After some much needed downtime at home in Australia, the Euphoria and Kissing Booth star is back – hungry, with a better idea of who he is.
You can find out a surprising amount about someone from observing them eat dinner – be it table manners or just general eating etiquette.
I discover this when catching up with Jacob Elordi for the second time; because he is hungry. Like, really hungry. Ravenous even, and apologetically so. By sheer coincidence, the last time I saw Elordi eating was also involved, at an awards ceremony dinner in Sydney where we were sat opposite one another. For the record, so as to not embarrass Elordi, I’ll say this much: he’s a pretty graceful eater, both in person and over Zoom. At times in between forkfuls there were a few stray elbows on the table but for someone who’s 6ft 5 tall that’s understandable. Indeed, he’s certainly well-mannered enough for his mother to be happy.
For the past month or so, the 23 year old has been living up in Byron Bay’s Hinterland enjoying some quality family time, reading lots of books and surfing. “It’s been unbelievable,” he beams, having just returned from a long evening surf session. “We’ve got five acres up here on the top of the mountain, so I can see over the bay. I get the country and the beach and it’s just been the most relaxing time ever,” he continues, washing down the last of his Vietnamese takeout with a sip of Stone & Wood beer.
Over the course of our conversation, we discuss all manner of topics that are close to Elordi, from the importance of spending time with family and friends to his acting and what he’s looking for from his work in the future. Most imminently, he’s returning to his most complex role yet – reunited with Nate Jacobs as filming for season two ofEuphoria finally gets underway.
“What I like about Euphoria is we don’t need to spell everything out all the time. If people are feeling a kind of way, it’s human. If they are that, it’s human. The show throws you in there and lets you know, hey, these are the people, this is who they are. Now, watch them play,” he says of the award-winning show that quickly made him a household Hollywood name.
“The first season was unknown territory, I didn’t know what I was stepping into, what I was becoming, I guess. But going in the second season, I won’t say it’s like greeting an old friend but there is a comfort in going back into a space that I know.”
To read the full cover story, pre-order the SS21 issue here. Jacob wears Omega, Dion Lee and Ryan Storer on the cover.
Man About Town: 2021, Chapter I, pre-order now. orders ship in the Spring of 2021