Charlie Hall is a morning person. This meant he didn’t mind kicking off his day with our early call as a result of the sizeable eight-hour time difference between Los Angeles and London. And it means he, with both grace and enthusiasm, matched the chaotic energy that ensued as we raced hastily through a multitude of topics in an effort to beat the dreaded 40 minute window we had to work with. In the spirit of the current discourse, we even briefly touched upon his famously funny parents — though I assured Hall this wasn’t going to be one of those interviews.

With Seinfeld and Veep’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus as his mum and writer, director and actor Brad Hall as his dad, both of whom are Saturday Night Live veterans, it’s safe to say that a comedic edge courses through Hall’s blood. “I’m very fortunate because not only are they awesome parents but they give me great advice about the industry. It is huge to have people I respect and love that have done this stuff I’m doing. And they know what the fuck to do, because sometimes I’m totally lost and I can ask
them, ‘Hey, what do you think about this?’”

Despite growing up in a humorous and creatively-inclined household, the first inkling that an acting career was what he desired didn’t surface until his senior year of college. “I knew that I was interested in entertaining in some capacity, I think. I always had a massive interest in comedy, but I wasn’t necessarily set on acting until later on in life.” When Hall’s basketball season at Northwestern University ended his senior year, his first project – web series Sorry, Charlie – was born out of sheer boredom and an abundance of newfound free time. Hall and his friend got to work penning tales of the all-too-relatable tribulations of heartbreak, which eventually shaped the miniseries that would kick start his career. Not wanting to pay anyone else, Charlie agreed to star in this project, which proved to be pivotal to his progression. “It was an enormous blessing,” shares Hall. “That’s when I realised this was really fun and I could continue to do this, and it was lucky enough to have received a ton of reception.” I ask Hall if he’s read the comments under the web series in a while. All appear positive, though I tell him my personal favourite is: “You’re a natural at being awkward, Charlie!” Hall bursts out into laughter. “That’s hilarious! Unfortunately I’d have to agree. If there’s anything I excel at, it’s being embarrassing, so that came easily.”

After describing his Sorry, Charlie character as a true externalisation of what’s regularly going on inside his head, which he describes as a process of “constantly freaking out internally,” Hall shares his need for the characters he plays to have a little bit of relatability, or at least familiarity. “I
definitely don’t have to like them, that’s for sure. The role I played in Sex Lives of College Girls was, for the most part, quite unlikeable. I don’t necessarily need to see a ton of myself in whatever character I’m playing, but I do think I need to see a real sort of human quality in them like, ‘Okay,
I’ve seen this characteristic, I’ve seen this quirk either in me or just in life.’”

With a few TV series under his belt, Hall is now awaiting the release of upcoming comedy movie Sweethearts, his second to date after 2021’s Moxie. Starring alongside Mad Men’s Kiernan Shipka, the film tells the tale of two college freshman dumping their high school sweethearts the night before Thanksgiving, traditionally the evening when university students come back to their hometown, reunite with old friends and paint the town red. Though Hall never experienced this style of break-up, he tapped into his own high school relationship experiences in preparation. “I feel like at that age, so often it’s your first relationship and you’re such a dumbass. Or at least that was my experience,” he admits. “You know, I thought I was a romance expert when I was 18. When things start to go awry, you’re so surprised. It’s like, ‘How could this be? I thought this person I met at recess was the one forever.’” Much like teenage Hall during his attempts to navigate love, he assures me that when it comes to his creative process, he is still finding his feet. “I think my method – and excuse the horrific acting talk – is constantly changing. There isn’t really an exact thing that I do other than find the balance between making sure I’m totally locked in on a script but also making sure that everything feels fluid and real. I find that if I hammer it home too much, it’s sort of hard for me to switch up the way I’m delivering whatever line it is.”

With Hollywood’s canon in a constant state of evolution, much like Hall himself, the actor departs our call with a message of positivity with regards to the future of his industry. “As an actor, it’s really cool to know there’s a ton of projects out there. Everything is so fresh and young and doesn’t feel like it’s the same recycled thing over and over again.” And, while Hall’s lips are sealed about the fresh projects he might be currently working on, he leaves me assured that the wait will be well worth it.