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Joe has a new interview in the October 2018 issue of British Vogue, where he discusses his upcoming movies and how he manages fame. Read the full interview below!
Joe Alwyn is very tall, very blond, and about to have a very good autumn. “Am I?” ponders the North Londoner, his prospective movie-star mouth curling into a self-deprecatingly British half-smile. We can dispense with the faux modesty. There is scarcely an Oscar-bait movie this Autumn that Alwyn does not have a juicy supporting role in. Add to this fact that he’s on his second round of duties fronting Prada’s menswear campaigns and you get the picture. Oh, and he’s Taylor Swift’s boyfriend.
For now, though, the 27-year-old remains largely un-tickled by fame, his 6ft 2in frame stooped elegantly over a flat white in an anonymous coffee shop in central London. Up close, in a plaid shirt and jeans, he looks like a cross between a young Leonardo DiCaprio and a golden retreiver, which has wooed Hollywood into providing him with a major moment. Over the next few months you’ll see him play Robert Dudley, counsellor and lover to Margot Robbie’s Elizabeth I, in Mary Queen of Scots (“he’s led by loyalty and true romantic love”); Emma Stone’s seducer at the court of Queen Anne in Yorgos Lanthimos’s historical romp The Favourite, (“there’s a lot of cat and mouse”); Ben Kingsley’s son in Nazi-hunter drama Operation Finale; and Lucas Hedges’s lover in the moving gay conversion therapy drama Boy Erased, with Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman. Not bad for a man with a single previous film credit to his name (albeit the title role in Ang Lee’s 2016 post-Iraq War opus Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk).
For all the exciting company he’s been keeping, there is one person everyone wants to hear about. He smiles. “I’m aware people want to know about that side of things,” he says of his relationship with the world’s most famous dater, who met in the wake of his initial success a couple years ago. “I think we have been successfully very private, and that has now sunk in for people.” As he leans back in his chair, you can see how on brand he is for Ms Swift: British (obviously), doe-eyed, a little bit fashion but with the air of an eternal undergrad student. The tabloids often dispense with his name and call him “Taylor bae” (does this sting? He wouldn’t like to say), but they’ve been living together on-and-off for a while now. Naturally, she’s written a song for him — “Gorgeous”.
“But I really prefer to talk about work,” he says. In truth, there’s something almost anachronistic about the smoothness of Alwyn’s rise: son of a middle-class documentary filmmaker father psychotherapist mother, his early years were spent as one of those children in cute private school uniform you see on the Tube, off to take up his scholarship at the City of London School. After a casting director talent-spotted him a local drama class, he auditioned to play the boy in Love Acturally (“obviously I didn’t get the part”), performed with the National Youth Theatre, then read English and Drama at Bristol, before heading to the Central School for Speech and Drama. A brilliant natural actor, especially gifted at quiet emotion, he was plucked by Lee to star in his PTSD war drama before he’d finished his final year. As breaks go, it was “life changing”.
Yet, as he awaits his follow-up moment, there is also a modern edge to Alwyn. In many ways, he is post-#metoo Hollywood’s answer to the ingenue conundrum in 2018. Pretty, talented and uncorrupted by fame, with a big debut under his belt, and now playing the love interest to the industry’s biggest names while going out with a very famous one in real life… it turns out that the most straightforward starlet for our times is a man. So what are his tips for navigating it? “You just try and be cool, which I’m terrible at, and not get caught up in the other fluffy stuff of things,” he says. “All the rubbish.”
Tradução
Joe foi entrevistado para a edição de outubro da Vogue britânica, onde discute seus próximos filmes e como ele gerencia a fama. Leia a entrevista completa abaixo:
Joe Alwyn é muito alto, muito loiro e está prestes a ter um outono muito bom. “Eu estou?”, Pondera o londrino, com a boca de potencial estrela de cinema se curvando em um meio sorriso britânico auto-depreciativo. Podemos dispensar a falsa modéstia. Não há praticamente nenhum filme [de Oscar] neste outono em que Alwyn não tenha um papel coadjuvante suculento. Acrescente isso ao fato dele estar em sua segunda campanha de roupas masculinas da Prada e você vai entender. Ah, e ele é o namorado da Taylor Swift.
Por enquanto, porém, o rapaz de 27 anos continua em grande parte desinteressado pela fama, seus 1,85 m de altura inclinaram-se elegantemente sobre um Flat white em uma cafeteria anônima no centro de Londres. De perto, em uma camisa xadrez e jeans, ele parece um cruzamento entre um jovem Leonardo DiCaprio e um golden retreiver, que cortejou Hollywood para proporcionar-lhe um grande momento.
Nos próximos meses, você o verá como Robert Dudley, conselheiro e amante de Elizabeth I, Margot Robbie, em Mary Queen of Scots (“ele é liderado por lealdade e amor verdadeiro); o sedutor de Emma Stone na corte da Rainha Anne, na traquinagem histórica de Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favorite, (“há muito gato e rato”); O filho de Ben Kingsley no drama de caça nazista ‘Operation Finale’; e o amante de Lucas Hedges no comovente drama de terapia de conversão gay ‘Boy Erased’, com Russell Crowe e Nicole Kidman.
De todas as companhias empolgantes que ele mantém, há uma pessoa que todos querem ouvir sobre, “Estou ciente de que as pessoas querem saber sobre esse lado das coisas”, diz ele sobre seu relacionamento. Acho que fomos bem-sucedidos em manter isso privado e agora apareceu para as pessoas,”Mas eu realmente prefiro falar sobre o trabalho”, diz ele.
A ascensão de Alwyn: filho de um documentarista de classe média e de uma mãe psicoterapeuta, seus primeiros anos foram gastos como uma daquelas crianças em fofos uniformes de escolas particulares que você vê no metrô. Depois que um diretor de elenco o viu em uma aula de teatro local, ele fez um teste para interpretar o garoto em Love Actually (“obviamente eu não consegui o papel”), se apresentou no National Youth Theatre, estudou literatura inglesa e drama na Universidade de Bristol, antes de ir para a Central School for Speech and Drama. Um ator naturalmente brilhante, especialmente dotado de uma emoção tranquila, ele foi escolhido por Lee para estrelar seu drama de guerra antes de terminar seu último ano. Com a oportunidade, houve “mudança de vida”.
No entanto, enquanto aguarda seu momento, há também uma vantagem moderna para Alwyn. De muitas maneiras, ele é pós-metoo. Bonito, talentoso e não corrompido pela fama, com uma grande estréia em sua carreira, e agora atuando como o interesse amoroso dos maiores nomes da indústria. Acontece que a nova estrela mais direta do momento é um homem. Então, quais são as dicas dele para lidar com isso? “Você tem que apenas tenta ser calmo, eu sou terrível nisso, e não se apegar em outras coisas superficiais”, diz ele. “E tudo que não vale a pena.”
Tradução e Adaptação – Equipe Joe Alwyn Online
Joe recently gave a new interview with OK Magazine where he discusses Operation Finale, his self-confidence, and how his busy schedule as an actor affects his life. Read everything he shared with the magazine below:
On his self-confidence as an actor
I [have] ups and downs. It never goes away. [I doubt myself] all the time. I’ve had some pretty terrible auditions! You have to grow a thick skin and understand that people are going to say no to you — and it’s not personal.
Your career is on fire on right now!
Yes, the last year was busy. I was involved in four films My [latest] is Operation Finale which is about Adolf Eichmann, a very prominent Nazi figure who fled to Argentina after the war… and [was brought back] to Israel to be put on trial for the crimes he committed. Eichmann is played by Ben Kingsley and I play his son.
How did you prepare for a role like that?
My part in the story, being his son, the idea of what his dad was responsible for is quite an abstract idea. You try and find the human story within in, rather than getting caught up too much in the history of it.
The Favourite comes out later this fall, and you star alongside Emma Stone. What was that like?
That film was a really special one. It’s kind of twisted and dark and funny and bawdy and a little violent. It was a lot of fun.
You must spend a lot of time away from home.
I don’t really live anywhere at the moment! I’m moving all over. [I lived at my parents’ house] when I was in drama school because it was around the corner.
It is tough not having a place of your own?
Travelling is fun. It means you probably sleep a little less, but it’s fun getting to go to all these new places and meeting new people.
Musicians spend a lot of time on the road as well. Do you see similarities between the music and film business?
Musicians have their own identity and are more on show — they’re seen as who they are on stage. Actors are more private to a degree and are seen through their work.
Have you always wanted to become an actor?
At school I played a lot of sports and my group of friends didn’t really do theater. But it was always something I thought I would love to do. So when I went to University I tried to become involved [in acting] as much as possible.
Is there anyone you credit with giving you the drive to pursue your dream?
My parents were very supportive when lots of others wouldn’t be. But it was my teachers at drama school that made me think I could do this as a profession. Those places are such strange, intense schools, so being there for three years gave me a lot.
Tradução
Durante a divulgação de ‘Operation Finale’ que aconteceu recentemente, Joe concedeu uma nova entrevista para a OK Magazine onde falou sobre o filme e sua vida como ator. Confira:
Sobre sua autoconfiança como ator:
Eu tenho altos e baixos. Isso nunca vai embora. [Eu duvido de mim mesmo] o tempo todo. Eu tive algumas audições terríveis! Você tem que ter uma pele grossa e entender que as pessoas vão dizer não para você – e isso não é pessoal.
Sua carreira está pegando fogo agora mesmo!
Sim, o último ano foi ocupado. Estive envolvido em 4 filmes Meu [mais recente] é Operation Finale que é sobre Adolf Eichmann, uma figura nazista muito proeminente que fugiu para a Argentina depois da guerra. Eu interpreto seu filho.
Como você se preparou para um papel como esse?
Minha parte na história, sendo seu filho, a ideia do que seu pai foi responsável é uma idéia bastante abstrata. Você tenta e encontra a história humana dentro, em vez de se envolver demais na história dele.
A favorita sai mais tarde neste outono, e você estrela ao lado de Emma Stone. Como foi isso?
Esse filme foi realmente especial. É meio distorcido e escuro, engraçado, obsceno e um pouco violento. Foi muito divertido.
Você deve gastar muito tempo longe de casa.
Eu não moro em nenhum lugar no momento! Estou me mudando. [Eu morava na casa dos meus pais] quando estava na escola de teatro porque era na esquina.
É difícil não ter um lugar próprio?
Viajar é divertido. Isso significa que você provavelmente dorme um pouco menos, mas é divertido ir a todos esses novos lugares e conhecer novas pessoas.
Os músicos passam muito tempo na estrada também. Você vê semelhanças entre o negócio de música e cinema?
Os músicos têm identidade própria e estão mais à mostra, eles são vistos como quem está no palco. Os atores são mais privados até certo ponto e são vistos através de seu trabalho.
Você sempre quis se tornar um ator?
Na escola eu praticava muito esporte e meu grupo de amigos não fazia teatro. Mas sempre foi algo que pensei que adoraria fazer. Então, quando fui para a universidade, tentei envolver-me [agindo] o máximo possível.
Existe alguém que você credita por te incentivar a perseguir seu sonho?
Meus pais deram muito apoio quando muitos outros não. Mas foram meus professores na escola de teatro que me fizeram pensar que eu poderia fazer isso como profissão. Esses lugares são tão estranhos, escolas intensas, então estar lá por três anos me deu muito.
PODCAST| Chiara Nicoletti interviews Nicholas Hoult and Joe Alwyn, actors of the film The Favourite.
In a film centered on three women (Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz) in the early 18th century at the Queen Anne’s court, The Favourite by Yorgos Lanthimos, in competition at the 75th Venice Film Festival, Nicholas Hoult and Joe Alwyn play respectively Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, a young, dressed-up and noble aspiring prime Minister and a courtier Samuel Masham. The actors describe their work on their character and how original and refreshing is Lanthimos’ look on a period film.
The Favourite: Early 18th century. England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah governs the country in her stead while tending to Anne’s ill health and mercurial temper. When a new servant, Abigail, arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. Sarah takes Abigail under her wing and Abigail sees a chance at a return to her aristocratic roots. As the politics of war become quite time consuming for Sarah, Abigail steps into the breach to fill in as the Queen’s companion. Their burgeoning friendship gives her a chance to fulfil her ambitions and she will not let woman, man, politics or rabbit stand in her way.
After breaking out in Ang Lee’s ambitious adaptation, the actor explains to IndieWire why he wanted to pursue the kind of role many would find unsettling.
Part history lesson, part moral reckoning, Chris Weitz’s “Operation Finale” dramatizes the 1960 operation to bring former SS officer Adolf Eichmann to justice following his years-long escape to Argentina. The film follows Israeli intelligence officers Oscar Isaac, Mélanie Laurent, and Nick Kroll as they hunt the unrepentant Nazi, capture him, and take him to Israel to stand trial. Along the way, their efforts are thwarted by many, including Eichmann’s eldest son, Klaus (Joe Alwyn), who has long embraced his father’s twisted ideals.
Alwyn was drawn by a true story, a slice of history that continues to compel the world, the opportunity to work with a living legend like Sir Ben Kingsley (who plays Eichmann), and the challenge of presenting a multidimensional villain.
“The way that I wanted to try and play him wasn’t as a kind of 2D baddie with no kind of other sides to him, but hopefully that, in another world, he could have otherwise been a decent, normal good guy,” he said. “You hope that maybe with [his relationship with] Sylvia (Haley Lu Richardson) at the beginning of the film, there could have been in another world where he realizes that it doesn’t matter about her religion and that they could try and be together. But obviously, that hope is kind of dashed when his dad is taken.”
For the actor, the key to the character was his relationship with his father, a man that Klaus idolizes and doesn’t wholly understand. “I think his choice to follow in his dad’s footsteps, rather than coming from some strong nationalistic feelings himself, more comes out of a loyalty and love of his father,” he said. “I thought that was interesting, that you could have him find empathy in that situation of what Klaus is kind of born into.”
Instead of being hobbled by the tilt of Klaus’ narrative arc — in the film, as in real life, the character is never “redeemed” — Alwyn attempted to empathize with the broader implications.
“I found it interesting and sad, even if he isn’t redeemable,” Alwyn said. “I think he doesn’t fully understand what his dad has done and what he’s responsible for. It’s quite an abstract thing to him. I think the war crimes of his dad … he hasn’t quite computed it and so he’s being dragged further and further into this world without actually recognizing the kind of full implications of what it means.”
The actor said earlier versions of the film included scenes that tapped into that disconnect between history and Klaus’ comprehension. “There was a conversation that Klaus has with his mother after his dad has been taken, asking her about what he’s done before, as if in a way that he doesn’t quite recognize the severity of it all, quite what it means,” Alwyn said. “There were moments kind of peppered throughout where he’s more on the fence about where he belongs and which path he thinks he should take.”
Although the actor was bent on finding glimpses of humanity in his character, he readily admitted it was a tough task. “He is, of course, not a nice character, not a good person,” he said.
Given the current cultural climate, Alwyn hopes the film will serve as a reminder of the pain that hatred, ignorance, and bigotry can inflict on humanity. “Given the kind of rise of right-wing nationalism in the world today, it’s a reminder that even decades later these divisions continue,” he said. “The world has to remain strong and fight against bigotry and pursue justice.”
“Operation Finale” is only Alwyn’s third film credit, but it’s not his first foray into stories set during times of cultural heartbreak. As the eponymous Billy Lynn of Ang Lee’s 2016 film “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” Alwyn made his debut in a technologically ambitious work (Lee’s film was the first, and so far only, to be shot using 120fps) about a traumatized soldier thrust into the national spotlight.
The film made its world premiere at the New York Film Festival, where it was touted as a Special Presentation, but flamed out when it was released in theaters just weeks later. Ultimately, it only made $1.7 million at the U.S. box office (globally, it pulled in just under $29 million).
“I wish more people had seen it than they did,” Alwyn said. “But I think the way that it was made with the technology that was used, there was always only going to be a limited amount of people that could see it in that way. That was gonna be a very expensive way of showing the film and definitely proved problematic in being able to screen it in that way, which is definitely a shame. But I still feel so proud of the film.”
Still, “Billy Lynn” served as a major coming out for the actor. “Doing that film definitely opened up a lot of doors,” he said, adding that “having been spoiled by working with Ang as [my] first director, I wanted to try and find more great filmmakers to learn from and build in that way.” That meant finding projects he was passionate about making, “even if it was just a supporting role … rather than just jumping into something big for the sake of it.”
Confira as citações do Joe traduzidas em português:
Joe sobre seu personagem Klaus: “O jeito que eu queria tentar interpretá-lo não era como um tipo de vilão em 2D com apenas um lado, mas espero que, em outro mundo, ele poderia ter sido um bom rapaz decente e normal”.
“Você espera que talvez com [sua relação com] Sylvia (Haley Lu) no início do filme, poderia ter havido outro mundo onde ele percebe que não importa a religião dela e que eles poderiam tentar estar juntos. Mas, obviamente, essa esperança é frustrada quando seu pai é levado.”
Joe sobre a relação de Klaus com o pai: “Acho que a escolha dele em seguir os passos de seu pai, em vez de vir de alguns sentimentos nacionalistas fortes, resulta de uma lealdade e amor ao pai.”
“Achei interessante e triste, mesmo que ele não seja resgatável“, disse Alwyn. “Acho que ele não entende completamente o que o pai dele fez e pelo que ele é responsável. É uma coisa bem abstrata para ele. Eu acho que os crimes de guerra do pai dele …Ele não calculou bem e está sendo arrastado mais e mais para este mundo sem realmente reconhecer o tipo de implicações completas do que isso significa. ”
“Houve uma conversa que Klaus teve com sua mãe depois que seu pai foi levado, perguntando-lhe sobre o que ele fez antes, como se de alguma forma ele não reconhece a gravidade de tudo isso, o que isso significa” Alwyn disse. “Houve momentos meio espalhafatosos por onde ele está mais em cima do muro sobre onde ele pertence e qual caminho ele acha que deveria tomar.”
“Ele é, claro, não é um personagem legal, não é uma pessoa boa”
“Dado o tipo de ascensão do nacionalismo de direita no mundo hoje, é um lembrete de que, mesmo décadas depois, essas divisões continuam”, disse ele. “O mundo tem que permanecer forte e lutar contra o fanatismo e buscar a justiça.”
Joe sobre Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk:”Eu gostaria que mais pessoas tivessem visto isso”, disse Alwyn. “Mas acho que da forma como foi feito com a tecnologia que foi usada, sempre haveria apenas uma quantidade limitada de pessoas que poderiam assistir. Essa seria uma maneira muito cara de mostrar o filme e definitivamente se mostrou problemático em ser capaz de exibi-lo, o que definitivamente é uma vergonha. Mas ainda me sinto orgulhoso do filme. ”
Ainda assim, “Billy Lynn” serviu como uma grande saída para o ator. “Fazer esse filme definitivamente abriu muitas portas“, disse ele, acrescentando que “tendo sido mimado por trabalhar com Ang como meu primeiro diretor, eu queria tentar encontrar mais grandes cineastas para aprender e construir minha Carreira.” Isso significava encontrar projetos que ele era apaixonado por fazer, “mesmo que fosse apenas um papel de apoio … ao invés de apenas pular em algo grande por causa disso“.
Joe joined his co-star Haley Lu Richardson to talk about ‘Operation Finale‘ with the press in New York on August 17. Check out all the interviews given by the pair:
This post will be updated every time a new interview is released, so be sure to check back while the ‘Operation Finale’ promotion continues.
