Actor, musician, and now, director, is there anything that Ed Westwick can't do?

We know him best for his role as Chuck Bass in <a href="https://www.lofficielsingapore.com/Culture/gossipgirl-reboot">Gossip Girl</a>. But Ed Westwick is so much more than that. Read on to find out a little bit more about the enigmatic actor.&nbsp;

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Ed, you&#39;re the son of a psychologist and a university professor. How did you get into acting?

It&#39;s a love I&#39;ve had since childhood, when my mother brought me to see my first-ever musical. I was totally fascinated by that world. And the same happened whenever&nbsp;I watched movies in the cinema or on TV&nbsp;&mdash; I would daydream about it. I was also part of amateur groups at the&nbsp;National Youth Theatre in London. It was on the set of Anthony Minghella&#39;s Breaking and Entering that I realised acting was what I really wanted to do.

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Was it an easy path?

Not at all, especially in the beginning. I ran into many difficulties. Between one engagement and another I didn&#39;t know what to do with my life. At times, I even felt repulsed by this profession.

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Who supported you in those moments&nbsp;of difficulty?

My family.&nbsp;

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You were also in a band.&nbsp;Is music still important to you?

Very.&nbsp;I just directed my first short film, Tether. We shot it in Los Angeles,&nbsp;and whenever I imagined a scene, I would&nbsp;immediately associate it with a track or a melody that could express the emotions I felt.&nbsp;I have also written and recorded several&nbsp;songs, which will be released soon, I hope.&nbsp;

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The fame&nbsp;came with Gossip Girl... Did you expect such success?

It was unexpected.&nbsp;When you start a new project, you never know where it will take you or if it will be&nbsp;successful.&nbsp;On the set, however, I quickly realised that I was lucky&nbsp;enough to work with such capable professionals. What&#39;s more, the studio and the network supported us in everything.&nbsp;That&#39;s what it takes, along with a little luck and the right timing.&nbsp;

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How important is luck?

It is very important.&nbsp;Without luck, none of this would have happened.&nbsp;But it&#39;s not just about being in the right place at the right time, or having the perfect script.&nbsp;It&#39;s also important to&nbsp;work hard and focus on your goals.&nbsp;It&#39;s what I&#39;ve always tried to do in my life.

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What are you like in everyday life?

Thoughtful.&nbsp;I like to mull over things;&nbsp;I leave little or nothing to chance.&nbsp;

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Your biggest mistake?

All my tattoos.

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Your favourite food?

Chinese. Of course, Italian food is pretty good too.&nbsp;

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You/ve worked with some of the biggest names in cinema, including Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Felicity Jones.&nbsp;Who left a particularly strong impression on you?

On the set of Breaking and Entering, I was spellbound by Juliette.&nbsp;Between scenes she would rub her hands and pinch herself to &quot;refresh&quot; herself. We often rehearsed the same scene over and over again, but each take would have to seem like the very first. She taught me that. I was 17 and still very green. And that was one of the best acting lessons I&#39;ve ever received.&nbsp;

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What was it like to work with Clint Eastwood?

Filming J. Edgar with Clint Eastwood, I remember a very calm atmosphere on set. He managed to create the ideal environment for each&nbsp;actor. Mr.&nbsp;Eastwood doesn&#39;t say, &quot;Action!&quot;&nbsp;Instead, it&#39;s always, &quot;I am ready when you are ready&quot;. That&#39;s the approach I&#39;ve adopted for my short film, Tether, as it&#39;s the best way to put an actor at ease.&nbsp;

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Which director would you like to work with?

Richard Linklater.&nbsp;I love his Before trilogy.&nbsp;I literally lost it during Before Sunrise.&nbsp;

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Are you interested in fashion?

I like to dress well.&nbsp;I don&#39;t care about trends or hype.&nbsp;I&#39;ve been invited to some very cool events, and even if sometimes I don&#39;t like or understand it, I always appreciate the environments where you can express yourself freely.&nbsp;I follow the same philosophy for my films.

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Can you tell us more about the two films coming out in 2020, Enemy Lines&nbsp;and Me, You, Madness?

Enemy Lines is an action drama&nbsp;about the World War Two.&nbsp;I play an American soldier, Major Kaminski.&nbsp;The story is based on&nbsp;real events, and focuses on a secret mission&nbsp;in occupied Poland. Me, You Madness, on the other hand, is a romantic comedy.&nbsp;It&#39;s set in contemporary times, but features an &#39;80s soundtrack. It talks&nbsp;about a serial killer and a thief with a special bond.

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In Tether, your first short film, you were co-writer, director, producer, and actor.&nbsp;What was that like?&nbsp;

It was unbelievable.&nbsp;After years spent in front of the camera, I was finally able to experiment.&nbsp;I&#39;ve always wanted to direct and I would like to keep doing it.&nbsp;I loved every step in the process from&nbsp;beginning to&nbsp;end.&nbsp;Being an artist means evolving continuously.&nbsp;I took a lot of inspiration from [Federico] Fellini, and I chose to include&nbsp;&quot;Al Di L&agrave;&quot; in the film, which is sung partly in Italian.&nbsp;No country produces works of art as beautiful as Italy does.

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What advice would you give to aspiring young actors?

Try&nbsp;something new.&nbsp;Everything has changed, and everything will change.&nbsp;Do&nbsp;not try to do what has already been done.&nbsp;

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Credits

Photography Frederic Monceau

Fashion LUISAVIAROMA.com 
Words Paolo Briscese 
Styling Marco by Lucia 
Hair &amp; Makeup&nbsp;Virginie Pineda 
Production Federica Fragnoli @ luisaviaroma.com

Ed Westwick Opens Up About His Directorial Debut, His Biggest Mistake, And 'Enemy Lines'

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