Vanities

VANITAS VANITATUM

" At first, I didn't see acting as an opportunity to be of service. That came later."

Lucas Hedges, 21, stars in three movies and makes his Broadway debut

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Opening Act

V.F.'s Krista Smith speaks with Lucas Hedges, the Academy Award-nominated actor.

You're making your Broadway debut in the revival of Kenneth Lonergan's The Waverly Gallery.Why this play?

It's an autobiographical play that Kenny wrote about the end of his grandmother's life. I get to act alongside Elaine May, Joan Allen, and Michael Cera. It's a great group of people, and it's a meditation on what it means to lose a person. Most everyone has a grandparent or a parent whose mind is going in some way, and it's a really, really special play. Kenneth Lonergan directed you in Manchester by the Sea,which landed you an Oscar nomination. Has there been a reunion?

I was with him for a few weeks of rehearsal, which was very nice. I feel like I've grown up, but when I saw Kenny, I was like, Oh, I'm not a man. I'm just like I was then, a little kid.

You and Timothee Chalamet costarred inLady Birdand were nominated for Oscars a year apart. How are you two New Yorkers handling Hollywood?

He popped onto my radar when he did Interstellar, because that was the part I auditioned for. Then I think I popped onto his radar when I got Manchester, and then there were some parts that we sort of traded off on. But we do share a bond of two kids from New York City who kind of— Shot out of a cannon— Yeah.

FAN CLUB

"I adore Lucas. He is like our fourth child —JULIA ROBERTS, BEN IS BACK CO-STAR

"Because of his dramatic range, people haven't seen how funny he is yet." -NICOLE KIDMAN, BOY ERASED CO-STAR

"Lucas has such a giant heart and sensitivity in his work and in himself." —JONAH HILL, MID90S DIRECTOR

InBen Is Back,you're directed by your father, Peter Hedges. Your co-star Julia Roberts told me that you would only call him by his first name on set.

Yeah, I called him Pete. Working with my dad was intense because whenever he would give me a note it brought me back to when I was in trouble as a kid. It required us to be grown-ups—it wasn't dad and son; it was more director and actor. But I feel like we made a good movie, so that's what I'm proud of.

The film wrestles with addiction and the opioid crisis. What was your point of entry for playing a recovering drug addict?

Addiction is a very big thing in my family, particularly on my father's side, and it feels like something that was passed on to me—not with a substance but with respect to validation and approval. I will sell myself at any cost to be liked. It's really true. There's something that lives inside of me that is the same as any other addiction.

And inBoy Erased,your character also battles with self-discovery, as a teenager sent to gay-conversion therapy. What drew you to the role?

I really identified with the character's mind. I felt like the book it's based on was a blueprint for his inner life, and I'd never been given the keys to the kingdom in that respect as an actor. And I wanted to be a part of a movie in which there was an immediate sense of a higher power or a greater purpose.

It's the same as for Ben Is Back. It's not about me just showing up to get my kicks or anything—there are people who actually might need to see these movies.

Is that why you got into acting?

No. I got into acting for purely selfish reasons.

What made you want to do it?

I honestly just wanted to have an exciting life. At first, it was superficial. I didn't see acting as an opportunity for me to be of service. That came later. But I'm learning now what's important, and my life is still in the making.