From Euphoria to deep water the rise of Jacob Elordi
To call Jacob Elordi down-to-earth would be a colossal fricking understatement. Like saying, “Mike Tyson in his prime was a little intimidating.” Or “Charlotte Rampling in her youth was not entirely unattractive.” Here is a someone who — despite a skyrocketing trajectory burning a fiery contrail above the Hollywood firmament, despite headlining the poster for Deep Water which marks the return of legendary director and creator of psycho-sexual dramas like Fatal Attractio Adrian Lyne, despite playing the titular character Nate on HBO’s Euphoria which garners 16.3 million views per episode — is ultimately a guy given to quoting his mom. Specifically, when announced as TAG Heuer’s newest ambassador, all six foot five of Elordi took the microphone from the brand’s CEO Frédéric Arnault and respectfully addressed the crowd assembled stating, “My mother always told me that I could only consider that I made it when I became the face for a watch brand like TAG Heuer. Well, mom, this one’s for you.” And that was it. Short, compact, economic and haiku-like in its efficacy, and damnably authentic as befits a man from Brisbane, Australia. I have long held a deep and passionate affection for Brisbane because I consider its citizens to collectively be the most genuine, authentic and nicest people inhabiting this planet.
How Jean Arnault realized Jacob Elordi was the perfect Ambassador for TAG
And Jacob Elordi is no exception says Arnault, “What is great about Jacob is how incredibly sincere and authentic he is. We initially gifted him his TAG Heuer Monaco watch. But we were really surprised that he wore it everywhere from TV appearances on Jimmy Kimmel to red carpet events. We learned that he had a huge affection and appreciation for our brand, and that led to him becoming our ambassador today.”
Jacob Elordi has huge respect for filmaking history
Elordi’s authenticity is also pronounced regarding his massive love for the history of cinema. He is given to referencing the first wave of cinematic method actors from James Dean, to Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift, as his influences. But he is also a fan of the hyper stylized thrillers created by the brand of British commercial directors the likes of Ridley and Tony Scott, Alan Parker and Adrian Lyne, who decamped to Los Angeles in the 1980s. He explains, “I have a huge respect for filmmaking history. I really loved the psychological thrillers from the ’80s from directors like Adrian Lyne. Movies like Fatal Attraction are such powerful stories. It was a real honor to get to work with him on Deep Water. He has a lot of pizzazz. That is the word I would use to describe him. I was just a small cog in that machine but it was a pleasure to watch him work.”
Why Elordi is the Antihero Dynamics
Elordi is riding a wave of popularity and opportunity because he is that one-in-a-generation perfect actor, with the face and stature of a contemporary Adonis that belies the titanic film intellect of a genuine cinema nerd. That’s Elordi. That’s his dynamic tension. His yin and yang. The combination is, as you can imagine, compelling. He says, “I wouldn’t say my knowledge is as encyclopedic as some of the people I work with. When I was working on Euphoria, I would make some film references to the show’s creator Sam Levinson, and he would be, like, but have you seen this or that? It would be a wormhole of film references. So I realized I still have a lot to learn about film history. But I love cinema; I really do.”
Jacob draws his inspiration from the 50s
When asked why he feels drawn to screen idols of the 1950s, Elordi replies, “I really do have a huge affection for that generation of American method actors — Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront, or James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. These were revolutionary performances because you had the heroes, these tough kids, also showing this incredible vulnerability. Dean’s character in Rebel is so interesting because he’s not totally sympathetic. He is deeply flawed. He is a little shit in some ways. He causes a lot of the issues for himself. At times, he’s a real asshole. But you still root for him. He’s a great antihero. But that’s also reflective of society — no one gave kids the time of day back then. For me, it’s really interesting how flawed you can make a character while still being somehow sympathetic, and that is why his performance is so powerful.” The dynamic tension Elordi has similarly created between Nate Jacobs’ sympathetic and repelling dimensions in the cult hit Euphoria has seen many critics comparing his performance to that of the old school method actors he reveres.
Montgomery Clift: The Overlooked Gem of the Era, as Celebrated by a Modern Actor
He replies, “Of all those guys, I have a real affection for Montgomery Clift. He is sometimes overshadowed by Dean or Brando, and maybe the roles he had weren’t as representative of the zeitgeist of the era. But he is truly an amazing actor. To watch him in A Place in the Sun is something really special. He’s just gold. Pure gold.” When I remark that he injected a good dose of the Monty Clift vulnerability in Nate, which makes him compelling and sympathetic despite many of his more villainous acts, he replies, “Thank you for saying that. That’s a real compliment to me. I mean [Nate] he is a kid at the end of the day. He is a boy. So that vulnerability is an important part of who he is. I feel like I might have beaten it to death but I feel every person has an individual journey and their own story. But that’s the thing. Even the greatest villain feels this sense of self-worth and, in their own mind, probably feels justified for all their actions no matter how we see them. It’s just like in real life, you would be hard pressed to find someone that thinks of themselves as a real piece of shit. [Laughs] I mean, can you imagine if someone recognized how terrible they are? They would look in the mirror and be, like, ‘I suck.’ But it just doesn’t happen. Human beings are not wired that way.”
Elordi and TAG Heuer Monaco the perfect match
The subject turns to watches and, specifically, the TAG Heuer Monaco that I saw him wear for the first time on Jimmy Kimmel but now has got to be one of the most photographed timepieces in existence. I ask Elordi how the relationship came about. He replies, “I’m a big Steve McQueen fan, and so, I was already aware of the watch that he wore in Le Mans. Then serendipitously, I met Mickael [Berend] who works for the brand. We started having a conversation. He explained how Ryan Gosling became part in the brand related to the Carrera, and then the conversation got around to Steve McQueen. He asked, ‘Do you like him?’ and I was, like, ‘Of course, he one of the greatest.’ Shortly afterward, the watch arrived at my house as a gift.
A Sentimental Gift: The Watch That Became a Lifelong Totem
“It was a really touching gesture. It just had this sentimental value immediately. I was raised to have a lot of respect for beautiful objects like this watch. But, at the same time, we were never in a financial position to own luxury watches. So it was a big deal to get this. When I was young, I used to collect marbles, playing cards and even lighters, and fiddle with them as kind of good luck charms. But when I got the watch, it felt like I received something real personal that I would develop a relationship with over my life. It felt like it was my totem.”
The TAG Heuer Monaco: A Timepiece of Personal Connection and Sentimentality
While the TAG Heuer Monaco might have been his very first luxury watch, it is clear that Elordi has connected with it in a very personal way. He explains, “For me, a mechanical watch is not so much about telling the time, but feeling it there. It is reassuring and it feels like a good luck charm. I was talking to my brother the other day, and he said that he feels kind of naked without a watch on. I also have an idea in my head. I don’t know if it will come true but it’s a beautiful idea. One day, my kids will look back at all these pictures and they will see me wearing the watch that I’ve passed on to one of them. It’s an exciting thought because it’s so deeply romantic. When I stop ticking, it will keep going and maybe there will be a lifetime of experiences absorbed into it. See, that’s just the coolest thing ever.”
Asked if he has also been able to bestow his friends and family with the experience of owning their first luxury watches, he tells me, “I was able to give a watch to my dad, which was very meaningful. He’s not a watch guy. But I could tell it meant a lot.”
From Dreaming Under the Hollywood Sign to Shining at the Monaco Grand Prix: Jacob Elordi’s Appreciation for Success
One of the nicest things about Elordi, which again speaks of his down-to-earth manner, is his true sincerity and appreciation for his success. There is an interview of him by Vogue on YouTube called “24 Hours With Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi”. In it he describes moving to the San Fernando Valley as a struggling teen actor and looking at the Hollywood sign and imagining what it would be like to own one of the houses that fell in its shadow. To him, that seemed like a monumental dream, the epitome of success, which he went on to achieve. I asked him, from that perspective, how does it feel for him to be at the Monaco Grand Prix as the face of the brand that is its main sponsor?
“It’s absurd. It’s real absurdity,” he replies. “That’s why I feel I need to bring people with me. To remind me that this is all real. To be on this enormous boat with everyone. To be representing the brand. And to have the people that have been part of this brand before me, Steve McQueen, Leo [DiCaprio] and Patrick Dempsey. Sometimes throughout the experience I’ve had to just sit back and bow my head a little bit.”
Jacob Elordi: Embracing Multi-Dimensionality – From Meeting Patrick Dempsey to Dreaming of a Car Collection
When asked what it was like to meet actors, he only knew from watching them on-screen like Dempsey, he shares, “Patrick is really cool. And the fact that he is also such an accomplished driver is great. To me, this is like an old school actor. A guy that is really multi-dimensional. Drives cars really well and really fast — much to the studio’s dismay. [Laughs] He’s like Paul Newman or McQueen.”
Which brings up the subject that I imagine every 24-year-old young man would be obsessed with — cars. Elordi states, “I’m not technically versed in them, but I am obsessed. I hope that when I have more money, I can start a collection of them. My dream is to build a tribute to the 550 Spyder that James Dean used to race. My friend’s dad just built one and I am entirely envious. I think my house one day will just be a cinema museum and, hopefully, one of the things in it will be that car that James Dean called ‘Lil Bastard.’’
A Brother’s Presence: Jacob Elordi Finds Comfort and Meaning in Familiar Company at the TAG Heuer Event
As he’s mentioned earlier, on the TAG Heuer mega cruiser/mothership with him is his older brother. It is clear from their interaction that it is really meaningful to have their company throughout this event. He explains, “Yeah, that’s really important. Otherwise all these experiences could be super fleeting. If I didn’t have my family with me, or people who knew me from before, I would feel like a stranger in these settings and situations. Because I have them, I feel just like someone else’s little brother. It makes the experience real for me.”
The Value of the Past
What is clear is that Elordi is not just one of cinema’s brightest rising stars, but also one of its most enthusiastic and adept pupils. He is a young man enamored with and deeply respectful of the past. He explains, “All we really have is history. You know, I think we are entering a world where it’s all a little too easy. Cars are getting easier and easier to drive and will soon be automated. Your phone will tell you the time. One of things I love about the filmmaking in the past was, it was difficult. It was hard to shoot on film. You had to edit splicing together physical pieces of film. When I watch these movies, I have so much appreciation for the past. At the same time, when I watch them, they are like homework for me. I learn so much about acting, about the craft. The last thing I would ever want to do on set is just show up and not have any respect for what came before me. It’s the same thing for the watch. I have to wind it, I have to set the time, I have to look after it and just give it the respect that it’s due. I think that makes me better as a person.”
Embracing Values in an Instant Gratification World: Jacob Elordi’s Insights on Effort, Decorum, and the Need for Authenticity
Does the respect he has for the past have an overarching influence on the way he treats his present and future? Elordi replies, “I worry that in the future everything will be too easy, it will be instantaneous, you won’t have to work for it and it just become transactional. It’s like that movie WALL-E. A world where entertainment is streamed and food brought to you. And the thing is that everyone knows. My friends will joke, this is just like WALL-E, even while they are ordering everything on Postmates. But that’s terrifying to me. To me, value is in the day to day, to put in the effort. What’s important to me is decorum, respect and manners. It’s kind of all-encompassing. I am afraid of a world where we kind of lose that. If nothing has value anymore, then what do you pass on? If your work doesn’t have value to you, then what is the point of passing it on to millions of people in the world?”
With the elegance and authenticity of that last sentence, Jacob Elordi perfectly illustrates why the world needs actors and young men like him now more than ever.
