The trusty sidekick, the heartthrob, the dumb jock, and the chosen one.
When you put it that way, it sounds like a lot more pressure than it actually felt like.
That was the most important thing to me.
That being said, didyou consult or research any rom-coms for influence for this role?
I did quite a bit of a Hugh Grant research.
He wears glasses in “Four Weddings and A Funeral.”
It reminded me so much of Griffin, because he has longer hair.
I would fall asleep watching a rom-com every night.
You guys go way back.
What was it like reconnecting during this time in your lives and portraying these roles now?
It was a nice surprise to hear from her, because the script came out of nowhere.
I was [like], “You know what?
Maybe I won’t work anymore.
Maybe I’ll just move on to something else.”
It’s not a great time mentally or where I thought I was at in my career.
We would be a nice dynamic.
It could be really cool."
I was so flattered and so excited.
I jumped at the chance.
I was like, “Are you kidding?
This is such a great, fun role, and it feels like me.”
It felt like my voice in a lot of ways.
I knew it was something that I wanted to do pretty much immediately.
I don’t know.
There’s a certain kind of movie that’s gone away.
That happened in the mid-2000s, we started those movies.
It’s about the moments.
That’s what this movie is."
I was like, “You’re right.
It’ll be fine.”
What version of yourself were you playing while being Griffin Reed?
How much of yourself was in that role?
Quite a bit, actually, because it’s not a period thing.
It’s playing a modern young person working in the world and trying to find love.
It’s not so far off from who I am.
I haven’t played a guy who wasn’t depressed in a long time.
I feel like I’m some version of depressed.
Do you think you’ve experienced fate in your life thus far?
I would like to believe that I have.
This is too good to be true."
Do you feel like you’ve made your younger self proud?
Is this where you maybe envision him/yourself to go where you’re at now?
Yeah, I would like to think so.
I’ve always been ambitious and I’ve always been like, “Okay, now what’s next?
I want more.”
I’m doing the right thing.
I didn’t waste my time or whatever."
What are you doing?"
After a certain point, I don’t want to act just to make anything.
Let me have it."
It doesn’t work like that.
Unless you’re like Robert Pattinson, you’re not picking your movies.
The longer you work, the more you get to be picky.
“About Fate” is out in select theaters now.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
