Pop Culturalist Chats with Chas Allen

Chas Allen is a man of many talents: bestselling author, entrepreneur, life coach, and speaker. At the age of nineteen, he was making nationwide headlines…but not for the reasons you may think. He and three friends were involved in one of the most significant art thefts in U.S. History. They were eventually caught and sentenced to seven years in federal prison. During that time, Chas hit rock bottom and made the decision to turn his life around. Today, he’s spreading an important message about “embracing your story” and has become a voice for people who have lost their way. Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Chas about his new book, Evolution: Becoming a Criminal—out today!

PC: Tell us about Evolution: Becoming a Criminal and your decision to share this story.
Chas: It’s important to embrace your story and express your truth, whoever you are. The film, American Animals, which is based on our story and was released in January, is only 116 minutes. It’s from the perspective of all four people that were involved in the heist. There’s only so much time to actually delve into someone’s truth and explore what his or her internal experience was. That was one of the driving forces for me to write this book. I wanted to explain how I went from being a normal kid with a lot of opportunities ahead of me, into actually evolving or devolving into criminal behavior. It explores that process and addresses some of the issues that I was dealing with as a teenager and a lot of the things that I just really didn’t know how to express or heal at the time.

PC: Were there any moments of self-doubt while you were writing the book given how personal it is to you?
Chas: The process is filled with soul-searching, digging deep, and trying to face some hard truths about who you are and the things you’ve done. It was a tough process but it’s also a therapeutic and potentially healing process.

PC: How were you able to come out of a dark situation with a positive outlook? What do you hope readers take away?
Chas: I think what’s most meaningful to me is acceptance. I had to accept responsibility for actions that I’m not proud of. Through this acceptance and facing what I was being forced to go through as a consequence, it allowed me to move forward with my life and to live my truth.

PC: It’s the first book of a three-part series. How are the other two books structured?
Chas: I’m really excited to share the series because it’s been an evolution throughout my journey. There are different stages of human maturation and that’s what I explore. In the first book, it deals with what I consider to be the early stages of human maturation which is the ego versus self. It’s like when your younger self pits itself against these forces; that’s how you figure your place in the world. Ultimately for me, I went through a lot of anger, a lot of angst, a lot of rebellion, and that led to destructive behavior. That’s what the first book addresses. But then beyond that, you open yourself up to the next stage. That’s ego versus societal, cultural, and religious entities. In my situation, that was when I was in prison. I was thrown irrevocably from a childhood world into a grown man’s world overnight. In prison, I was forced to deal with issues like race and culture and of course, religion is mixed in. I was searching for my truth in that and what was really meaningful to me. That led me to my time after prison which is the third book. It transitioned me into what I consider to be the more universal stage of human maturation. That’s when the ego goes up against situations like love versus hate and connection versus disconnection. It’s in those testing grounds that you understand what’s most important to you and that’s when you find your place in the world.

PC: What was the most challenging part about writing these three books and what did you learn about yourself through this process?
Chas: I learned a lot. It’s tough writing something that’s so personal and intimate. It took a lot of soul-searching. There’s a lot of really, really painful truth that I had to take a hard look at. I had to come into acceptance that that is who I was. But that does not define who I am now. As we move forward in life, we each have the power to choose in any given moment what’s most important to us and make choices we want to make.

PC: Like you touched upon earlier, your story has been adapted into a motion picture. How involved were you with that process?
Chas: I started talking with the director and his team about eight years ago. They actually reached out to me while I was in prison. I didn’t sign off on the project until about five years later because I wanted to get to know the director. I wanted to make sure they weren’t just telling another heist story. I wanted to make sure that they would not glamorize or glorify it but show that when someone commits a crime there are real consequences and real people get hurt. I think they did that beautifully. I wanted to know that they would share an authentic story and I’m really happy and thankful that they did.

PC: How closely did you work with Blake Jenner who plays you in the film?
Chas: Actually not at all! It’s really interesting. The director made the decision that he didn’t want the actors connecting with any of the real people because it happened fourteen years ago. So, for Blake to get to know who I am today, it would be very different from getting to know my 19-year-old self. The actors were able to explore and make choices for themselves.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Chas: I’m pretty selective about what I watch. But I love Game of Thrones, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Westworld.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Chas: American Animals [laughs]

PC: Favorite book?
Chas: Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Chas: I loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in London. I thought it was phenomenal. Just the scope and the magnitude that they were able to pull off. It’s awesome. I’m really looking forward to seeing Hamilton though.

PC: Favorite social media platform?
Chas: I mostly use Instagram. I like the visual engagement.

PC: Last show you binge-watched?
Chas: Dear White People

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Chas: Lately, I’ve really been liking Kungs.

PC: Hidden talent?
Chas: I can juggle.

Make sure to follow Chas on Twitter and Instagram, and pick up your copy of Evolution: Becoming a Criminal today.

Photo Credit: JSquared Photography // Grooming: Melissa Walsh