There is nothing we love more than discovering new multi-faceted talent, and Luke Eisner is the newest actor on our radar. From his starring roles in classic rom-coms to performing alongside the biggest pop stars in the business, Luke does not confine himself to just one career path. Having also achieved huge success in modelling, he is harnessing his ability to transcend the barriers of business, and is embracing all art forms to tell his story to the world.
With a goal to expand his audience and entertain generations, Luke is reprising his coveted role as Stig Mohlin in the sequel to Netflix’s romantic comedy Tall Girl. His portrayal in the original feature captured the hearts of millions, as his character pulled out all the stops to break down the self-deprecating walls of the protagonist Jodi. With the same commitment, Luke has launched himself into his music, releasing a new album alongside his VOILÀ bandmate Griffin Gluck titled Long Story Short.
As we learn throughout his interview, Luke remains humble despite all his recent success. Opening up about the highs and lows of acting, as well as his adoration for literature, Luke gets candid about the life of a rising star — and earns the adoration of us all in the process.
To read the full interview, scroll below…
Hi Luke how are you? Where are we speaking to you from right now?
Hey! As a fan of Wonderland for years, I am honoured and excited right now! Currently, I’m in my living room in Santa Monica, CA with my cat who is trying to lay on my laptop keyboard so I apologise for any typos.
Let’s start at the beginning! When did you first get into music?
Growing up I was really into books, and I always wanted to be an author. Then in 7th grade I had a really serious concussion playing basketball and during the recovery months it was difficult to read without getting a headache. So, I started listening to music more and noticed the amount of story telling happening in the lyrics. So I started getting my ‘wanna be author’ fix by writing songs and learning guitar! Also, most of the guys in my hometown were good at football and I DEFINITELY wasn’t so I had to find another way to impress a girl enough to go to the 8th grade dance with me.
Congratulations on the release of Tall Girl 2! How are you feeling about the world seeing the new movie?
Thank you! I’m one of those weirdos who hates seeing themselves on screen. It’s kind of like when you make the voicemail for your phone and you listen back and go “Oh God is that really what I sound like!?” In all seriousness though, I was blown away by the amount of families that recognise me in the grocery store after the first movie came out. I found it really touching that it was always young kids and I hope that the positive messages of these movies has an impact on them and makes their journey to believing in themselves a little easier!
You are reprising your role of Stig for the movie, how do you think he has evolved and grown since the last movie, if at all?
In the first movie everyone wanted to win the friendship of Stig. However, in the second movie Stig wants to win the friendship of everyone! Our director, Emily Ting, encouraged me to let Stig’s dorky side shine and that was a lot of fun since I don’t usually play that type of character but I would like to think I’m pretty goofy in my every day life. I mean I’m a grown man with Harry Potter bath towels C’mon.
Acting is not your only creative outlet! You are also a part of the pop/rock duo, VOILA! How did you first get involved with the duo?
I moved to LA because I had a scholarship to USC to study music. I met Gus, the other half of VOILÀ, my first day of class! At the time EDM was really popular and I was DJ-ing weddings to make rent. We starting making dance music but after we did a tour with Kaskade and Flume we both looked at each other and realised we weren’t making music that was authentic to us. We both grew up on rock and roll so we decided to make VOILÀ a pop-rock project! It has been so much more rewarding for me because I feel I can write more storyteller songs in the genre. Plus high school me always thought I was Steven Tyler so it kind of all worked out.
And, you actually contributed to tracks on both of the Tall Girl movies! What was it like seeing your two words collide?
I’m the luckiest man in the world! After I finished shooting these movies I’d get this postpartum depression thing because I just wanted to stay in the tall girl story land a little longer. Writing songs for each movie was a great way to summarise the experience and close the book so to speak. When I got the first draft during the audition process of the first Tall Girl, the last line was Jodi saying “Stand Tall”. At the time my band had just put out a song called ‘Stand Tall’ which was about my father’s battle with cancer. While on set I was talking with Ava about the coincidence between the script and the song and we decided to re write the lyrics to make it fit the theme of the film. After the film came out I was blown away and touched by how many people resonated with the song. When I got the script for Tall Girl 2, I wanted to do the same. I immediately realised the relationship between Dunkleman and Jodi was similar to the lyrics of another one of our songs “Figure You Out”. In the film there is a scene at the end where everyone is dancing and during filming the song they played was “blinding lights” by the Weeknd. So, we remixed the song to be more like ‘Blinding Lights’ and I’m excited for people to hear it!
Did you start acting or making music first? And, do you prefer one over the other?
You’d have to go back into my Mom’s VHS home videos of me performing in my living room for that answer haha! I think I always was doing something creative. My parents were always very encouraging of the arts. I grew up in a small town of buzz cuts and football so I was super fortunate to have the kind of household I did. My parents would drive me down to Chicago so I could do musicals starting in first grade. Looking back, I can’t believe how lucky I was to have a mom and dad like that. I was in a couple different bands in high school and I started DJ-ing weddings with my cousin when the love of performing kicked in. I couldn’t choose between music and acting and I hope I never have to. The first thing I ever wanted to be was an author and I feel acting and songwriting are just two different vessels of storytelling. I do spend more time doing music because I get to write the songs and that is super therapeutic to document the way I felt and thought at different times of my life.
When it comes to collaborations, who would be your dream people to work with, both on screen and musically?
Authors! I always wanted to be in a movie based off of a book. Nicholas Spark’s books and movies influenced so much of the defining years of my life. I would love to work on an adaptation of his or another author in that romance vein like Jennifer Niven. I also love fantasy book series. Lord of the Rings, Twilight, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc really hooked me (much to the demise of any chance of having a cool reputation in high school). There’s a book series out now called “A Court of Thorns and Roses” that fits in the fantasy vein and there’s a ‘love-to-hate-him’ character named Tamlin that I picture myself playing as I read. I also would love to do a musical role like a Disney Prince! I love the songs from all those animated movies and it is exciting to see them becoming live actions now. My girlfriend Kirby Johnson is also the best actress I’ve ever seen so I hope we end up doing something together at some point! I Musically I would have to say Sam Hunt, Kellin Quinn from Sleeping With Sirens, Johnny Rzeznik from the Goo Goo Dolls, or Rod Stewart.
Aside from the release of Tall Girl 2, what else are you looking forward to this year? Are there any other projects you are currently working on?
I’m excited to put out more music this year! As far as on screen, I just finished working with my friends Jess and Jojo Siwa on their show “Siwas Dance Pop Revolution”. I was the on screen vocal coach for the show and it’s a great feel good competition show streaming on Peacock. I also worked with the same producers from Tall Girl (Wonderland) on the film “The Uglies” which also will be on Netflix! My girlfriend Kirby and I have a YouTube channel where we post our travels and careers every week! It’s called “Kirby and Luke Diaries”. Everything else I unfortunately can’t talk about but I’m looking forward to another year of living in this dream come true! Thank you for your time and this opportunity.
