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Fantastics
in on the act
Fantastics
Interview by james nixon
photography by mckenzie james
Jay
Hug
uley
Jay Huguley
is this year’s everyplace guy.
The elegant, intelligent actor with the laser beam gaze and
a nose straight off a Roman portrait bust has traversed the worlds
of modeling, commercials, soaps, primetime and features for
the past decade, and is now popping up everywhere. About
to reprise his role as enigmatic carpetbagger Will Branson on
Season 4 of HBO’s Treme - David Simon’s finely-crafted portrait
of post-Katrina New Orleans, Huguley will also be seen shortly in
American Psycho director Mary Harron’s The Anna Nicole Smith
Story with Martin Landau, Joe’s Mountain starring legend Kris
Kristofferson, and hottest-director-out-there Steve McQueen’s
Twelve Years A Slave alongside Michael Fassbender and
Brad Pitt.
New Jersey-born, prep school educated, Huguley is tennis-white
mannered and low-key worldly; easy-going but with an approach to his craft that’s both intense and boyishly enthusiastic.
Sharing a chance Bowery encounter with legendary actor/playwright Sam Shepard leaves him both excited and contemplative
and the talk turns to film, art and what it all means.
You hail from Tenafly, New Jersey. I have visions of a Leave It To Beaver youth.
I think it was more Ice Storm than Leave it to Beaver. My brother still lives in Tenafly
Hoodie by Religion
jeans by Raleigh
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and every time I go back I’m reminded how lucky I was
to have been raised there. It’s very lush and green and
so close to Manhattan, which I thought was the center of
the Universe. I was a boy with a pretty wild imagination.
The suburbs are not always the most nurturing place for
an arty little kid. I would read whatever I could about what
was happening over that George Washington Bridge: Andy
Warhol, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, and Talking Heads.
For a while I had a really cool babysitter that used to take
me into the village to see Robert Altman movies. I was very
aware of a world not far away that I wanted to know about
and be apart of.
You attended the prestigious Peddie School. Good
cafeteria food?
Walter Annenberg gave really enormous sums to Peddie.
They have state of the art everything. It’s a stunning place.
It’s a boarding school, which got me out of the house and
gave me a lot of opportunities. I did my first play at Peddie
and some of my closest friends are from my time there.
To be away from home as a teenager – you form these
incredible bonds. It’s not for everyone but I needed it. I
couldn’t wait to be a grown up.
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I was a rebellious
grumpy teenager
trying to be really cool...
I was truly
without a cause.
Suit by William Watson
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High school role - Captain of the football team or drama club kid?
Neither. I think I was a rebellious grumpy teenager trying to be really cool in my
wayfarers and black trench coat with a copy of Catcher in the Rye in my pocket.
I never felt anything was being taken from me. I felt like I
was getting the chance to be someone else for a short
time. To step out of yourself. That feeds the soul for sure.
David Byrne on my Walkman. I was truly without a cause.
In college you were a PolySci major?
You started modeling at 16 That’s really young.
Politics always interested me in the same way that
history does – and theatre frankly. People interest me.
Stories interest me. Integrity in politics interests me, which
we see a lot more of in history than we do now. I just
saw Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln, which I was mesmerized by. When a good man does the right thing.
I had a summer job as a lifeguard and there was a family friend that worked in
fashion who would come to the pool and she was always encouraging me to do it.
One day she said “Let me take one Polaroid of you and I’ll bring it into work”.
She did and in a short time I started working. All over the world. I worked for a lot of
great designers: Armani, Valentino, Zegna, Romeo Gigli. I worked the most in Milan
and did a lot of trips out of there, which by far is the greatest perk of modeling. One
day you’re in Portofino and the next you’re on your way to do a catalogue in Lucerne. I did a lot of runway. I’m tall so I was right for it. There is nothing like the energy
of a show, working with the designers and being a part of someone’s vision. Milan
was insane. Sometimes you would have 8 shows in one day. The great thing about
shows is that it feels like a play in a way. It’s live and if there’s a mistake you’ve got to
keep going. I never fell but I’m sure its only because we never had to wear heels like
the women.
It was a ticket to see the world. To learn about other cultures. To be a part of something artistic without having to call myself an artist yet. I am grateful for everything it
brought me. Modeling and fashion introduced me to art.
What photographers did you work with that made the greatest impression on
you?
The work I did with the great Ruven Afanador was by far the most inspiring. I honestly
think I really started to get what art was through Ruven. He spoke to me as if I was an
artist and we were making a beautiful photograph together.
That was new for me. You had to be really on your game when you worked with him
because you were expected to be a collaborator. I put him up there with the best
of them.
Does being photographed frequently feed the soul or take from it do you
think?
How did you transition into acting?
You studied at The Lee Strasberg Institute.
At the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City I learned
respect for the craft plain and simple. Lee is known as
the father of method acting in America. The exercises,
the relaxation, and the sense memory – all things I still
use today. I learned to take my work very seriously there.
Lee helped create The Group Theatre and my dream
was to be like those actors and the ones that studied
with him later on: Paul Newman, Dustin Hoffman, Sidney
Poitier and Karl Malden.
Soap work yay or nay?
The first play I did in college was The Glass Menagerie
and that’s when it all shifted for me. To go out there
every night and say those words… It was the first time I
had worked on creating a character. How did he walk?
What were his parents like? Was his heart ever broken? It
sounds corny but I was home. I’m even more thrilled by
that kind of character work today than I was then.
It’s an old cliché but its true – soaps are the best boot
camp for an actor. You have tons of dialogue to
memorize in a very short time and you get maybe one
or two takes to get it right. They just work so fast there’s
no time and that can be terrifying and thrilling. I loved
it. You learn to come up with the goods whether you’re
ready or not. You have changes thrown at you very
quickly. It’s no joke.
What was the most memorable commercial you
did?
You worked with renowned acting teacher Milton
Katselas.
The first commercial I ever did was a public service announcement for the NEA. I was a teenager and I had
a lot of lines and I remember all of them today. This
was 25 years ago and I could recite it for you like it was
yesterday.
Milton changed my life. I really think about him everyday. He was the first teacher that saw so much more
in me than I saw. I get choked up when I speak about
him. It seems like such a simple thing but he believed
in me and that gave me enormous confidence. He
pushed me and he knew I was capable of more. He
also taught me to treat myself as an artist. To surround
myself with people who support me. I’m very aware
of what artists are doing in the world. I read a lot. I go
to museums all the time… that’s all Milton. He thought
it was essential to see the world and what other artists
are creating. He’s always in my head telling me to go
further.
Did modeling help?
People think modeling is an easy transition into acting but I think it’s the opposite. Modeling is all about
knowing where the camera is and acting is all about
forgetting there is a camera. Modeling is about being
a fantasy and acting is about being a person. For me
they really have nothing to do with one another.
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You have to
have someone
to call at the
end of the day
and say “I didn’t
get that part,
they offered it
to Thomas Jane”
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Balaclava hooded shirt and trench by William Watson
What from his teachings do you feel you utilize
most?
So many things. There’s one that I thought of the
other day. Milton was really big on not flinching. He
thought you should make a strong choice and stick
to it. I was doing a scene once where I was supposed to slap this actress across the face. I would
do it but I was slightly flinching. Everyone, including
the actress, was giving me the okay and reminding
me of how important it was to the play. I said “I think
there is part of me that thinks on some level that
she, the actress, is going to think that I mean it,” and
Milton said “and I’m saying mean it”.
What three things should a regularly working
actor be thinking seriously about?
Staying patient, staying involved and curious and
taking care of yourself physically and mentally. This is
a very unusual career and I think if you’re expecting
some linear ascent you’re in trouble.
Pick a role this minute – great villain or awesome
funny guy?
Tell me your feelings on theater. It seems like the
ultimate test of one’s courage.
Oh God. A well-written villain. There’s really nothing
more fun.
To be able to do a really great play is the best feeling in the world. I can count on one hand how many
times its happened for me. It’s the true test of what
you’re made of. There’s no faking it and no parachute. The closet thing I can compare it to is sports.
When you do a play it’s like running a marathon. You
need just the right amount of preparation, relaxation,
nerves and focus.
What do you feel has been your biggest creative
stretch so far?
You have done a fair amount of guest starring.
How do casts treat the week’s guest stars? Are
they mean and clique-y? Are you embraced with
open arms? What’s the best way to navigate a
set in that situation?
Guest starring on a show is like stepping into an already well-oiled machine. It can be tough, especially on one-hour series because everyone is working
very hard and very long hours and you come in and
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have to grab the reins for yourself. The truth is every
set is different and the ones that are welcoming and
warm and embracing are the ones that generally
last a long time.
I played Henry in Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing in
LA at The Skylight Theatre. That was the hardest thing
I’ve ever done. Stoppard is one of the greatest playwrights and to get to work on one of his plays was a
highlight in my life. I’m jonesing to do another.
Having been involved in creative fields for most
of your life how do you stay fresh to the process?
I think in any art form to continue to grow and stay
fresh and on fire you have to continue to study.
Whatever that means for you. I still go to an acting
studio every Saturday. It’s a room full of the smartest, most creative people and we put up work from
contemporary works and classic plays. People
are shocked when I bring them to see work in the
class at the famous faces that are studying there. It
If David Simon were
directing a play
in the basement
of a church
I would drop everything
and go there
for as long
as he needed me
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doesn’t matter how much success you have had you’re
never finished learning.
How does being part of an acting community benefit
one?
It’s everything. It’s always the first thing I tell young actors.
This is a long life and the ups and downs of this business
can be brutal. You have to have some kind of support. You
have to have someone to call at the end of the day and
say “I didn’t get that part, they offered it to Thomas Jane”.
On another note... did you really cockblock Gary
Shandling?
No. I think you’re referring to something that was in New
York Magazine a few years ago. Gary, Mira Sorvino – who I
grew up with – and I were having a conversation at a party
at Carrie Fisher’s house. Gary walked away and Mira and
I caught up for a few minutes. A few days later there was
piece printed that I didn’t really understand and I still don’t.
In what ways have you been most forced to adapt
emotionally in navigating this business?
You have to learn as early as possible not to take anything
personally. I’ve worked really hard at that. Our job is to do
the best we can and then it’s not in our hands. I remember beating myself up for not getting a part once; I had
worked so hard on it and was sure I was right for it. Two
months later I ran into one of the producers and he said
“Oh Yeah they never made that movie; couldn’t get the
funding but you were our first choice”.
Hmmmm. That information might have helped. It’s a long
career and I’ve learned to be kind to myself. Keep moving
forward.
After you do a Hallmark film do you get a lot of mash
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notes from lonely women?
They are always really nice and then all of a sudden you get a strange one. I got
one a few years ago that was really sweet asking for a picture and an autograph.
It was a really lovely letter and I answered it. A week later she sent a package with
a tape recorder in it and asked me to record myself inviting her and her friend from
aerobics class to go on a trip to China with them. It was very specific the things she
wanted me to say, “China is a country rich in culture… lets all go!” I didn’t respond
to that one.
I’m a real fan of David Simon’s The Wire. How did you get your role on his latest series Treme on HBO? Were you excited to work with him?
I read for it before the Christmas holidays in 2011 and by early January I still hadn’t
heard. I was sure it went away. Then they called. THAT’S a great call. I’m such a
David Simon fan and was like so many people OBSESSED with the The Wire.
I think the first time I met him I was trying so hard to keep my cool that I came off as
disinterested. He has changed television in my mind. I would work for him anytime,
anywhere for free. If David Simon were directing a play in the basement of a church
I would drop everything and go there for as long as he needed me.
Treme is my favorite series. To me it’s about post Katrina New Orleans but far
more a metaphor for the human condition... or maybe the US condition?
Vertigo, Annie Hall and A Place in the Sun.
Sex
Nice choices. Ok now some opinions from a
sophisticated guy. Pick one...
PARIS OR THE FRENCH QUARTER?
STEVE ZAHN
Paris
NEUTRA OR LAUTNER?
Neutra
ARMANI OR ZEGNA?
Armani
SUNSET BOULEVARD OR ALL ABOUT EVE?
All About Eve. It’s perfect script.
GUMBO OR JAMBALAYA?
Gumbo
Now it’s career word association time.
One word answers please...
JON ROBIN BAITZ
That is such a big question. For me personally it’s about rebuilding and the courage
that takes. After Katrina, New Orleans had to rebuild their culture; maybe one of the
most unique and important cultures in the world. We watch week after week the
characters in Treme piece together their families, their careers, their homes, and
their relationships. That requires something we all hope we have in us.
Peerless
How would you describe the man and his process?
Mendacity
Honestly I couldn’t begin to describe it. David was a journalist at The Baltimore Sun
so I feel like there is this incredible authenticity to his work. The comment I hear most
from Treme fans is that it feels like a documentary. There is just never a false move
and he cares so much his characters; much more than he cares about his audience.
TOM STOPPARD
I know you are a film fan. Three pre-1980 films you would take while desert
islanding?
CALISTA FLOCKHART
Instincts
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS
Cricket
GLENN GORDON CARON
Genius
YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
Free
Khandi Alexander
Gifted
MICHAEL FASSBENDER
Future
BRAD PITT
Mensch
You are working with director Steve McQueen in the
upcoming Twelve Years As a Slave. He has had a
truly interesting journey from ‘artist’ to feature films.
I felt like I had won the lottery. I walked out of his film
Shame a year ago and said to my friend “That’s the
kind of director I want to work with”.
You get pretty used to not getting the very thing you
really want in this business so when I heard I had gotten
the part and within a week was shooting on a plantation
in rural Louisiana it’s hard to put into words. I was nervous
at first but that quickly turned into the opposite. There is
something so relaxing about working with someone that
has such a clear vision, someone who is so solidly behind the wheel. He’s my favorite kind of director, he sets
up a very clear idea of what he wants and then within
that lets you fly. I’ll never forget one moment of working
on that film.
Upcoming you will be working with Kris Kristofferson. He was a Rhodes scholar and wrote Me and
Bobbie McGee (which was inspired by the Fellini
film La Strada by the way). Plus he dated Janis
Joplin. What’s the best way to approach artists with
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You have to learn
as early as possible
not to take anything
personally.
Our job is to do the best
we can and then
it’s not in our hands.
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All by William Watson
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patinas of greatness, accomplishment... and cool?
We did a read thru of the script and I walked right up to
him and shook his hand and said “I’m not going to pretend for one second that it hasn’t been a dream of mine
to meet you”. He laughed but I was NOT going to just sit
here and pretend to be cool. It’s Kris Kristofferson dammit.
He’s the real deal. And kind and generous and present. I
don’t know if he is confirmed for this project but sure hope
he does it.
Go back and chat with the Jay Huguley you were
when you started your work as an actor. What advice
would you really want to give him?
“Breathe… its just a TV show” and “Don’t assume people
know more than you because they are agents or managers or just because they are older than you. You’re a smart
kid and you know more than some of those guys”.
Knowing him well... would he have taken that advice?
No. n
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