Pop-Culturalist.com

Griffin Gluck is leading the next generation of young actors poised to take over Hollywood. At only nineteen, he has a decade’s worth of experience already under his belt, and he’s just getting started. Past projects include hit TV shows and blockbuster films such as Red Band Society, Just Go with It, Why Him?, and Tall Girl. Currently, he’s starring in not one but two of the most-talked-about releases of 2020: Netflix’s Locke & Key and Hulu’s Big Time Adolescence. We caught up with this Pop Culturalist fave to chat about these latest roles.

Career

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your young career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Griffin: Wow, that’s honestly a hard question. One moment that stands out is my first time on set with Adam Sandler on the film Just Go with It. It was my first time really experiencing a full workday like what those guys go through. I was nine years old. I got to experience my first workday and I was exhausted. I remember Adam kept saying, “You’re doing great, buddy. Just stay awake. Keep working. You’re doing great.” [laughs] That’s what I did. I just stayed awake, and I worked as hard as I could. When Just Go with It came out, I was like, “He’s right. I’m not half bad.” So yeah, I would say my first couple of workdays on that. I remember there was a scene that we did five times. I sat there and was like, “Wow. I never knew.”

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Griffin: I’m going to go chronologically because I’ve thought about this a lot. It starts with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. Those were my first two biggest influences. Over the years, a lot of my close friends have been huge influences on me: Zoey Deutch, who I met on Why Him?; a lot of the people I worked with on American Vandal, like Tyler Alvarez and the creators; Bryan Cranston; Megan Mullally. A lot of people who end up playing my parents have had a huge influence. [laughs] They sort of take on the role of my parents for a few months. Recently, Pete Davidson, who I did Big Time Adolescence with—the relationship between our characters, Mo and Zeke, has come to life. He’s a really good friend and like an older brother. Also, Thomas Barbusca—even though he’s younger than me, he’s influenced me in a lot of ways.

PC: You’re currently a full-time college student. How challenging is it to balance that and your career?
Griffin: It’s incredibly challenging. A lot of times I don’t get the best schoolwork done because I’m focused on something with my career and vice versa. Sometimes, I won’t have as much time to make a self-tape as I’d like because I have to write an essay. It’s really hard to balance my time and manage that. I’m going back and forth to the city a couple of times a week. I put in as much work as I can. I can’t really be upset if I start slacking in one or the other. I’m doing the best that I can. It’s really challenging, but I like a challenge. I really like education and learning things, and I really like my job. I’ll do anything that I can to make it work.

Locke & Key

PC: One of your new projects is Locke & Key, and your character Gabe has a big reveal by the middle/end of the season. This is the first time you’re playing a villainous character. How did you balance the two sides to him?
Griffin: That’s an interesting question. The cast, directors, and showrunners put a lot of trust in me to do that. But I also saw them as a resource that I could come to to make sure that I was getting that across. You have to make sure that when you rewatch it, you can find those moments where he was always a little mischievous or that evil mastermind. That was hard to balance. The way that the character was written helped the performance so much. They made it so easy to be able to play the nice guy but at the same time have those evil intentions. It was fun for me as an actor, and it was fun for Gabe as a character, to be messing around with them the whole time.

PC: The season finale leaves things pretty open-ended. Have there been any early conversations about the direction of your character if the series is picked up for Season 2?
Griffin: Yeah, I talked to Carlton Cuse and Meredith Averill [creators] about this a few times. But they haven’t said much. [laughs] I know that they’ve started writing Season 2, but that doesn’t mean we’ve gotten a Season 2. But they have scripts in the work, which is good news. They said they’re having an absolute blast writing for Gabe, which is exciting for me. I think Gabe gets into some mischief in Season 2, which is exactly what I was hoping for. That’s all I know, unfortunately. I think they know that I like to talk so they’re trying to limit my information. [laughs]

PC: We’re sure you get asked this a lot, but if you could have one key, what would it be and why?
Griffin: I always feel like it’s the obvious answer, but I also feel like it’s everyone’s answer. I want to say something cool but it’s too hard not to go with the Anywhere Key because you can go anywhere. I live far away from home. I live on the other side of the country—literally the opposite side of the United States. If I had that key, I could pop home, have a nice cooked meal with my fam, and pop back to my dorm room.

Big Time Adolescence

PC: You’re also starring in Big Time Adolescence. Tell us about the film and what drew you to this project.
Griffin: The film is a beautiful portrait of a coming-of-age story. I hope that makes sense because I tried to make it sound fancy because I’m so incredibly passionate about it. It’s a coming-of-age story about a kid who has to learn from his mistakes and grow up and what that looks like growing up in today’s society. That’s what drew me to this project. I fell in love with the story, how real it felt, and how relatable it was. Every character in the film feels like someone that I know in real life. It felt exciting and comforting. I’m very passionate about the project. The second that I read it, I wanted it. Jason Orley [writer-director] and I started talking on the phone after my audition. We talked about what this character would be, what it would mean, and how it would feel. I fell in love with the script and everyone attached. It was very easy to get comfortable with them.

PC: The film has a nice mix of heartfelt scenes and comedic ones. As an actor, is one more challenging than the other?
Griffin: Sometimes, heartfelt scenes can be hard. For me, it’s about getting into the mood and character. When you’re hanging with Pete [Davidson], Colson [Baker], Thomas [Barbusca], Sydney [Sweeney], and the people that were there, it can sometimes be hard to get into character. Just because you’re there and you’re having the best time, it can be hard to get into that big emotional scene in the movie. It’s so hard not to want to laugh when you’re around all those guys because you’re having the best time, which I think the other comedic scenes were so much easier to film because that’s how we were naturally. Pete is such a funny guy.

PC: We read that you all had a lot of opportunity to improv. Is there a scene that wasn’t in the original script that you’re excited for your fans to see?
Griffin: [laughs] It’s actually in the trailer. There’s a scene when Colson drags me to the side during the house party and he’s like, “You’re acting really silly right now. That girl is like sixteen years old,” and I’m like, “Dude. I’m sixteen.” That was on the spot, and we added that. It was really funny. That’s the first one that popped in my head, but actually, a lot of the scenes you’ll see are half-written and half-improv.

PC: With this being a coming-of-age story, if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Griffin: Listen to your gut. Follow your morals and human compass. No one knows what’s good for you as well as you do. That’s basically what I’ve learned in life and through this movie.

PC: What do you hope audiences take away?
Griffin: I hope people love it. I hope people love this movie as much as we loved making it, being a part of it, filming it, and how much Jason loved writing it. We’re all so passionate about it. I hope people just watch this and have a good time.

To keep up with Griffin, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Catch Locke & Key on Netflix and Big Time Adolescence on Hulu.

Photo Credit: Damon Baker