Hi Billy! Congratulations on Hell of a Summer – I got to watch it over the weekend. How did this project come about? Were you and Finn [Wolfhard] friends before getting to work on it?

We became friends first. I actually had met Finn very briefly on the streets of Toronto years and years ago, just as a fan. I had seen him posting online about a lot of the films and comedians that he loved that I also really liked, and I just had a sense that we would get along because our sensibilities were so similar. So when I bumped into him on the street, we just started chatting about movies and comedy. We spoke for like five minutes, I didn’t want to bother him. And then a little bit over a year later, I’d started acting, and I got a small part in the Ghostbusters movie, which he was the star of. I sat beside him at lunch, and he was like, “Do I know you from somewhere?” And I said, “Not really, we met for two minutes once.” But he remembered our interaction! So the friendship has really just started because we have the same sense of humour. Also, we both knew that we wanted to be directors from a very young age, so it was great talking to somebody who had the same goals in mind.

Top **Ouer**, denim **MM6 Maison Margiela**, shoes **Dior Men**

With this being your first feature, what did you find most daunting about the process of conceptualizing and executing a film?

I had written so many half-script and several short films before this one. Like a lot of young writers and filmmakers, I had started writing a number of features, but at some point, you hit a wall because it’s a very isolating and exhausting experience. The thing that I found so helpful about working with Finn on this one is that while we were writing the first draft together, we were doing it so quickly because we weren’t second guessing ourselves in any way – we were trying to make each other laugh and pushing each other to finish that first draft. So, getting over that initial hurdle was a huge relief for me. And then after that, we spent the next three years refining the script and getting it to a place of feeling confident about it.

From the production standpoint, it was really just obstacle after obstacle after obstacle, which I think is often the case with indie films. We filmed it in 19 days. It was a very hectic, short shoot. I had to do a lot of stuff that I think normally director wouldn’t have to do, but it was just the nature of the situation we were in and the resources that we had. The whole thing was a tremendous learning experience for me, and I’m so glad that I was so hands-on in so many different departments.

Left Tops **Fendi**
Right Top **Dries Van Noten**, pants & jacket **Sacai**

What attracted you guys to the slasher genre?

We felt that the genre would really elevate the comedy. We had set out to write a teen ensemble coming-of-age comedy that was set in the realm of a slasher movie – we wanted for both of those parts to be happening simultaneously. The idea was to take this cast of petty and insecure characters, then throw a killer into the mix, and instead of having all of their petty problems disappear once the killer spree began, we wanted to have them amplified. Every character can’t help but be themselves, and to me, the funniest moments in the script are born out of how they are reacting in this really awful situation.

Shirt **Hermès**, pants **Bluemarble**, tie **Fendi**, jacket **Isabel Marant**

Did you write with specific people in mind? Did you know that you wanted to play Bobby from the get-go?

Yeah, I knew that I was going to play Bobby and Finn was going to play Chris. Other than that, no, we didn’t really write with specific actors in mind – we based the characters off of people in our own lives or certain dynamics that we had.

There are elements of me in Bobby, for sure. And I don’t say that in a proud way. I’d like to think that I’m more self-aware than him, but also, he was a lot of fun to write and tap into. It’s the type of character that I would always do to annoy my friends.

Left Tops **Fendi**
Right Top & pants **Aubero**

Is there anything that you find charming about him?

I think he’s a very loyal friend, and that’s something that’s admirable about him. It sounds funny to be discussing it in such a serious way, but I always saw him as a character who didn’t have any positive role models growing up. He looked to all these action heroes and celebrities in search of this idea of what a man should be or should act like. He’s trying so hard to be like that, and he’s failing so spectacularly that I think there’s something endearing about him being such a coward in so many ways but wanting to be perceived as brave and cool. But he does mean well, and you can’t help but root for him in some ways, or at least that’s how I feel.

Top **Dries Van Noten**, pants & jacket **Sacai**, sneakers **Dior Men**

Left Shirt **Hermès**, pants **Bluemarble**, tie **Fendi**, jacket **Isabel Marant**, boots **MM6 Maison Margiela**
Right Shirt & tie **Hermès**, pants **Aubero**, coat **Ouer**

You talked earlier about sharing similar sensibilities with Finn when it comes to your favourite movies. What films did you guys look at while working on this one?

That’s a great question! We talked a lot about films like Superbad, The Graduate, or the early Wes Anderson stuff. We looked at a lot of films that were written by younger people about younger people. And then, from more of a horror perspective, we bonded over our mutual love for John Carpenter’s movies, specifically his earlier work. The original Halloween is a perfect slasher – there’s something so pure about it that is just brilliant.

I was actually very afraid of horror films as a kid. I didn’t watch that many of them until the end of high school, and I fell in love with the slasher genre through slasher comedies like Scream or Idle Hands. The last one I’ll mention was Shaun of the Dead – for us, it was the perfect example of a character-driven comedy set within the backdrop of a horror movie. It tells the story of a guy who’s trying to save his relationship, and it’s set within a zombie movie. And we wanted to do that with Hell of a Summer. It’s a movie about a guy who's coming of age and having to leave his childhood behind and step out into adulthood, but we’re using the backdrop of a slasher comedy and having this slasher spree be the thing that informs this massive change in his life.

Left Top **Dries Van Noten**, jacket **Sacai**
Right Jacket & boots **MM6 Maison Margiela**, pants **Études Studio**

Interview by Martin Onufrowicz

Photography by Gabe Araujo

Fashion by Sam Knoll

Casting by Imagemachine CS

EIC Michael Marson

Grooming by Mark Alan

Stylist’s assistants Daviel Castañeda & Alice Almeida

Michael Marson

April 17, 2025

Portrait, last

BRINGING FANTASY TO LIFE

Michael Marson

April 17, 2025

Portrait, last

Take one buff warrior with a chiselled jaw and striking golden locks, and put him in Prime Video’s blockbuster series, The Wheel of Time, and all your fantasies have come true, thank you TAYLOR NAPIER.

As the show nears its season three finale, the US actor who plays Maksim, the fierce, and dependable warder, has gained a new fanbase, and not just for his off-screen thirst trap Instagram posts, but for his trailblazing depiction of his character’s queerness. In a genre noted for its lack of LGBTQIA+ representation, the series’ groundbreaking portrayal of polyamory and male bisexuality has spoken to the eyes and ears of millions of audience members and reflected the true fabric of our society. Over zoom we spoke to Taylor about fantasy vs reality, being recognised on the tube and why he’ll never be the last one to leave a party.

Left Top & cardigan **Wales Bonner**
Right Jumpsuit, boots & belt **Isabel Marant**, glasses **Cutler and Gross x The Great Frog**

At the time of this interview, we’re nearing the end of S3, and I’m curious to know if during filming you felt like this season is the one where everything came together for you? You know, you’ve been filming for so long, and everyone kind of knows everyone on set, you’re like one big family and you know the world your character is part of.

We’ve been filming on and off for almost 6 years now, so in many ways the characters and stories are now landing and for the audience they’re getting to experience what we experienced when we first read the scripts all those years ago! You know we film and then we all go our separate ways for a while and then it’s like a reunion when we all come together again – certainly with this season it’s been great, and it feels like we’ve tied up a lot of things.

Top & cardigan **Wales Bonner**, boxer stylist’s own

Is the show’s success bringing new opportunities and fans for you, like, is going through the airport a lot harder now, trying not to be recognised or are you fully embracing your new cult status?

Haha, I wish!! It’s brought new opportunities for me though, and yes, I get noticed more.

I was on the tube yesterday and this guy was like, “Oh my god, I know you, my wife loves you!!”, and these things happen quite often all over the world, as I’ve been lucky enough to travel the past few years. I was in India visiting a castmate and we went to a random coffee shop, and it was hard to walk down the street without someone coming up to us. With these things you can play it cool as an actor and say you don’t really notice it, but it’s fun!

Left Full look **Dsquared2**
Right Full look **Emporio Armani**

‘One of the benefits of being in this fantasy world is that it’s our world and you’re able to make this reality of people just loving who they love.’

Well, let’s talk about the character you play, Maksim – can you describe some aspects of him that make him a joy and a challenge to play. What have you learned from him, especially as he goes on a pretty big journey of growth in this season?

I think Maksim has been an interesting character to play, as he’s on this journey, and he’s grown up a lot, but there’s still a naivety to him, to all of his outlook on the world; falling in love, joining the military out of love which is a big choice, and then being shocked by the realities of the world getting darker and more complicated as the seasons progress. With this season he’s trying to navigate this massive loss at the beginning, and he’s forced to go through the growing pains period and come out stronger on the other side. It’s weird, because he’s not always the most likeable character, he’s not a villain, but it’s been interesting to find a way to play his grief, anger and petulance and make sure it’s rooted so the audience knows where it’s coming from and be authentic to that, while recognising that maybe he is a bit whiny sometimes! [laughs].

Left Jacket & pants **Denzil Patrick**, shoes **Wales Bonner**, socks **Falke**
Right Hat **Wales Bonner**, scarf stylist’s own

I’m impressed by his posh British accent, a bit public schoolboy via Shoreditch.

Haha! Well, my idea for his accent was that he was a guy who went to Eton and then moved to Shoreditch and opened a yoga studio! [laughs]. There’s a specific kind of vibe to him; he comes from a place of privilege that he’s constantly running from and that trips him up a lot.

He’s also in a polyamorous relationship. How does it feel to be bringing that and bisexual male visibility to the high fantasy genre?

There’s a lot of queer and non-traditional relationships that are mentioned in the books, but they’re kind of underplayed as they came out 40 years ago and it was a different time then. In the show they’re being drawn out and have more of a focal point on screen. One of the benefits of being in this fantasy world is that it’s our world and you’re able to make this reality of people just loving who they love. There are a lot of TV shows with queer characters but a lot of the time it’s ‘a thing’; if you have a gay character the story must be about them being gay, but with this show, we made a conscious effort not to do that, they just are. That’s how it should be and is for myself as a queer person and my queer friends; I just wish sometimes I could live in that world, where you can walk into a room without the baggage that I’ve put upon myself in this world.

Do you feel a deeper connection to the queer community since being in the show, and how have they connected to you, what’s the response been like?

Yes, without a doubt, and the queer community always take to the fantasy genre, so having this representation on screen in the genre they love is so important. I get tonnes of messages from people, even someone messaged me today about having a similar storyline to the one on the show, and watching the series had helped them through their own situation. That’s what you really want to get from fans, to here that you’ve touched them and brought something to their life.

Full look **Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello**

As has the "Snack Warder” as you’ve been nicknamed! We can’t get away from Maksim’s total hunk status, and all the action stuff was another level this season, using every weapon imaginable…. you must have been swinging swords in your sleep.

When I was reading the scripts, I was like, “can’t we just pick one that he’s really good at?!”, you know, but warders are meant to be good at everything! I train and workout a lot so it’s a part of my daily routine, but I had to do so much more for this role. It can get tiring to be on a diet of grilled chicken and rice for that long when all you want to do is eat pizza, and after a long day filming all these actions scenes you just want a nap!!

Left Top & cardigan **Wales Bonner**
Right Full look Paul Smith

So outside of action and sci-fi, is there a world or genre you would like to dive into? What would that look like?

I would love to do something a little more intimate, maybe an Indie film. Wheel of Time is a machine, it’s so vast, so it would be nice to work on something where you get to hone in and work with the director organically on the character and figure out the story with the team and be part of the discussion. I would also love to do a comedy or a spy film too.

Is that James Bond I hear calling you in the distance…?

Haha! Yes, the first James Bond with an American accent!!

Left Full look **Emporio Armani**
Right Full look **Sacai**

Well, you do a pretty good Brit accent to be fair... and maybe the first queer Bond... imagine that!

Yes, imagine that... I can’t wait to read those reviews, haha!

You’re passionate about writing too, having written the screenplay and produced your own short film Atacama…

I’ve written and produced a few things, and Atacama is a thriller and it’s a sexy, fun little 15-minute piece and I hope to expand that idea more, maybe into a series. There’s something nice about writing as I get to play all the characters in my head, and since I’m doing that, I also don’t have to eat the grilled chicken diet non-stop! [laughs]

Left Full look **Blue Blue**, glasses **Cutler and Gross x The Great Frog**
Right Full look **N21**

Well, exactly! And what about travel, you seem to like jetting off around the world…. is that a passion?

Atacama came from a travel experience in the Chilean desert, and I think there are so many beautiful things about travelling; being immersed in a world that’s not your own and having to adapt. I like seeing the word through different eyes, it’s like playing a character, finding out a different history and understanding it and diving into it. As an actor I like travelling solo too, when you can land somewhere and be whoever you want to be for a day or a week, it’s good to step out of yourself and the culture you grew up in.

I also like cooking and going to bed early, my other passions!

That’s the second time in this interview you’ve mentioned how much you like a good nap! Is that why your Insta bio reads, “30ish on the outside, 80ish on the inside.”

Haha, yes! I wish I had a story about something crazy or interesting that I do, but I really like going to bed by 9.30pm. There’s a running joke among my friends that if we’re at a party or go somewhere and it’s getting late, you’ll always find me in a corner somewhere, fast asleep, so just wake me up and take me home! I worry that people may think I’m rude or think they’re boring, but it’s just that I can only focus on one or two people talking at a time and then if there’s lots of noise, I lose focus and want a nap!

Thanks goodness it’s only me and you on this zoom then… and I’ve not seen you stifle a yawn yet…

Haha! Give me another 10 mins… and you know, maybe…

Left Jacquet **Miu Miu**
Right Jumpsuit, boots & belt **Isabel Marant**, glasses **Cutler and Gross x The Great Frog**

We’re at the end anyway, so you can take a nap soon, after you’ve told me what’s coming up for you?

I have an iHeartRadio drama in the US about Apollo 11 and I play one of the astronauts, and I’ve also done a guest spot on the show Ride or Die with Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer, Hannah’s playing a spy, and I was told that I was her first ‘Bond boy’, so that was fun.

There’s Bond again, see, it’s written in the stars, 007 is calling to you… so long as this Bond has a good nap instead of a Martini.

Exactly!

Interview by Kate Lawson

Photography by Dean Ryan McDaid

Fashion by Steven Huang

Casting by Imagemachine CS

Grooming by Nadia Altinbas using Oribe & Sisley

Set Designer by Archie Lorch at Lorch Studios

Stylist’assistant Harley Thompson