Logan Lerman Is Learning to Love Hollywood
This isΒ Logan LermanβsΒ first feature interview in almost two years. For an actor of his prominence and caliber, thatβs a rarity. But despite almost two decades of playing leading roles in box office hits like theΒ Percy Jackson & the OlympiansΒ film franchise andΒ The Perks of Being a Wallflower, LermanΒ finds the act of promotion, specifically talking about himself, extremely off-putting. Itβs one of the main reasons he canβt stand Hollywood. And itβs also why our conversation feels so refreshingly earnest. βOftentimes, you look at the trades and see announcements for projects, and itβs all in vain,βΒ LermanΒ tells me during a phone call from his West Hollywood home. βItβs just people trying to get attention for themselves and the projects arenβt real. And I donβt want to be that guy. I feel like Iβm much quieter about the things Iβm working on. Thatβs the way I like it.β
That might explain why the public hasnβt seen Lerman in a major motion picture for almost 10 years. In this time, heβs maintained consistent work as a producer, but heβs wary to discuss anything coming down the line in detail. (βYou never know if anythingβs going to actually get made, never know if things are going to pan out,βΒ he says,Β βAnd a million things can go wrong.β) Thankfully forΒ Lerman, his long game of committing to the craft continues to pay off. Coming off of a movie premiere for his role inBullet Train, the second season of theΒ Jordan PeeleΒ -produced seriesΒ Hunters, and a calendar stacked with possible projects, life is relatively good for the tenured Hollywood actor. When itβs all said and done, he feels βgreat,β back at home in WeHo.
The reason he finds himself back in his hometown of Los Angeles after a seven-year stint in New York City is a relatable one: he moved during the Covid-19 pandemic. Finding himself βtrappedβ during a visit metamorphosed into a second act in L.A., one that consisted of hiking, going to the beach with friends, and having the solace to sit down and develop new projects. But the list of reasons heβs happy to be back on the West Coast is accompanied by an even longer list of reasons he canβt stand his hometown, especially the culture the film industry has cultivated within it. βEveryoneβs wrapped up in everyone elseβs wants and puts this pressure on everyone to continue being in some conversation,β he says. βYou have this desperate desire to be relevant.β Aware of the cynicism, heβs been working on shifting his perspective about the city, and finding new ways to appreciate it. βIβm lucky, though, that now, I have a really happy home and good lifestyle,β he adds.
Two years of few box office opportunities and very little work grounded Lerman back into a place of understanding why not everyone cannot take βrisksβ and βsacrifices.β Unless, of course,Β Brad PittβsΒ on the line. βBrad Pitt is the only person who could justify a studio making a movie during a pandemic,β Lerman says.
Along with corrallingΒ Joey King, Bad Bunny, Aaron Taylor Johnson, and Brian Tyree Henry, we can thankΒ PittΒ forΒ LermanβsΒ role in the new movieΒ Bullet TrainΒ βeven if it is a small one. βI know Brad and Iβve been friends with him for years and love him,βΒ LermanΒ says. So when the Hollywood mogul called him up in the middle of the pandemic, he couldnβt resist joining the project. βIt was nice to have an excuse to go to work when nobody was really working. I was really lucky to be doing that,β he says. An action comedy in which five assassins battle each other on a Japanese bullet train,Β LermanΒ plays the son of White Death (Michael Shannon) whose unexpected murder along the ride results in aΒ Weekend at BernieβsΒ -esque scheme by Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) to create the illusion that he is still alive.
He considered his time on set as a chance to βobserveβ the best in the business. βTheyβre doing the most exciting things with fight choreography, and to see them create these dances of sorts in such a tight spaceβ¦[plus,] the beats of humor throughout the fight sequences are exceptionally well-crafted,β he says. Outside of this,Lermandoes not want anyone to assume that this is in any way more than just a guy doing some friends a favor. And thatβs how he talks about all of his past works, big or small.
His last lead as Charlie inΒ The Perks of Being a Wallflower,the 2012 film adaptation ofΒ Stephen Chboskyβs book of the same name, had an impact on the zeitgeist of the late aughts, causing Lerman to rise to relevance simultaneously with the first iterations of social media. From Charlie riding through a tunnel in the bed of a truck toΒ David Bowieβs Heroes, to gifs of him telling the manic pixie girl of his dreams, Sam (played byEmma Watson), βWe accept the love we think we deserve,β images and videos ofΒ LermanΒ were reshared across Internet dashboards worldwide for years. He became the face of a generation expressing their adolescent angst in completely new ways. Even as social media has evolved, the relevance of Lermanβs impact has just been readapted to fit new platforms. On TikTok, bothΒ Perks and LermanΒ pop up in conversations around nostalgia and core memories (along with how he remains a major heartthrob thanks, in part, to his girlfriendΒ Ana Corriganβs social presence, and the content she posts of the two of them). Itβs why the film remains one ofΒ LermanβsΒ fondest works, and, he says, is the kind of role that drives him. βThat is a really special feeling, to be a part of something and know that itβs had a big impact on someoneβs life,β he says. βI guess thatβs the bar an actor hopes to reach: making something that means a lot to someone else.β
An executive producer on a few independent projects,Β LermanΒ is privy to the backend of getting a project off the ground. At the root, the biggest obstacle is, more often than not, money: both in creating the film and the reward financiers will see when it hits the box office. This isΒ LermanβsΒ biggest gripe with the industry, merely because he doesnβt agree with it. He emphasizes more than once the value of independent films, unique storytelling, and how difficult it is to be heard in all the noise of the entertainment industryβs constantly shifting landscape. βItβs the most important side of the culture that I care about so much,β he says, βSeeing films in theaters, seeing original films get made, seeing new voices attract the financing to get their movies made.β But he would be remiss to remain cynical about it, especially during a time when independent filmmakers are taking risks that have been received with overwhelming praise. He points toΒ Everything Everywhere All At Once, the Daniels film starringΒ Michelle Yeoh,Β Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ke Hu QuanΒ made with an independent film budget which received surmounting success. β[Viewers] want bolder choices,β he says. βThey want new visions. Theyβre craving something new. Iβm craving something.β
This enthusiasm for the future of film is infectiousβso much so that I canβt imagine anyone rejecting an actor with a rΓ©sumΓ© of his caliber. Stepping into the spotlight at age 8 inΒ The Patriot, followed by consecutive years as the lead in films likeΒ HootΒ (which has a youngΒ Brie Larson),Β Stuck in Love,Β andΒ The Three Musketeers, his credibility in Hollywood is unwavering. But rather than assuming everyone is familiar with his past projects, he approaches the conversation as if youβve probably never heard of them. This humility feels like a mental tactic, one which helps him separate his identity from mega-movie star to, simply, an actor. It does not present itself in a pretentious mannerβinstead, itβs an evolution as a result of a lifetime of experience. βThere are a lot of pressures here that are unique to Hollywood,β he continues. βIβve had too much time to observe it. Iβve been trying to approach it with fresh eyes now.β
The appreciation and sense of humilityΒ LermanΒ carries was something he had to learn and continues to work on. βYou canβt avoid it. Itβs just about recognizing it and keeping your values in line,β he says. In an industry known to absorb and destroy young talent, his approach to his work feels like a form of self-preservation. Itβs also a relief to know that a person whoβs had such an impact on late-aughts kids is doing alright. βEarly on, it was harder for me to appreciate things,β he says. βI was too wrapped up in the newness of all of it, the newness of the entire experience of making things and being a part of things, and impacting people. But now Iβm in a place where I try to enjoy it more: the entire process of being in a production and the release of it, and the impact itβs had on people.β
While the possibility of leading in a major motion film in the near future isnβt out of the question,Β LermanΒ is just fine where he is: knee-deep in preparation for the first of a slate of projects heβd begun working on during lockdown. Itβs his favorite part of the process. βItβs been a really long journey, a long road so far,βΒ he adds.βIβve always loved it and itβs always been a passion of mine. Even though Iβve been doing it for so long, I still feel like Iβve just started, in a way.β
jacobvanloon
snowghoul
blakekathryn
ellievsbear
andulkaphoto
