JONATHAN BENNETT’S INGENUITY, FOOD NETWORK, AND BALANCING THE “WILD WEST” OF ACTING

American actor and presenter Jonathan Bennett lights up a room. With his infectious smile and playful presence, it’s no wonder he stole the hearts of so many now fifteen years ago.

The thirty-eight year old Ohio native first graced our screens as Aaron Samuels in the classic, Mean Girls. Since then, his career has been anything but typical. Since the 2004 film, he’s competed in shows like Dancing With the Stars, Celebrity Big Brother and hosted multiple series, such as Food Network’s Cake Wars and Cupcake Wars, all while continuing act in series such as MTV’s Awkward.

Most recently, Bennett reprised his role as Aaron Samuels in Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” music video and published “The Burn Cookbook: An Unofficial Unauthorized Cookbook for Mean Girls Fans” 

In this exclusive interview, David-Simon Dayan sits down with Jonathan Bennett to discuss how the modern cult classic has influenced Bennett's career today, how he originally got started as a performer, and how the fun of Food Network balances out the “Wild West” of acting.

PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID-SIMON DAYAN

STYLING: ROBERT BALCAZAR, GROOMING: ANANDA TUYES, LOCATION: PALIHOUSE WEST HOLLYWOOD

Jacket: BALENCIAGA, Shirt: SANDRO, Pants: ACNE

The wildly zesty Jonathan Bennett, how are you?

I’m doing great, David-Simon. It’s a little wet outside, but I’m feeling absolutely fantastic.

I walked in the pouring rain for a while just yesterday. Must’ve look like a madman, but I enjoyed every second of it. So, where are you from?

Where am I from? Ohio, a little town just outside of Toledo called Rossford.

What was it like growing up there?

I grew up in like the most basic middle America town. There were 100 people in my graduating class. Basically, it was small-town America at its best. You don’t lock your doors, you ride your bike everywhere, and you eat at Applebee’s every Friday night. To this day, Applebee’s is still my favorite restaurant in the world. You can take the boy out of Ohio, but you can’t take the Ohio out of the boy.

Shirt: VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, Pants: ACNE

Now I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never been to Applebee’s. But in my defense, I don’t think there were any nearby.

You have to go right now.

Okay, okay. So, was creativity a part of your household in Rossford?

Creativity was the exact opposite of my household. My dad was an ER doctor, and my mom was a mom. I was the showman of the family.

So how did you find your way into acting?

I think I came out of the womb acting. When I turned five-years-old, I got a costume treasure chest for Christmas, and five minutes after discovering all the costumes inside, I had my entire family dressed up and was putting on a full production and directing them on what they needed to be doing. Everyone asks “when did you know you wanted to be an actor?,” my response is always there was never a time I didn’t know. 

LEFT: Top: JOHN ELLIOTT, Pants: DIOR HOMME RIGHT: Shirt: VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, Pants: ACNE

(Laughs) An entire treasure chest?!

Yup. Full to the brim.

And for the last few years, you’ve been presenting and hosting on Food Network. Can you share a bit about that? How did the opportunity first present itself?

I honestly don’t really know how Food Network came about.  After doing Dancing with the Stars, I knew I wanted to host because I watched the great Tom Bergeron host the show every week up close and was mesmerized by how fun it was. I knew I wanted to do it and then Food Network called and said “Hey, you’re really funny. Do you want to host a show about cakes?” I said I never made a cake. They said “That’s OK, just make jokes.” And that’s how it was born. 

Did you have reservations taking it?

Never. It seemed like a fun job and I still love going to work every single day and hosting the different Food Network shows. It’s the best job in the world. You get to make jokes, watch amazing creations be built, and eat cake. What’s not to love?

No, that does sound pretty perfect. Were you surprised by the unparalleled ratings of “Halloween Wars?”

I think it’s absolutely awesome and also crazy the amount of fandemonium behind “Halloween Wars.” Every year “Halloween Wars” and “Holiday Wars” are the Food Network fan favorite shows and the amount of celebrities that watch and tweet about it blows my mind.

LEFT: Shirt: LANVIN, Pants: BALENCIAGA, Ring: GUCCI RIGHT: Top: JOHN ELLIOTT, Pants: DIOR HOMME

Have you read or seen anything that touched/inspired you recently? 

Actually, yes, Alyson Stoner has a new podcast called “Simplexity” that I think is fascinating. Also, I love Allison and her journey that we’ve all gotten to watch on social media over the past year; it’s remarkable. 

I actually just listened to the episode with Shan Boodram on intimacy. It’s a delicious balance of hilarious and informative. 

Isn’t it? She seems to have a better grasp on life and better insight than anyone I’ve ever seen. We worked together on Cheaper by the Dozen 2 when she was just a kid, so to watch her blossom into this beautiful, inspiring woman really moves me.

If you could be a book, which would you be and why?

I would be “The Burn Cookbook” because I wrote it! It’s something I’m extremely proud of and is such a fun book. It’s an unauthorized parody for Mean Girls fans; a book that brings everyone together to watch one of their favorite movies, while cooking delicious, easy to make food with their friends. We have everything in the book from Gretchen’s Wieners to Fetch-ucinni Alfredo.

So you’re still trying to make fetch happen. 

It’s happening. And it’s creamy and scrumptious. I promise you’ll love it.

LEFT: Shirt: LA PERLA RIGHT: Jacket: BALENCIAGA, Shirt: SANDRO, Pants: ACNE

If you could meet and speak to anyone living or dead, who would it be and why? 

My Mom and Dad. Because I miss them and want to share with them all the adventures I’ve had over the past five years. 

I’m sorry to hear. I’m sure they’d love to hear about every second, treasure chest costumes and all. 

Thank you, I appreciate that. I’m not sure any of those would fit anymore, though.

If you could speak to your younger self, what would you say?

Fear is a liar. Get out of your own way. 

And lastly, do you have any advice for young actors?

Don’t do it. Don’t become an actor. The business is like the Wild West and extremely hard to navigate. There are no rules, so this business will destroy pieces of you and then some. If you can think of anything else to do, do that instead. If you ignore what I’m saying then you actually want to become an actor.