TV & Movies
Just like the rest of us, the star ofThe Boysis in his feelings right now.
Chace Crawford is holding my phone, squinting at the screen like hes trying to decipher hieroglyphs.
He is looking at the go piss girl memes.
That’s hysterical, he says after a few moments, before drawing to a pause.
This is testing what little sanity I have left.
But hes not immune to existential despair.
It’s dark times, Crawford says, staring into his cup of coffee.
Crawford is, as they say, going through it.
A lot of times it’s poetry, you know what I mean?
It’s a book.
He also practices Transcendental Meditation on and off, which he says is like natural Xanax.
He considers himself a spiritual person.
I feel like that one’s not cool anymore, he jokes.
All of this could come off as pretentious, were he not so earnest.
Crawfords story is as all-American as they come.
He attended the same small Catholic school from grades 5 through 12.
There’s photos of that somewhere, he says, cringing.
He worked a summer job he hated at Abercrombie & Fitch.
You could smell that fragrance from the parking lot, he says, wincing.
Did he ever work the door, as a part of the stores shirtless welcome committee?
I think they may have asked, he admits.
I was like, There’s no chance in hell I’m doing that.
He later found a better use for his talents.
Through the ensuing media frenzy, Crawford was remarkably clear-eyed about fame and his place in the industry.
And thats all fine and good …
When I read him back the quote now, he smiles, a little baffled.
That’s amazing I said that at 22 or whatever, he says.
I guess I understood at the time that there’s definitely a jot down.
There’s a look and a certain thing that was involved with [Gossip Girl] …
I can see my lane.
Crawfordisalso onThe Boys, which has been a rare opportunity for him to veer outside of his prescribed lane.
Sanity-wise, its less ideal.
Crawford recites showrunner Eric Kripkes mantra: Whats bad for the world is good for the show.
Hes pretty irredeemable, Crawford says.
But like many a malignant, un-self-aware public figure, that hasnt stopped him from seeking redemption.
I was like, Man, what are the camera angles going to be?
We gotta figure this out, he says.
He had to talk me off the ledge.
Consider it Crawfords greatest acting challenge onThe Boysyet.
The mans got a heart of gold.
The self-deprecation and making fun of this guy, it’s really freed me up, Crawford says.
People look at you more seriously.
A lot has changed since people first sized Crawford up and placed him in the heartthrob box.
Theres a quaintness to Crawford, too.
Now, his worldview thoroughly shredded, hes stuck sorting through scraps, deciding whats worth holding onto.
What do I do with this information?
he asks himself as he scoots out of our booth.
