my comfort zone and just a bit on edge about it. There’s a fulfilling nature to that. I would like to explore an unrecognisable place that’s so far from me. 

What would you consider an unrecognisable character for you?

[A character who is] challenged and haunted in different ways or gifted in different ways. Stories about people and their struggles are ones we find most entertaining. In my opinion, it lets us forget about our own stuff. The more raw of a nerve you can hit, the more interesting it is. 

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What’s something that you have watched recently that hit a nerve with you? 

I just watched Anora, Sean Baker’s new film. Mikey Madison was amazing but what I found the most incredible is how accurate it felt. The dialogue felt so researched and natural. It was mind-blowing to me how realistic it felt for it being such a narrative story. I also watched a documentary called, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond. It’s about Jim Carrey playing Andy Kaufman in a movie called Man on the Moon. He went deep into method acting in this project, to the point where it was a problem for the people he worked with. He made people call him Andy and it was insane. Respecting the craft that much and trying to honour this character and going that deep is something I found mind-blowing. 

Wow, I want to watch that, it sounds really interesting. 

You should! You got to! 

Outside of acting, what fulfils you the most? 

I like spending time with my family and my friends. I love to travel. I’m a big Anthony Bourdain fan, and his philosophy with travel was to never go to the big resort. Go embed yourself in a culture that you've never experienced before and probably never will again. I like travelling to the point where it’s almost uncomfortable and I’m so out of my element. I never regret it afterwards. 

What’s the best travel memory you have? 

Me and my dad rode motorcycles across Mongolia.

Woah! 

Yeah, it was nuts! We slept on the ground every day for a month. We climbed Mongolia’s tallest mountain at the end of it. The development there is so few and far between. There’s this one city that everyone lives in and then some along the way but you could go a day and a half without seeing a town. It kind of felt like being on a different planet. Untouched nature is so bizarre nowadays. 

And you live in Calgary? 

Calgary and Alberta are on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains so there’s a ton of open space. I live on an acreage with my family. I can’t see my neighbours out my back window. I can just look at the mountains. 

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Speaking of home, I read that you used to do plays in your living room for your parents when you were younger. Can you remember a specific play you thought up?

This comedian, talk show, and radio host named Stuart McLean would get on the radioand have this thing called The Vinyl Cafeand he would just tell stories. They manifested into these monologues. I would make up my own stories in front of my parents and do my own Vinyl Cafe. He passed away a couple of years ago but he had a wonderful cadence and beautiful voice that I would copy. But other than that I was a huge Star Wars fan. I had a lovely backyard in the home I grew up in and when I was seven or eight, I would go back there and pretend to be fighting aliens on Tatooine with a big stick I found. Or I’d be winning the Stanley Cup. That was the birth of my wild imagination—and those plays. Once I got tired of them, I retired to the backyard to entertain myself.

And you live in Calgary? 

Calgary and Alberta are on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains so there’s a ton of open space. I live on an acreage with my family. I can’t see my neighbours out my back window. I can just look at the mountains. 

Speaking of home, I read that you used to do plays in your living room for your parents when you were younger. Can you remember a specific play you thought up?

This comedian, talk show, and radio host named Stuart McLean would get on the radioand have this thing called The Vinyl Cafeand he would just tell stories. They manifested into these monologues. I would make up my own stories in front of my parents and do my own Vinyl Cafe. He passed away a couple of years ago but he had a wonderful cadence and beautiful voice that I would copy. But other than that I was a huge Star Wars fan. I had a lovely backyard in the home I grew up in and when I was seven or eight, I would go back there and pretend to be fighting aliens on Tatooine with a big stick I found. Or I’d be winning the Stanley Cup. That was the birth of my wild imagination—and those plays. Once I got tired of them, I retired to the backyard to entertain myself.

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Interview by  Tessa Swantek

Photography by Shane McCauley

Fashion by Nausheen Shah

Hair by Candice Birns

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THE ARCHITECT

AIDAN BISSETT IS NOT JUST A MUSICIAN; HE’S AN ARTIST. THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE TWO, IF SUBTLE FOR SOME, IS CLEAR FOR THE YOUNG STAR—IT'S ALL ABOUT WORLD-BUILDING. FOR HIM, TO TRANSCEND THE TEST OF TIME, A PERSON MUST CREATE A REALITY THEIR AUDIENCE CAN LIVE IN. BISSETT’S WORLD IS INTIMATE, A PERSONAL REFLECTION OF HIS INNER THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS. THE HONESTY IN HIS ART ISN’T JUST THERAPEUTIC; IT’S THE WAY HE HAS FOUND TO CREATE A LEGACY IN A SATURATED INDUSTRY. HIS MUSIC IS HOW HE CONNECTS WITH PEOPLE AND, HE HOPES, A CATALYST FOR OTHERS TO RELATE TO EACH OTHER. WHETHER THROUGH TOURING OR MAKING WHAT WILL BE HIS FULL-LENGTH ALBUM, BISSETT IS LEARNING WHAT IT TAKES TO FULFIL HIS AMBITION. BUT THERE’S NO RUSH TO GROW, IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME TO BUILD THE WORLD YOU WANT TO SEE.

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Hi! How’s your day going?

It’s off to a good start! How about yours? 

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Mine is already ending. But it’s been great, I’ve been listening to your records all day. Your music is very intimate. How do you decide what makes it into your music and what you keep private?

I always try to find a balance between giving too much and not giving enough. I have a friend who has always told me that, when it comes to writing music, what you give is what you take out of it. So, I try to give it as much as possible. Having said that, there are some topics that I’m not ready to write about. But I’m working on having a filter, I like to be personal. People want to hear what you’re feeling, I think they can relate to it on a deeper level.

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 Do you find that writing about your feelings helps you process them?

100%. I think music is my form of therapy. I had a friend reach out who was telling me how, as a man, it’s hard for him to be in touch with his emotions. I got to tell him that writing is talking about your emotions almost every day. Learning how to do that – how to look inside – it’s such a beautiful process. I recommend it to everybody because even if you’re not a musician, it makes you work through shit.

What I always find interesting about the music industry is the dissonance between the emotional pace of writing music and the non-organic rhythm of label demands. Do you feel that tension?

For sure. I feel all my deadlines. Thankfully, my label is great with that. I’ve never been pushed against a wall. I’m more so hard on myself. I’ll set deadlines for my writing and that’s when that dissonance is created. With the project I’m working on now, I tried to make it as free-flowing as possible and let things when they come. I think for artists nowadays, we need to live some life. There was a period a couple of months back when I wasn’t allowing myself to be social and live. Music comes from experience. Allowing myself to be social is important for what I do.

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 Making art is so organic, but there is an expectation of artists nowadays to enter and explore different “eras”. How do you go about evolving your creative vision?

I think the transition from this project to my last EP felt like I was solidifying who I was as an artist and the sound I wanted to explore. I am working on that exploration, how to allow myself to do different things but still making sure everything sounds cohesive. It’s hard to pinpoint yourself when there are so many sides to us. I love listening to a lot of different shit. So, I’m working on exploring and expanding, especially on this new record.

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 As you said, music is so much about self-discovery. Do you consider your audience when creating?

For sure. Again, you need balance. I don’t think an artist should be 100% focused on that. If you are, you’ll be creating music for other people, and I believe the music should come from the artists. That’s why people listen to you, it’s your creation. It’s what you’re living in the world. But I do believe it’s important to keep listeners in mind, they’re the ones fuelling you. It’s always on the side of my mind, the people keep me centred on who I am. You can have fun and you can stray off, but you have to remember people fell in love with you for a reason. They can grow with you, but you have to stay true to yourself.  

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 I was reading an interview you did recently, and you made a very important distinction between an artist and a musician. Could you elaborate on that difference?

It can be a very polarizing topic; I think some people violently agree with me and some people violently disagree with me. I’m fine with that. I don’t mind being polarizing. I truly believe that in this day and age, there are two facets of music. Now that everything is available on social media, everything is very fast, there’s so much validation that can be accessed quickly. But I do think that allows people to bypass that world-building factor that separates a musician from a generational artist. I think the greats are the ones who create an entire world around their music so that a fan can get lost. There are of course songs that transcend time, but rare are the artists that do. That’s where world-building comes in. I think of people like Charli XCX, she’s done such an incredible job building up Brat. It’s one of the best rollouts of all time. It’s not just good music, you can see she cares about it, and she’s put so much effort into building the world around it. It’s not just “It’s an album, please spend money on it,” it’s, “Here’s all the things you can be, all the friends you can make if you’re part of this.” Not to discredit musicians, but the ones that put the same amount of effort into the other side of it are different. Sorry if it's a long answer [Laughs], I feel very passionate about it.

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 There’s no need to apologize, your point of view is extremely interesting. How do you translate these people you’re inspired by into your world?

Building a world is no easy feat. I don’t want to ever come across like, “Oh, everyone should do it, it’s so easy.” It’s the most difficult thing for so many of us. You’re breaking out of your comfort zone. It’s not just music anymore, it’s music videos, it’s pop-ups, it’s building a community. It’s scary, there are a lot of definitive decisions that you have to make. You have to do it because you believe in it. You have to allow yourself to be that confident, to believe in yourself.

It’s interesting hearing you talk about it. I think nowadays being an artist is more so about being a creative director than an executor…

Definitely. I have a binder for each project, filled with references.

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 What kind of stuff is in those folders?

I have them sitting on my desk. They’re kind of like the “bible” of each project. It’s the first thing that’s getting created. It has everything down to the colours that are going to be featured. There’s graphic design, video inspiration, movie scenes… It’s truly anything that looks like it could be a piece of that world. For this new phase, I’m excited to go bigger. I wanted to build an entire world – it’s all story-driven. They’re also good because you can look back on that project, “Ok, so here’s where I started,” and see the progression from there.

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 Even though you’re the one making those decisions, you’re also working with other people. Building a world is a big task. Are you good at letting go of some of your creative control?

It’s so important to be able to let go of it a little bit. I’m a firm believer that there are only so many great ideas that a person can have. You need people to help you see your vision through. Whether that’s a creative director, a videographer, a photographer, whatever it may be. It’s essential to build a team around you. I’m very team-driven. Even when I have definitive ideas, I like to bring them to a room of people I can trust to see if it’s within the vision. Teamwork is key.

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 You mentioned social media a bit ago, it’s such a great tool to communicate directly to your audience. What is your relationship with it?

I think it ebbs and flows. It’s changed very much over the past couple of years. We had a moment a couple of months ago when all our music was taken off these platforms. It was weird, that was something I never experienced. I had always been able to post and not think about it. It was a scary time.  A lot of music rides on social media, it’s a marketing tool. At the same time, it allowed me to disassociate and learn to not put so much emphasis on it, and just to focus on the music. I’m a firm believer that if music is good, people will find it naturally. Learning how to have a healthy relationship that’s not a dependency takes time. For a long time, I was dependent on it. If a song doesn’t do well on social media, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad song. There was Myspace and YouTube before, but this kind of short-form world is very different.   

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You’re very much a touring artist. What do you like about being on stage?

Tours are such an important and integral part of an artist’s career. Ever since COVID, we’ve all been full-speed ahead. Everyone’s touring now. But, especially for developing artists, getting on the road, paying your dues, being an opening act, that’s where you learn about being a performer. You also learn so much about the music you make. It’s paying your dues; you’re not sleeping much. As an artist, it does pose the question: “How bad do you want it?” Tour is difficult in a beautiful way. I love it though; I love it as much as I can. It can be daunting; it shows you how much work you have to put in to make it in an industry like this.

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 How do fan interactions register differently in person rather than online?

Well, it’s hard. Online, it can be constant validation. It’s hard to dictate what’s real and what’s not. When you post music online it can become an instant dopamine surge of gratification. In person, it doesn’t really feel real either though. I’m so grateful to anybody who comes to the shows. People coming to experience music in that way is so special. It’s a dream for me. When I had my first concert, I remember feeling like, “Oh, this is what I want to do.” Being in a room full of people who are all experiencing the same thing is great. People break their walls down in a shared space. Witnessing people allowing themselves to connect on such a deep level is so beautiful to me.

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Discover the full story in our FW24 Issue

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Interview by Pedro Vasconcelos

Photography by Hadar Pitchon

Fashion by Gorge Villalpando

Casting by Imagemachine cs

Grooming by Sonie Lee at Exclusive Artists using using Talika Skincare

All clothes Celine Homme

A NEW REALM

SINCE HIS BREAKOUT ROLE OPPOSITE STEVE BUSCEMI AND CHLOË SEVIGNY IN 2017’S LEAN ON PETE, CHARLIE PLUMMER HAS SWIFTLY ESTABLISHED HIS POSITION AS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING YOUNG TALENTS TO WATCH. RECENTLY, THE AMERICAN ACTOR HAS WON US OVER WITH HIS RICH-IN-SENSITIVITY PERFORMANCE IN LUKE GILFORD’S NATIONAL ANTHEM – PLAYING AN INTROVERTED CONSTRUCTION WORKER WHO GOES ON A JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY AFTER MEETING A QUEER RODEO COMMUNITY. NOW, PLUMMER IS STEPPING OUTSIDE OF HIS INDIE COMFORT ZONE IN THE RETURN, AN EPIC TALE OF ODYSSEUS’ HOMECOMING FOLLOWING THE TROJAN WAR. FROM ACTING WITH CINEMA LEGENDS RALPH FIENNES AND JULIETTE BINOCHE (WHO REUNITE ON SCREEN FOR THE THIRD TIME!) TO MASTERING HIS CHARACTER’S DIALECT AND GETTING CONFIDENT IN WEARING THE PERIOD’S UNIFORM (A SLINKY WHITE SHEET, OF COURSE), PLUMMER SAYS THAT THE EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN ONE OF HIS MOST CHALLENGING YET – AND ONE THAT HE’S INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR.

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Left Jacket, top & pants Fendi, necklace Charlie’s own, shoes Marsell

Right Suit Prada & tie Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

I recently watched your film National Anthem and I found it very touching! I’ve been a big fan of Luke Gilford’s work and the aesthetic he has so clearly defined over the past couple of years. What made you want to work with him on this film?

I’d done a photo shoot with Luke when I was around 18 in Venice, and I vividly remember the experience of connecting with him. If you get to meet Luke, you’ll see within 10 seconds that he is one of the warmest and most genuine people [out there]. And so, even though we only had probably three or four hours together that day, I have been very aware of his work since and admired what he’s been doing. When he published the National Anthem book, I remember seeing some of the photos and being really taken by them. Then, these producers who I’ve worked with on a different film reached out to me with the script for National Anthem. And I read it and was equally taken by it. I was in the moment in my life when the concept of a chosen family and having friends with whom you share a deep sense of spiritual connection was something that I felt really strongly about. Then, I had a three-and-a-half-hour-long phone call with Luke, and after this conversation, it was clear that we gotta do this. You know, this was Luke’s story from the beginning – there are aspects of my character in this story that connect to his own life. And for me as an actor, having someone that I feel has real closeness to the energy that we’re embodying makes me really want to make a point to exist with them and try to find a kinship with them. And with Luke, I didn’t even have to try.

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Left Suit Prada & tie Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

Right Jacket Lemaire, shirt Brunello Cucinelli, jeans Levi’s, sunglasses Jacques Marie Mage

Shirt Brunello Cucinelli

There is a very strong sense of community in the film. Was shooting the movie a similar experience? Did you stay at a ranch while being in production?

That would actually be very cool. I should just say that that’s true. But no. [Laughs] National Anthem was unlike anything I’d done because we were shooting on film. And, you know, shooting on film in a small independent production is definitely a luxury, so we only had 17 or 18 days to shoot. I think that in itself created this bubble and bond for everyone, even though we stayed in different houses. For me, I knew that as far as my character, Dylan, goes, he’s coming into this world with open arms and open eyes. Growing up in New York and having this fantasy of what the American West and being a cowboy is like, the whole thing felt like a dream that I was getting to step into. And I’m so grateful to Luke that he set it up for me in that way and allowed it to be that – he really just built this world [around us]. My favourite directors know how to build a world in a way that just brings you in and lets you get lost.

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Left Sunglasses Jacques Marie Mage, jeans Levi’s, shirt Brunello Cucinelli, belt Artemis Quibble, boots Marsell

Right Jacket & pants Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, loafers  JM Weston

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Jacket, top & pants Fendi, necklace Charlie’s own, shoes Marsell

Now, you’re part of a completely different universe with The Return, which is something that you probably really enjoy as an actor. What has it been like to star in a project of such epic proportions?

It was crazy, as far as just getting to be a part of it all. Also, getting to work closely with two of my acting heroes – Ralph [Fiennes] and Juliette [Binoche] are actors that I’ve looked up to deeply and I’ve watched their work since I was a little kid.  And that’s always jarring. [Laughs] As you pointed out, doing something where I sound as different as I’ve ever sounded and I look as different as I’ve ever looked, you just go, “Oh my god, how can I ever step into this?” It was genuinely the first time I felt like I needed to get over that in myself to do my job. And I was so unbelievably grateful to Ralph and Juliette for helping me with that. It’s not like they held my hand through it, it was a very subtle thing that they gave me throughout the experience. Watching them work with each other, seeing their work ethic, seeing how they approach a day or a scene, or even just how they spoke with me… There was just so much that I was able to learn from them. They were like my spiritual acting chiropractors and they just cracked my back into place. They’re very different actors but they have such a history together. They have such trust in one another. And they’ve been doing this for so long that it’s just a part of them in a way that I really see and respect. And as we were shooting, I not only had the sense of admiration but also confidence, as far as like, okay, this what it’s like for great athletes or great musicians – when you’re up close and watching them try to find their best work, it gives you a lot.

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Left Jacket & pants Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, loafers  JM Weston

Right Coat Loewe

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Left Jacket & pants Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, belt Miu Miu, loafers  JM Weston, henley Zadig&Voltaire

Right Henley Zadig&Voltaire, pants Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, belt Miu Miu, loafers  JM Weston

You said that you found the voice and the look of your character to be a big challenge to tap into – how did you get comfortable with both of these facets of Telemachus?

With the voice, at the beginning, the director wanted everyone to speak in their own accent, but as we got closer to the shoot, it became clear that most of the actors on the project were European and British. And of course, Ralph is British, the text is this classic text, and like Shakespeare, it sounds better with a British accent behind it, objectively speaking. Not to shade Americans, but I am shading Americans. [Laughs] And so I started working with this dialect coach and she totally saved me! You know, the director wanted me to model my voice after Ralph’s… And this was the first time when I had to really think about how I position my jaw, my mouth, how my tongue operates, all of this was changing because the dialect was so wildly different from how I naturally speak. 

Look-wise, I was in a kilt, a skirt essentially. And the director’s concept was to make all of the clothing not feel like it was stitched – it was just fabric that was just basically tied around. And the shoes were as bare-minimum as you could get. So I was working out before the shoot because I was trying to match what the environment would be. But from the comfort zone place, it was like, I’m not wearing any clothes pretty much all day, I’ve got this full beard, I look as pale as one could get, and I’m standing in front of my two heroes and I’m supposed to sound like them. And I was just like, “You’re so full of shit, man.” And then this incredible thing happened on my birthday. Ralph took me aside in the spur of the moment and he said to me, “The reason we want you here is because you’ve got something that we want you to bring to this character, and you are the only one who knows what that is.”

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Left shirt Brunello Cucinelli, jeans Levi’s, boots Marsell, sunglasses Jacques Marie Mage

Right Suit Prada, tie Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, sunglasses Jacques Marie Mage

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Left Sweater Celine Homme, jeans Levi’s, boots Marsell

Right Suit Prada

And what was the effect that this moment had on you?

I think that Ralph saying that, it was like something snapped into my body with it. And after that, I gained an understanding of how this character felt. You know, Telemachus has never known his dad, right? And his only trusted person in his life and friend is really his mom. And being 18 years old and feeling like the only person you can talk to is your mom is kind of an intense thing. And so, for the lack of a better word, the energy was very angsty, it was self-righteous and aggressive, which are not things that I would normally consider myself. [Laughs] But after I had my moment with Ralph, I really felt it.

I think that staying in the voice all day long helped me a lot as well because then, I didn’t think like I was putting it on, it didn’t feel like this foreign thing that I was trying to do. But yeah, essentially, it took a village to get me there. [Laughs]

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Left Coat Loewe

Right Jacket Lemaire, shirt Brunello Cucinelli, boots Marsell, sunglasses Jacques Marie Mage

Left Suit Prada & tie Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

It sounds like an immersion therapy of sorts. 

Exactly. You know, this stuff can serve as a therapy of some kind. I don’t think it’s great to go into it with that expectation, but sometimes you will recognize it in the process, and it’s really moving and cathartic.

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Discover the full story in our FW24 Issue

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Interview by Martin Onufrowicz

Photography by Ritchie Jo Espenilla

Fashion by Kristi Kruser

Casting by Imagemachine cs

Grooming by Mark Alan Esparza

Stylist’s assistant Chloe Taylor

MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT

YOU MIGHT RECOGNISE JESSICA BARDEN FOR HER SHARP WIT AND UNMISTAKABLE NORTHERN ACCENT IN THE BBC SMASH HIT THE END OF THE F**ING WORLD. ACTING SINCE THE AGE OF SEVEN, SHE FONDLY RECALLS BEING A PRECOCIOUS KID SURROUNDED BY ADULTS, FINDING JOY IN THE UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT. NOW NEARING THE END OF HER SECOND PREGNANCY, JESSICA REFLECTS ON HER CAREER, REVEALING SHE’S ALWAYS PREFERRED A STEADY PACE—ESCHEWING THE PRESSURE TO HIT MILESTONES BY 25 OR 30—BECAUSE ACTING IS A LIFELONG PASSION FOR HER.

BARDEN IS BACK, BRINGING HER DISTINCTIVE VOICE AND LAYERED PERFORMANCES TO NEW HEIGHTS AS YOUNG VALYA IN DUNE: PROPHECY. WITH THE FIRST TWO EPISODES RECENTLY DEBUTING ON HBO, FANS OF THE DUNE UNIVERSE ARE ALREADY CAPTIVATED. PLAYING A TRUTH-SAYER ON SCREEN, JESSICA EMBODIES THE ROLE OFF-SCREEN TOO, DELIVERING AN UNFILTERED CONVERSATION ABOUT EMBRACING ANOTHER COMPLEX, NOT-SO-LIKABLE CHARACTER AND NAVIGATING THE NEXT CHAPTERS OF HER LIFE AND CAREER.

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Cardigan N°21, Earrings California Dirt

I first saw you in The End of the F**ing World. After the success of the show, how did you stay grounded amidst the pressures of public attention and fame?

Having already been an actor for such a long time, I guess this was the only thing I hadn’t experienced yet. I had been to Cannes twice by then, I'd been in a soap opera. I'd done so many different things. And then to suddenly experience overnight fame, it really was such an amazing and unique experience. I think that I've come out of the other side of it now so grateful that I get to have this role that will always connect with people in some way. It really is so important for actors to have a role that stays in people's minds. I love that I'm kind of always connected to my generation in a way as well, through Alyssa and James. I get to have all these cool conversations with people and I genuinely like the fact that people feel like they know Alyssa as well. Like, when I go places, I can be in the middle of nowhere, and someone will have a really deep conversation with me about this TV show, and it's really interesting. Ultimately, I kinda realised that then you have to regenerate from it and reinvent. And I feel like I'm in that phase now where you have to really slowly and politely close the door on it and then find a way of figuring out what you're gonna do next, and that just requires a lot of patience.

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Blazer and skirt Prada, shoes N°21, Earrings California Dirt

You play the role of young Valya in Dune: Prophecy. This is my first Dune experience. Can you maybe situate the series for the Dune universe virgins like me? 

Well, the show takes place 10,000 years before the movies. So you definitely don't need to have seen the movies before because we tell you everything, we provide context for the movies. Dune is set in the same universe as Earth, but it's just in the future. And now we've moved on from Earth, and we're on different planets. In our show, Dune: Prophecy, we follow the sisterhood, which is the schooling for the Bene Gesserit. And we basically are, for lack of a better word, space nuns. We tell the truth. We mind control. We control all of the powerful houses in the universe. It's almost like, you know, the president or the royal family having somebody that stands behind them and tells people if they're telling the truth or not.

If you were a truth-sayer, who is the first person you'd use those powers on?

Who do you think? I'm in America right now, and I'm an immigrant. You know? So, like, who do you think I would use the truth saying on?

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Coat Armani, dress Prada

What I took away from this show was that it explores the intricacies of kin, whether that be through sibling dynamics or within the sisterhood. I read that you grew up with 2 brothers, what was your experience growing up like?

I've been thinking about this a lot. I'm really glad that that's what you got from the four episodes because that is a huge part of it. With Tula and Valya, I had no idea this was how sisters lived. And because I'm also about to have another girl, people are suddenly having these conversations with me where they're like, “My sister is the most important person,” or “My sister ruined my life.” And I never knew. It is completely different from having brothers. I find men very easy to be honest with. What you see is what you get. I've never had huge arguments with them where it's not resolved within an hour. But now suddenly people are like, “I haven't spoken to my sister for 15 years,” and I'm like, it feels like such a different life. But, growing up with brothers, especially being the only girl, a lot of it was survival. Emma Canning, who plays younger Tula, has a brother as well. Olivia and Emily both have sisters. So, I mean, me and Emma were just kinda making it up. But I've just been brought in on the fact that having a sister is, a completely different existence than you could ever understand if you don't have one.

There's a powerful moment—I won’t spoil anything—but when someone dies, Valya says, “I don’t want to mourn.” It feels like she takes on the role of the strong, stoic sister in the family, suppressing her emotions to keep moving forward. How did you and Emma, who plays Tula, work together to develop that sisterly chemistry?

She has such a thankless role in the family and she's misunderstood by everybody. And she's ultimately misunderstood by Tula as well. Even though I think Tula is obsessed with her. I think she really loves her older sister. But for various reasons, Valya has been made to feel unlovable in her family. I mean, honestly, as is always the case with TV shows, there just isn't the time [to develop chemistry]. TV moves so fast that you don't have this rehearsal time. We did get to spend more days together than usual, though. We did a Bene Gesserit boot camp for 2 days where we learned how to march and stuff. But honestly, in TV, you're meeting people 24 hours before, and people are so nice so it’s easy to make friends. That was the case with Emma, Charithra and Yaron who were in our little foursome.

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Blazer and skirt Prada, shoes N°21, Earrings California Dirt

You describe the people you play as very unlikable. What attracts you to those types of characters?

Because they're the best roles. If I'm gonna get out of bed at 4:45 am, I want it to be good. Obviously, I do try to play likeable people, but I find them quite boring. And there's probably just somebody else way better for the part. It just seems to be a natural decision where I play really complicated people, and I enjoy it.

How do you balance staying true to the character and bringing parts of yourself in, without overstepping boundaries?

I actually have very good boundaries with work. But in saying that, I think the majority of the time, the roles that I find or the jobs that find me, usually, it's kind of half and half. I'm kind of a little bit like this person. I've never really taken on a job that is completely opposite from me or completely me because that just wouldn't be very interesting for me personally. But I would never be deep into it. It's never been asked of me. I've always wondered how people go really deep and change their appearance. Like, I would do it honestly. Method acting. It would be really interesting to see if I could concentrate.

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Dress and jacket N°21, earrings California Dirt

Do you have a character or celebrity in mind that you would wanna method act with?

Seriously, if I'm gonna do it, I'd love to work with Daniel Day-Lewis. And be the one person that cracks him, and he's like, “I can't work with her.” Like, she's unbelievable. I would love that. I've always said that my dream role would be playing a real person. So that probably would require a certain amount of method acting. A lot of how I discovered that I wanted to be an actor was actually impersonating people. So I'd love to do something really immersive and play a real person. And see how much of them you keep and what you bring to it. Yeah. I'll play a real person with Daniel Day-Lewis. I think he's retired though.

You'll just grab him back in just for that one last role.

Yeah, it’s do or die time, Dan, let’s go.

And, if you could impersonate anyone in the Dune cast, like, a favorite character that isn't your own, who would it be?

Shai Hulud, The giant worm. No, I'm kidding. Well obviously, Emily Watson. To impersonate Emily, I would be terrified. Emily is the nicest, warmest person, and then she can flip into being the scariest person that you've ever met. She knows it. It's fine. I'm not saying anything she hasn't said about herself. But I really admire it because I don't think that I have that skill. I don't think that she would wanna see my impression of it. I would love to be more like Emily. She's always in control.

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Top and skirt Tigra Tigra, shoes Tod’s, earrings California Dirt

Is there anything unexpected that you learned from this role?

Loads. I mean, I was playing somebody who was genuinely powerful and was kind of arrogant in their idea of how they wanna live, and what they wanna achieve. Who was selfish in their goals. Obviously, it's not realistic to live like that, and I wouldn't want to. But it was really effective playing somebody who only believed in themselves. It was so fun to be playing somebody who everybody's always slightly intimidated by and who everybody listens to.

You grew up in North Yorkshire and people fell in love with your accent on The End of the F***ing World. How has your accent helped you and also disserviced you in your career?

With jobs in England, it 100% dictated my work there because it's a working class accent. So it very much was always trying to pigeonhole me into something. I wanted way more possibilities than just playing working class roles. Even though they're amazing and often the best roles, I wanted more diversity in my career. And then in America, I experienced the complete opposite where everybody is genuinely fascinated by my accent, and I find them so interested in it. And I'm not pigeonholed in any way because of how I talk in a room. So it's always been a really interesting part of my career, the way that I talk and where I'm from. At the end of the day, I'm an actress, and I know I can learn to do different accents and play different people, and there's always gonna be somebody somewhere that wants to give me a chance to act outside of the preconceived idea of me. And, when I get that chance, I'm gonna do the best that I can.

Dress Prada, earrings Cartier

What would you say this next phase is for you?

What I'm working on next is obviously just growing up. I've always been very heavily associated with playing teenagers and people in their early twenties, which is amazing. But I would love to, as I go into my thirties, play relationships, and play a parent. It would be great to play a mom, and just kind of move into things which make sense for my life that I'm experiencing in real time. But it all takes time. My main goal is I just wanna keep regenerating and keep doing something different. Once somebody thinks that they know a type of role that I can do, I wanna move on and do something else. I wanna stay a creative person that is learning new skills, working with new people. I don't wanna be locked into maintaining status. 

You’re expecting your second child, was there any negative pressure as a woman in Hollywood when you broke the news?

For the last three years, it's been a very interesting experience as a woman. Once you have a kid, everywhere you go, people are like, “So are you still acting? Are you still gonna work?” And you're like, “Yeah.” Everybody has an opinion on everything and you feel like you're some 1950s housewife. It's crazy. And I think it's especially crazy for our generation now because no other part of our life has ever reflected that very domestic, stereotypical male-female thing. But in something like motherhood, you can't get away from it. It's always gonna be trapped in this very domesticated stereotypical thing. And so you get these questions, and you're like, “Woah. I've never been asked a question like this before.” I mean, everybody has an opinion of everything when you have a kid. And it just gets better over time. 

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Left Coat Armani, dress Prada

Right Dress Prada, shoes Acne Studios, earrings Cartier

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Interview by Gabrielle Valda Colas

Photography by Chris Llerins

Fashion by Gemma Ferri

Casting by ImageMachine CS

Production by Juan Diego Calvo

Hair by Lexy Medgaus

Make-Up by Ciara Maccaro

Photographer’s assistant Franco Zulueta

EP Richie Dandan 

OUT OF THIS WORLD

DUNE FEVER IS RAGING ON, AS A NEW NARRATIVE IN THE SCI-FI EPIC’S UNIVERSE BRINGS A POWERFUL MYSTIC SISTERHOOD, ONCE HIDING IN THE SHADOWS, TO ITS FORE, AND THE SMALL SCREEN. THE HOTLY ANTICIPATED PREQUEL SERIES DUNE: PROPHECY WILL NO DOUBT SPAWN SOME OTHERWORLDLY FASHION AND GIVE RISE TO A SLEW OF NEW HOUSEHOLD NAMES TOO. ONE SUCH NAME IS SARAH-SOFIE BOUSSNINA, WHO PLAYS PRINCESS YNEZ, HEIR TO THE GOLDEN LION THRONE. THE DANISH ACTRESS IS GIVING NOTHING AWAY AS THE SERIES PLOT IS TIGHTLY UNDER WRAPS, BUT WE CAN REVEAL THAT THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF A LIFE-ALTERING RISE FOR THE YOUNG TALENT.

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Did you ever find the idea of working as a Danish actor outside of Denmark daunting until The Killing and Borgen became such hits, and suddenly, the scenery changed, and it was a different landscape for foreign actors?

Those shows got so much attention globally, so that made me think that I could have a career outside the borders of my country, which has always been my dream because Denmark is very small; there’s only a small number of films being made every year.

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When you act in Danish, is something different? Is it easier?

Yes, especially if I’m away filming and there are jokes within the cast and I find I can’t respond to those jokes as quickly because they’re not in my native tongue. [Laughs] There’s more work when I’m doing English projects though and I work with a dialect coach which helps me in finding a character too.

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So, once you started working on other projects, how did your goals shift? Are you still finding your way, your process, or does it change every time?

I think it shifts from each project, as each time I learn something new that I can use in my next role.

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Well, you’re about to go global, playing Princess Ynez in the much-anticipated Dune: Prophecy series. How did you get involved with the project and did you read The Dune Encyclopedia to understand just how vast this universe is?

I’ve never done anything on this scale in my career, and it was quite unusual as I only did one self-tape and audition for this role, so the process was quite fast. When I auditioned, I didn’t know it was for this show, I found out just before a meeting with the whole creative team. Then I obviously watched the film, [Laughs] and checked out the online version of the encyclopedia to get more information on the different characters and the whole universe of Dune!

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The series adapts Frank Herbert’s spin-off novel Sisterhood of Dune and focuses on the powerful order of women, the Bene Gesserit. Did that excite you as a narrative?

Yes, totally. I find them to be the most interesting characters and I’m so fascinated by that side of the universe – it’s the first time their story is being told on the screen which is so exciting to be part of. I think there are so many great female characters of all ages in the show too, so it’s inspiring and relevant for all those reasons.

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I know at the time of writing this, you can’t tell me anything at all about your character, but tell me something about your character… [Laughs]

Haha! Well, she’s the princess of the universe and she’s the heir to the Golden Throne, and for me, she’s my favourite character I’ve ever played!

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Are you allowed to tell us anything about your costumes?

Well, what I will say is that I was blown away by how much detail goes into the costumes, they’re all handmade and what the costume department creates is just truly amazing.

The costume is always essential in helping to inform and find a character, but what’s your process when preparing for a role, do you make playlists or do YouTube deep dives?

It varies, costume is a big help because once you put whatever you’re wearing on, you feel like you’re stepping into that person, and I instantly feel the fit, in the sense of embodying the character. When I’m preparing, I use music a lot, and I like to go through the script and break down the scenes. I work with an acting coach, as it’s good to bounce ideas off someone and have fun and play around with the script before you step on set for real.

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What was it like to make the jump into such a huge franchise with this series, and what was your favourite part of filming with the rest of the cast, was there a good camaraderie on set?

It can be very intimidating stepping onto a set of this magnitude with so many people, and you feel lucky to be part of it, so yes, having a good relationship with the rest of the cast is so important. I loved working with Josh Heuston, who plays my brother Constantine Corrino, and those of us younger ones in the cast got on so well and hung out a lot, as we’re in similar places, in that this is the biggest project we’ve done in our careers. But I have to say, the well-established actors were just such beautiful people too, and it made the experience wonderful for me.

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I think this show is destined to introduce you to a new audience and launch you into the next phase of your career. Are you excited and prepared for what’s to come?

I’m so excited! I’ve never been part of something that has such a huge fanbase with the book and films, it’s quite scary too, but I’m just so happy to be a part of it all.

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You’re obviously going to be on everyone’s style radar now, so are you looking forward to working with a stylist and getting creative with your looks?

Definitely! I’ve always been very interested in fashion and interiors and aesthetics overall; I don’t know if that’s maybe the Scandi in me! [Laughs]. I’m into labels like Acne and Cecilie Bahnsen, anything dreamy and feminine but still a little bit rock’n’roll.

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So, what’s coming next? You’re also appearing in Terrence Malick’s epic biblical movie, The Way of the Wind. Do you like changing it up every time, switching genres, and what would you love to do next, a dream role you’re craving?

I would love to do a film, and with genres I’m very open, I just like good stories and storytellers. I love Tim Burton; I would jump at the chance to work with him. The film Edward Scissorhands still resonates with me ever since the first time I saw it when I was young, as my brothers and I used to hire a movie from Blockbuster Videos every Saturday! It was the first time a film made me think how aesthetically cool it is and how it’s a story about being different and that’s ok, which is just so beautiful. It’s an evergreen as it’s a tale of how humans can be to each other, so it transcends generations.

Is there a creative, be it musician, artist, author, actor, or anyone who inspires you every day?

Tracy Chapman, her music centres me and makes me feel present. Patti Smith too, I’m reading M Train right now, and she’s the whole package. I’m very inspired by women in general, just so many different, beautiful and talented women!

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Discover the full story in our FW24 Issue

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Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Emilia Staugaard

Fashion by Barbara Gullstein

All clothes Chanel

Casting by Imagemachine cs

Hair & Make-Up by Mette Schou

Video by Anna Sorrig

Photographer’s assistant David Sizemore

Stylist’s assistant Pernille Andersen

HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE

JAY LYCURGO HAS BEEN WEARING MANY HATS, BOTH ON SET AND OFF. FROM PRACTICING FOOTBALL BEFORE PURSUING ACTING TO RECENT EXPERIMENTATIONS WITH WRITING MUSIC (PRIVATE, FOR NOW), LYCURGO IS LOOKING INTO ALL THE WAYS HE CAN EXPRESS HIMSELF FULLY. TODAY, HOWEVER, THE LONDON-BORN ACTOR IS FOCUSING ON WORKING ON MOVIE AND TV PRODUCTIONS – AND DOING QUITE WELL AT IT! WHETHER IT’S GENERATION Z – A CHANNEL 4 ZOMBIE EXTRAVAGANZA – OR STEVE AND PEAKY BLINDERS, HIS BACK-TO-BACK COLLABORATIONS WITH LIVING LEGEND CILLIAN MURPHY, LYCURGO IS IN THE SWEET SPOT OF GETTING TO DO VERY DIVERSE PROJECTS THAT SHOWCASE HIS IMPRESSIVE RANGE. FOR BTB, WE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM WHILE FILMING THE LATTER (IN VARIOUS HEADPIECES, AS HE MYSTERIOUSLY TEASES) TO CHAT ABOUT NOT BEING AFRAID OF THE GORY, HIS SPIRIT ANIMALS, AND MURPHY’S OH-SO-MESMERIZING OCEAN EYES.

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Left Full look Hermès

Right Full look Dior Men

Hi Jay! Are you in London right now?

Hey, I’m actually in Birmingham at the moment.

What are you doing there?

I’ve been travelling for Peaky Blinders. I’ve been here, there and everywhere. Hotel to hotel. The life of an actor.

The life of a busy one! [Laughs] Before we get into PB, I wanted to talk about Generation Z, the zombie extravaganza that you’re a part of. What drew you to taking on this project?

Well, first of all, the shows that Channel 4 has on are always so iconic, and the prestige that they have was a big tick for me. Also, I had heard incredible things about Ben Wheatley, I had watched Sightseers, and thought, “This man is mental, I love him.” I think he nailed this fine line between fantasy and British culture [in Generation Z]. Another thing is that I felt like the teenagers in the show had this great three-dimensional quality to them. And then specifically with my character, Charlie, I found it really fascinating to explore his background of being from a broken family and the trauma that’s related to that.

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 What’s your favourite disgusting thing you’ve done? Do you get disgusted easily?

In Gen Z? 

Yeah.

Or in my personal life? [Laughs]

[Laughs] We can stick to Gen Z.

I think seeing the fake half-eaten dog for the first time. It looked very real, it was very intense. But generally, I don’t get very disgusted.

You’re better than me! I hate the gory stuff.

You know what’s funny as well? Ben didn’t do this on purpose, but everyone he cast was dealing pretty well with all that stuff. And throughout the process, I just got very used to it.

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Left Top Courrèges, pants A.V Vattev, shoes Paul Smith

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 You’re jaded now. [Laughs] Okay, let’s attempt to talk about the upcoming Peaky Blinders feature. Were you a fan of the show before being on board for the film?

I love that, seeing you trying to work out how to get some answers from me [about the film]. I actually haven’t watched it. When I was doing Steve with Cillian [Murphy], he said, “I’m doing Peaky Blinders in October.” And I was like, “I have not watched it. That’s the one with the flat caps, right?” And now I’m doing it!

Are you wearing a flat cap yourself in the movie?

There are many hats that feature in this story. [Laughs] All from the period that the film is set in.

Okay. [Laughs] This is now your second project with Cillian. Is it because you guys got along so well on the set of Steve?

I guess so, man. I’m sure he wouldn’t have known that I auditioned for it at some point, but I guess that’s what it is because we worked very closely on Steve and we got to know each other very well.  And now I just send him memes. So he has no choice but to have me stay in his head.

What was the last meme you sent him?

It was of this cartoonish drawing of a cat outside of a bath. It was hilarious to me and I was like, “Well, Cillian Murphy definitely needs to see this right now.”

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Right Full look MM6

What’s it like to work with Cillian?

He has an aura and his eyes are beautiful, this is what I can confirm. I was in this workshop with him and there was this moment when I looked into his eyes and I thought, “Wow, that’s powerful.” I’m under his spell now. 

Ocean eyes. [Laughs]

Ocean eyes, man. For real. 

In Steve, you’re playing a troubled teen who struggles with his violent side. How did you approach playing this character? 

It was a story that is very close to home for me, as it takes place within the alternative educational units. And yes, there is a violent side to him, but there’s a violent side in all of us – some people just don’t know how to guide it. This is what Steve conveys, that you just need guidance, you need teachers, mentors, role models. Also, how important it is to always check on your friends and family. There’s something very wholesome about this story, and I think by the end of the film, violence is the last thing that you will be thinking about.

Looking back, who’s someone that you really looked up to and made you want to step into the realm of acting?

For me, it’s actually more about having different spirit animals, people who made you who you are. Of course, my mom and dad are two, but I also remember being 15 years old and discovering the work of Tyler the Creator for the first time. He was just such a weird, authentic dude and I thought to myself, “Oh my god, I can be like this. I don’t have to follow the conventional lane [in life].” I like rebels, people like John Lennon and George Harrison, these people who were just so raw in the way that they performed. So mostly it’s not individuals from my industry. It’s all about, how can I bring these different versions of people and their personalities into what I do. Because there’s just so much expression in the world.

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Left Full look Prada

Right Jacket and shorts Sacai, top Lacoste

 I read that before pursuing acting, you used to practice football. What team are you supporting and why?

Tottenham. Why am I supporting them? That’s a good question. They just lost to Ipswich and I feel like I’m still on a comedown from that. I support them because of my cousins and my brothers. Also, Gareth Bale was brilliant [back in the day]. Do you support someone?

I have to be honest, I don’t watch football. Sorry!

You know what? You’re better off. My habits have actually changed these days, I like to play fantasy football [more]. Also, I’ve been playing guitar recently…

You’re learning?

I’ve been playing for the last year and a half. I love it!

Do you write songs?

 I write a lot now. I would love to release music at some point. It’s one of those things you can’t help, as an actor, you just want to express yourself in so many different lanes. And acting is sometimes not enough. I love music so much and it would be great to be able to release an EP…

Okay, to be continued then!

Yeah. [Laughs] TBC.

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Left Full look MM6

Right Full look Hermès

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Interview by Martin Onufrowicz

Photography by Diego Hernández

Fashion by Steven Huang

Grooming by Tarik Bennafla at Stella Creative Artists using Horace

Photographer’s assistant Amy Beasley

Stylist’s assistant Aaishah Perager

GOING BEYOND LIMITS

EREN M. GÜVERCIN DOESN’T QUESTION WHY HE CHOSE TO PURSUE ACTING AS A CAREER – HE PREFERS TO PURELY FOLLOW HIS INSTINCTS. THE 22-YEAR-OLD BERLINER HAS ALREADY TWO BIG PROJECTS UNDER HIS BELT: A COMING-OF-AGE TV SERIES DRUCK AND ELDORADO: EVERYTHING THE NAZIS HATE – A POWERFUL NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY EXPLORING BERLIN’S FLOURISHING QUEER SCENE OF THE 1920S AND 1930S, AND ITS DESTRUCTION THROUGHOUT THE SECOND WORLD WAR. FOR BTB, EREN TALKS ABOUT WAYS IN WHICH BEING ON SET CONNECTS HIM WITH HIS CHILDHOOD SELF AND THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING OUR HISTORY.

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Left Full look Louis Vuitton

Right Full look Celine Homme

You got your first big role on the German TV show Druck. How do you look back on the series and your character?

I don't know if I can look back on it because it still haunts me to this day – I mean that in a good way. The love I received from all the fans, who were already excited about the new season and still follow my work, was unbelievable and overwhelming. Especially because it was also my first project in front of the camera. But that also came with its challenges, which I can now manage better, so I can focus solely on my work and forget everything else.

You also participated in the production of the brilliant documentary Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate. How did this project come your way, and why was it important for you to be a part of it?

What the directors of that movie, Benjamin Cantu and Matt Lambert, created was not only a radical and beautifully honest depiction of the truth they meticulously analysed to create. I consider this film to be one of the most important I’ve seen in a while, both artistically and politically, especially in times when the intersection of discriminatory acts is increasingly blinded by the populism used by ascending right-wing parties like the AfD. The parallels in the rhetoric and political strategies between Nazi Germany and the AfD are frightening and, at the same time, important to recognize. We need to know our history so it doesn’t repeat itself.

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Left Full look Ludovic De Saint Sernin

Right Full look Louis Vuitton

When did you first realise that acting was something you wanted to pursue? What influenced your decision?

I’ve never intentionally pursued it. I was kinda dragged along that path while having fun working in theatre as a kid, how I came about that is kind of a complicated story. I can only recall moments in my life, during rehearsals or on stage, where I felt something almost metaphysical. Maybe a bit esoteric but it's about the fun and the people. Being a little kid. And going beyond my limits. To stay and breathe in the discomfort, maybe. Never really thinking about why I am doing this that much.

Who are the actors you look up to the most, and why them?

Tough question. I'm a Henry Fonda fan and even more so of Tilda Swinton. But right now, I’m fangirling over Lamin Leroy Gibba and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Oh, and I have to mention Michaela Coel. There’s something about their urgency to tell a story in such an honest and captivating way, coming from a place of love and fragility. It’s culture.

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What’s your dream genre to be a part of in the future?

I don't have a specific genre I'm dreaming of. It's more about the story, I think. But I’m really craving to do a horror movie.

What’s the last film that made you laugh?

Cow by Andrea Arnold.

What’s the last film that made you cry?

Also Cow by Andrea Arnold.

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Left Full look Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

Right Full look Balenciaga 

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Right Full look Celine Homme

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Left and top right Full look Louis Vuitton

Bottom right Full look Our Legacy 

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Interview by Martin Onufrowicz

Photography by Jingxiong Qiao

Fashion by Max Katt

Casting by Imagemachine cs

Featuring Eren M. Güvercin at Nest Model Management

Grooming by Melanie Hoppe using Dior Beauty

Movement Direction by Leonardo D’Aquino

Stylist’s assistant Dayana Arrieta Batista

DISCIPLINE IS KEY

DALLAS LIU, CONTRARY TO WHAT HIS NAME SUGGESTS, IS A LA-BORN AND RAISED ACTOR WHO PLAYS THE MOODY FIRE PRINCE ZUKO IN NETFLIX’S LIVE-ACTION AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER SERIES. HE GREW UP DOING MARTIAL ARTS FROM THE AGES OF 5 TO 13 AND WAS DISCOVERED ON YOUTUBE BY HIS MANAGER. WHEN HE ISN’T OUT DOING CRAZY STUNTS WHILE SHOOTING THE SHOW IN VANCOUVER, HE SPENDS TIME WITH HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS, WHO HE DISCERNS HIS HUMILITY TO, AND IS GRATEFUL TO HAVE A SUPPORT SYSTEM AS LOYAL AS THEM. AS THE SHOW WAS  RENEWED FOR A SECOND AND THIRD SEASON, WE REFLECTED WITH DALLAS LIU ON THE FIRST SEASON THAT CAME OUT IN APRIL, AND HOW HE WANTS TO WORK ON HIS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENTS.

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You grew up doing martial arts. What have they taught you in life?

Martial arts gave me a lot of discipline in the things that I take on. Whether it's in school or doing acting, martial arts taught me how to remain calm, to really think out my process and to have the discipline to focus and practice. I always felt like it helped me develop my own way of doing things. 

How did you get into martial arts? Do you have any idols whose careers you admire?

I wish it was that serious, but it was the Power Rangers, Avatar: The Last Airbender and a few different animes. There was one sports athlete who went by the name of Sugar Shane Moseley, my friend’s dad who was a boxer, and when we saw him on TV, I got really invested in combat sports.

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 How did you juggle being a kid with having to be professionally present at competitions and on film production sets?

Martial arts is just like any other sport: you go to tournaments, you go to practices and then you go do your homework after school. And I think with acting, because I live far from Los Angeles, I'm like an hour’s drive out, and you would be surprised by how much it changes just by driving an hour out of the city. The world where I live is nothing like the online portrayal of what Los Angeles is. The people here, my friends and family, they kept me grounded so I don't think there's a real change in my lifestyle. I did treat it like something that I loved, so it didn't feel like work. I was still going to school, I was still hanging out with my friends on the weekends, it wasn't something that I moved across the world for. This was something that I cared for and that my parents were willing to support me in. But I wasn't working either, I was auditioning, don’t get me wrong, but I wasn’t like, “Yeah, man, just booked 5 seasons of a show and my parents are signing contracts for me.” It was nothing like that. I was very much a newbie actor. I think it wasn’t until PEN15 that I felt like I matured.

Speaking of PEN15, did you get what the show was about when you booked the role?

When I auditioned I had no idea that it was gonna be that funny, because with a concept like that, you really don’t know how it’s gonna turn out until the day of the shoot. But Maya and Anna are such comedic geniuses that they already knew, “Oh yeah, this is what we're doing,” and so seeing their confidence every day on set gave me a lot of comfort. When I was on set, I knew what was going on but it was weird because I was also the oldest of the actual teenagers, so they were making fun of me too. I was so confused, I was like, “Why do I feel old here too?”

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Left Pants and belt Prada, jewellery The Diamond Plug

Right Hat Heurueh, top Lohavete, jewellery The Diamond Plug

 Your role in PEN15 is quite different to the other roles in your acting career, what would you say that role taught you?

I would say comedic improvisation. There were some times when Anna and Maya would just let a take keep on going and I was in the scene. I would think, “Oh my gosh, we're still going? Okay then, you kind of just have to figure out how to roll along with it.”  But it was really watching them do their thing that helped me develop my own particular way of going about comedy. I became comfortable with the unexpected.

You were inspired to start martial arts because of Avatar: The Last Airbender and now fast-forward a few years you play Prince Zuko in the Netflix live-action remake. Were you excited to portray Zuko?

When I got the job, it really was just worlds colliding because I think Zuko is one of the best fictional and animated characters of all time, and I think that his character arc is up there with some of the best character arcs in TV history. So when I found out that it was this role, I was stoked. Also knowing that I would be able to use my martial arts background in the series, that's why it felt like I was able to combine my present and my past, just because I spent so much time doing martial arts. I’d done it from the ages of 5 to 13, and now I'm 22, so it felt like a long time for me, and I'm glad that I was able to you know use both of my skills for something that I love. They tried to hide the identity of the characters in the script. They gave us fake character names. So for example, Zuko’s fake name was Juno. But with the way the script was written, it was very clearly his character –  nobody else has daddy issues as bad as Zuko, in my opinion. But I think because I knew that it was Zuko, it definitely helped that I understood Zuko already so strongly because I favoured him so much as a child.

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Left Full look Amiri

Right Hat Heurueh, top Lohavete, pants Ashton Michael, jewellery The Diamond Plug

This is a long-awaited remake of a beloved animated series. How did you feel at the time it came out?

I was definitely more nervous than I had ever been in my entire life. This is certainly the biggest project I’ve ever done and also my first time being a series regular. I was terrified just because you carry a huge part of how people view the show and I am not sure I was ready for that. Leading up to that point, my character was always there for the other characters, to support the other characters, whereas then,  people were really going to be watching me. I was scared of being under a microscope for a very long time. It also didn’t help that the executives of our show didn't give us a sneak peek until like 2 weeks out. So we had no idea what our show was gonna look like for three years. We hadn't seen any playback footage. I was terrified, but knowing everyone else was also terrified, you know, me and the cast members really bonded and spent a lot of time with each other, finding comfort in those relationships that we had and also looking back at our hard work and effort. I started shooting the show when I was 19 and at the time of the release, I was 22. So not only did I feel like I had developed as an actor but I had just grown into a different person. I think I was scared but that pressure was a privilege in itself. I also knew that not many people would have the opportunity to feel responsible for the next generation of Avatar: The Last Airbender viewers that's why I felt also really excited for people to see my take on Zuko.

People often criticize remakes, specifically live-action ones. But as you said, when you’re doing a remake, you’re reintroducing characters to a newer generation, and that’s important to consider because kids nowadays maybe weren’t as affected and influenced by Avatar: The Last Airbender because it wasn’t an integral part of their childhood.

I was really excited for the new viewers. And with the original voice actor being so supportive of my take on the character, we just had a talk like a human being to human being and he told me…The words that he used were, “It’s your turn,” and it was sort of permission to make Zuko the way I see fit. Because some of the relationships might not be the same therefore that might change the character – he definitely has a little more attitude in our show, he’s a spoiled teenager. But that was also one thing that I had no idea how it was going to turn out. I was like, “Are we sure we like this version of Zuko?”

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Left Full look Celine Homme

Right Full look Yohji Yamamoto

 Zuko is quite a complex and hard-to-embrace character. Where did you draw inspiration from to portray the role?

To prepare, I obviously rewatched the show a bunch of times, but I only stuck to the first season because that’s what we were shooting. And then a lot of research online. There are so many character analysis videos and essays that you can find on the internet about Zuko, about his past and about the way he thinks. I just lived with that every day, there was always something new I was learning about him. For example, which side of his head he likes to sleep on. Because his scar is on the left side of his eye, he would sleep on his scar so he could hear better out of the other ear when he was with people he wasn’t comfortable around. But when it was people he was comfortable with, he didn’t mind sleeping on his other side and having his scar out. That was something super unique to Zuko. A performance I drew from was probably Adam Driver’s Ky Loren. 

Wait, the way he chooses to sleep, was that in the script or the original screenplay?

It’s a fan theory, it’s never explicitly stated but it’s something the viewers paid attention to when he’d go to bed. When you truly love a series, you pay attention to so many of those small scenes and that's what it was for me growing up. From Zuko’s facial expressions to his mannerisms, those were all things that I thought about with a lot of intention, especially when I was working with some of my co-stars.

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What do you want people to take away from watching the series?

As cliché as this might be, I hope that this gives them a lot of hope in the adventure that they take on in life, the adventure that is life. And I think enjoying the adventure is all about the friendships and bonds that you create along the way, whether they are there forever or not. Our show has many different elements, you've got the heroes and you've got the questionable villains, and there are so many characters that you can relate to.

You’ve played in dramedies, crime series, Marvel movies and Netflix remakes. In what direction do you hope to go next?

I’m drawn to anime remakes. Have you heard of Death Note?

Of course! Who would you play though?

I love Death Note, I would be ok with Light or L, they’re both great characters. I think another genre I’d be interested in would be a dark thriller. I really love the film Oldboy.

Left Full look Prada

Right Hat Heurueh, top Lohavete, pants Ashton Michael, jewellery The Diamond Plug

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Discover the full story in our FW24 Issue

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Interview by Gabrielle Valda Colas

Photography by Emilia Staugaard

Fashion by Donna Lisa

Casting by Imagemachine cs

Grooming by Tammy Yi

Stylist’s assistants Alex Levey and Sophie

INCOMPARABLE VIBRANCY

SOMETIMES A TRAUMATIC EVENT CAN BE A CATALYST FOR ENGAGING ART. THIS HAS CERTAINLY BEEN THE CASE WITH ISAAC DUNBAR, WHO AFTER GETTING HIT BY A CAR ON A NEW YORK NIGHT WROTE A RECORD INSPIRED BY THE LUST FOR LIFE HE GAINED FOLLOWING THE CRASH. IN HIS EP BEEP BEEP REPEAT, THE AMERICAN ARTIST MIXES THE EUPHORIA OF THE 2010S POP (DUNBAR IS A LADY GAGA STAN AFTER ALL) AND THE SOULFUL SONGWRITING OF THE 1970S AND 1980S. WHILE WORKING ON THE DELUXE EDITION OF THE RECORD, ISAAC CAUGHT UP WITH US TO CHAT ABOUT HIS NEW SINGLE TAKE IT SLOW, CRYING TO STEVIE NICKS AND ROCKSTAR’S GIRLFRIEND FANTASIES.

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Left Vintage leather jacket and pants, shirt and tie Hugo Boss

Right Full look Yves Saint Laurent Archives

Last spring, you released your EP Beep Beep Repeat and you’re currently working on its deluxe edition. I read that the record has been inspired by the time you spent living in New York – how did the city’s energy influence your sound and lyrics?

The whole record is actually inspired by a time when I got hit by a car in New York and the lust for life that this event gave me. I was leaving the studio around 5 am and riding a City bike back to my apartment in the rain, and ironically enough, I was also listening to Outside the Rain by Stevie Nicks. Then, I felt a bang and it turned out to be a grey SUV. My afro saved my life, I think it took some of the impact. I couldn’t walk for three days and I was really sad and depressed. But as I looked outside my window, I saw people continue to go about their lives and I found that really inspiring, this idea that life goes on. It was a moment when I really had to choose happiness, as cliché as that might sound. It sparked my interest to be more of an extrovert and meet people and go dancing, go to parties and DJ sets. It lit a fire under my ass. 

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Left Full look Celine Homme

Right Trench coat and pants Laquan Smith, shirt, tie and sunglasses Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, gloves stylist’s own

 So, as you’re working on the re-edition of the EP, did you notice any shifts in the narratives you’re drawn to?

Things have definitely shifted. I think that there’s a lot more to the story that needs to be told, especially when it comes to the after-effects of leaving New York and how a lot of its soul stuck with me even though I’m in LA right now. I feel like I really needed that time in NYC, as it was so healing for me. I’m from a really small town and the vibrancy of the city is incomparable.  

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Right Full look Amiri

Your new single Take It Slow talks about a man who gets too clingy too fast on a night out - what do you think is the appropriate way of courting someone at a club?

Well, I don’t have too much experience with romance in the club because I’m scared of people. But I think the best way is to walk up to the person, be upfront and say, “How are you feeling? I think that you’re sexy and I want to kiss you.” [Laughs] Something not serious. You can’t be doing too much.

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Left Full look Yves Saint Laurent Archives

Right Full look Celine Homme

 Yeah, it brings up the question of, “Why are you being so pushy?”

Exactly. It’s terrifying. Some people adore being love-bombed but I instantly freak out and would rather stay in my apartment and paint my nails. [Laughs]

In both your sound and look you are inspired by the 1970s. What do you find fascinating about that era?

I love the ‘70s! It was definitely a moment when people could be free in their artistic expression. The decade was pure glamour. Personally, I feel like I’ve always been drawn to it on a more musical level. The chord progressions were beautiful, the melodies were gorgeous and there were such incredible singers and songwriters – my favourites are Fleetwood Mac and Queen. Stevie Nicks has been somebody that I’ve been really inspired by for the past 4-5 years. There was a lot of purpose behind what was being done [back then]. But honestly, in my recent studio outings, I have been a lot more inspired by the ‘80s. 

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Jacket Adidas, vintage pants and scarf, sunglasses stylist’s own

 You’re progressing into the next decade. [Laughs] Have you ever seen Stevie Nicks live?

Yes, a few months ago. I went by myself when I first moved to LA. I was surrounded by many people who were much older than me, and I cried my eyes out like a baby. The first song that she played was actually Outside the Rain! Which is my favourite of hers and the song to which I got floored by that SUV.

Left Jacket Heowhan Simulation, shirt Ernest W Baker, tie Ralph Lauren, Pants MM6, boots Celine Homme

Right Coat, shirt and tie Ernest W Baker, vest Neil Barrett

Wow! It’s definitely some sort of sign. If you could transport yourself to the ‘70s or ‘80s, what would you want to experience first-hand?

There’s a sentiment that Gaga used to say back in the early 2010s about the whole rockstar’s girlfriend trope. So, I think I would like to be a rockstar’s girlfriend, a groupie, and travel the world with a really troubled band. And then in my seventies, I would put out a tell-all.

Left top Full look Celine Homme

Left bottom Coat, shirt and tie Ernest W Baker, vest and pants Neil Barrett, boots Celine Homme

Right Trench coat and pants Laquan Smith, shirt, tie and sunglasses Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, gloves stylist’s own

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Discover the full story in our FW24 Issue

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Interview by Martin Onufrowicz

Photography Emilia Staugaard

Fashion by Jake Sammis

Casting by Imagemachine cs

Grooming by Candice Birns at A-Frame Agency

Stylist’s assistant Natalie O’Campo

Special thanks to Jack at Stone Studio