Falling into acting and coming out on top. Texas born Tye Sheridan is not your average teen.
Pink nylon jacket by LOUIS VUITTON and neckerchief stylist’s own
Taken from the Summer Fashion Issue of Wonderland.
All sweetness and light, fast-rising big screen star Tye Sheridan isn’t your typical 18 year-old. Despite being selected at just 11 years old, from a pool of 10,000 candidates, for his first role in US flick The Tree of Life (alongside Sean Penn and Brad Pitt, no less) his modesty – complete with adorably gawky nervous laugh – sets him aside from brattier teen stars. Fast-forward four years and two films later (including a part as one of the two troublemaking youths in 2012’s excellent Mud, alongside Matthew McConaughey) and Sheridan stars as the young Cyclops in the forthcoming, X-Men: Apocalypse. We pinned down the Eckhart, Texas- born talent to talk fame, fortune and film.
Hi Tye. Shall we start from the very beginning? What was it that made you want to go into acting?
Well it was something I kind of just fell into. Before, I didn’t realise but I was doing it a lot and then it became such a big part of my life and now, I’m doing it nine months out of the year. I started public school in Texas and there were a lot of casting directors looking for kids to cast in The Tree of Life, and I think 10,000 kids were recruited for auditions and then I ended up getting cast!
How old were you then? What were you like at that age?
I think I was 11. I wasn’t really into the arts. I’m sure you could go back to that age and tell why, but you never think about the past really, or at least I don’t.
If you hadn’t gone down that route and become an actor, what do you think you would be doing now?
I would probably still be in high school and probably be applying for colleges about now. I think from a very early age I knew that I wanted to travel and my job takes me everywhere, I was just shooting in South Africa. I was in London for a day and I was in LA.
Wow, so where would you say is the best place you have ever been?
I just did a movie, Detour, in Cape Town, South Africa. I was working with two young actors, Bel Powley and Emory Cohen, they’re really talented. We were in South Africa shooting the movie for two months, we went and hiked up Table mountain. It’s super-high and flat, it’s beautiful.
Is that the kind of thing you do in your spare time? You can’t have much of it!
I hang out with family and friends. I try to stay in touch with everyone, but you don’t really have time to send everyone an email or text message or give them a call. I feel like sometimes you have to pick and choose who you stay in touch with. I think the people you love and that you truly care about and vice versa, you can feel that they are a true friend. I was just in South Africa by myself, so I tried to keep in touch with my parents pretty much everyday.
From the outside it looks as though fans expect a lot, but in return there’s a family-like connection and sense of loyalty. How would you say you’re coping with fame?
I don’t know if I’ve really dealt with it yet. I go to premieres and sometimes people shouting across the street want you to sign a few things, but other than that I don’t deal with the public. That’s what I love about where I am at this stage in my career, I feel like I’m well-respected inside this industry. It’s such a good feeling, but then I can go shop in the supermarket near my house and no one notices me – not that they should. I’ve never had to deal with that and it’s great! I’d love to keep that.
Do you think that now you have be cast in X-Men: Apocalypse, this anonymity will go?
I don’t know, maybe, we will see. But you know, it’s what you sign up for, right? It’s just a risk you have to take! I’ve never had any experience with it. I think if you’re getting involved with a franchise it has to be with good one, and clearly X-Men is one of the best. So I feel like I’m in good hands, no matter what happens.
Wise words. Are you feeling any pressure from X-Men fans?
When the announcement came out that I’d been cast, a few people were like sending me messages on Twitter. Some of them were nice, some of them not so much, so I just signed out. It doesn’t really bother me – I believe that if it’s in my range, I can do it. There’s a story, there are characters, a cast, there’s a director, there’s a writer, producers, everyone works together as a team to create. Then, hopefully, it turns out the way we want it.
Black jeans by LEVI’s, white ribbed cotton tank top by HANES and key necklace, Tye’s own
Beige cotton jacket by SALVATORE FERRAGAMO, black jeans by LEVI’s, white ribbed cotton tank top by HANES and key necklace Tye’s own
Photographer: Christopher Hench
Photographer’s Assistant: Brittany Thaler
Fashion Editor: Sean Knight
Grooming: Carola Gonzalez using MAGIC and MURAD
Words: Lily Walker