CHACE CRAWFORD: THE DEEP IMPACT [IN PRINT]

BY IRVIN RIVERA

PHOTOGRPAHER: IRVIN RIVERA, ART DIRECTOR, PRODUCER: PHIL LIMPRSERTWONG, FASHION STYLING: CAROLINE DEJEAN, GROOMING & HAIR: CHRISTINE NELLI @FORWARD ARTISTS, PHOTO ASSISTANT: MATTHEW GERETY, LOCATION: THOMPSON HOTEL HOLLLYWOOD, SPECIAL THANKS: PURPLE PR & TEN FIVE HOSPITALITY

In this Collector’s Issue, we’re thrilled to share an exclusive interview with none other than Chace Crawford, the enigmatic actor who breathes life into The Deep on the hit Prime Video show The Boys. Chace's journey from the glossy teen drama Gossip Girl to the darkly humorous world of the genre-bending superhero satire has been nothing short of remarkable. In our candid conversation, Chace opened up about his creative pursuits, the complexities of his character, and his passion for storytelling. “The dream is to really work with friends,” he shared, embodying a spirit of collaboration and creativity that we can all aspire to.

Despite the delays brought on by the writers' strike, Chace has been busier than ever, diving into indie film scripts, honing his writing skills, and even indulging in his love for cooking and bicycling. His enthusiasm for exploring new avenues and maintaining a multifaceted life is truly inspiring. “I have a take on this character, that here's an opportunity for me to show some range,” he said about his role in The Boys, reflecting his desire to continually challenge himself and push the boundaries of his craft. It's a testament to his dedication and the depth he brings to his performances.

We invite you all to immerse yourselves in this insightful interview, where Chace's genuine passion and humility shine through. His reflections on the creative process, the importance of collaboration, and the joys and challenges of his acting journey offer a refreshing and inspiring perspective. Whether you're a long-time fan or new to his work, this conversation is a must-read. Join us as we explore the many facets of Chace Crawford, and let his story remind us of the power of perseverance, creativity, and friendship. Enjoy the read!

Chace Crawford, celebrated for his breakout role as Nate Archibald on Gossip Girl, has ventured into darker, satirical territory with his portrayal of The Deep in The Boys. Raised in Lubbock, Texas, Crawford's early life was shaped by a passion for sports and the arts, leading him to pursue acting after high school. In this exclusive interview, Crawford shares his multifaceted creative pursuits, including his love for photography and writing. "Acting allows me to explore different facets of myself," he reveals, emphasizing his commitment to personal and professional growth.

So what's been keeping you busy and creative nowadays, Chace?

Oh man ever since the writers strike, season five of The Boys got pushed back to December so it's been good, it's been picking up this year, you know what I mean? You know, you've got to keep busy though. I'm still trying to get more work for the end of this year. There's definitely a few really good Indie film scripts I've read and hope to do if they can get the financing and funding together by the end of the year so we'll see. But dabbling in a bit of writing, and I'm still bicycling and got my dog and everything else. I still got the cooking, still got the writing and it's been good. So, just reading scripts and seeing what can come next.

Seems like you have a lot of these things going on in the background aside from acting which is always great, right?

I try to. You know what I mean, with idea-creation, or getting friends to -- the dream is to really work with friends. So, we're starting to talk about some projects, maybe we can get into gestation and just try and do something that we have more intellectual control over and agency over would be ideal.

In line with this, I noticed during our shoot that you're pretty knowledgable with photography, lights, equipment, filmmaking and all that stuff. So, that made me excited as well.

No, you're amazing man, the photoshoot was so great. It was so well prepared. The lighting was incredible. I'll tell you, I took a photography class, I think I was a sophomore in high school, so I was probably like 15 but we had a full dark room and one of the teachers happened to be a photography enthusiast. So he kind of started this class. And it was just black and white 35mm and we had a darkroom and we had to develop our own film, go in there and then print it on 8x11s and that was my favorite class in high school - it was photography. So you know I got to do that and then as I got older, I kind of bought a few collectible cameras or whatnot. So I'm very, very interested and as an actor too on the set scene, when they swing lenses and change lenses and pull up the flags and all that stuff, it's interesting to me always what they're doing and why and what size the lenses are, you know, I kind of learned a little bit of that. So it's always very interesting to me to see how you guys on the photography side, create the art and get those amazing images. The lighting looks so cool from what you created.

Now let's talk about The Deep. What initially drew you to the role of The Deep?

God, man, it felt like such a breath of fresh air reading the script, and then reading that and then going in and auditioning for it. They brought in a ton of people because all the roles are very tricky. And it's like, it lends itself to kind of finding some actors who aren't quite Uber famous already and try to piece it together. I feel like doing a show, like I was on previously, some people might think, can this guy be funny and do some dark stuff? And I was, like I know this guy... I have a take on this guy, I have a take on this character, that here's an opportunity for me to show some range, and to really break out of preconceived notions of what I can do. It’s just one of those rare pieces in characters that comes around where I instantly connected, and I was like, don't eff this up because I can do this, you know what I mean? So I was really excited to get in the room. And I remember the audition process where I was just one time in the room with Eric Kripke and the casting, and they had a great reader opposite me. And I was just drawn to the script right away. I mean, the script was so - it felt revolutionary in a way. It felt like such a refreshing take on the genre - the superhero genre is sort of so saturated, but then we always see the guy in the story arc of like, the hero's journey and the sort of redemption and comes back and saves the day. We don't really see what happens if these guys are real humans and you know, humanity is flawed and we live in this grey area. What would happen if absolute power sort of corrupted these people? I found that way more interesting. And it's such a weird show, there was so much weird things and I thought the notion of The Deep is that his only real connections in life were to the sea animals and sea life. He was so narcissistic and kind of emotionally unavailable, but he was really connected to saving the sea life and he could never do it, he's always fucking it up. So I thought that was so funny and just kind of brilliant that he was so flawed and damaged.

And you played The Deep brilliantly by the way, throughout all the seasons.

Thank you, man.

How do you prepare for those intense and controversial scenes in the show, whenever you're in it?

I mean, it never really catches up with me until like the week of, and it really hits me like oh, God, I have to film this thing, you know? I guess I go through my process - I kind of absorb the script, osmosis the lines way beforehand, and sort of just toy with the levels of emotionality in the scenes with the octopus, which is obviously not there, it's always a fun time because you can really play with it, I can bring different levels to it and kind of..., I have to bring it because otherwise there's nothing to react to. So there's no sort of emotional response to react to what I am getting, and so I have to kind of set the tone and know where I'm at emotionally, which is always fun. But if there's ever a problem, Eric Kripke, our awesome creator, his doors are always open. And I've definitely had some freakout moments last minute where I'm like, what are we shooting? What angle am I going to be sleeping with this octopus and so it's... There's definitely been a few freakout moments, but it's always been great. We get on set, you realize it's the same all the time. It's just, you can take it slow, it's a long day, and kind of feel your way through it and the joy is sort of letting go and finding those great moments and that's the best part of it for me.

You really just have to enjoy it and then let the art flow. I feel like that's what it is.

Totally, that's it and if you're not connected to the scene, you really haven't done the preparation because you shouldn't be able to kind of just release all that on the day and just be and the second I put on that suit, something comes over me and it just feels like the character. It's really great. He's such a fun, fun character to play.