All X-Men Star Tye Sheridan Wants Is To Go to College
Thanks to roles in The Tree of Life, Mud, and Joe the 19-year old Texan is the new king of Indie film.
At ten years old, Tye Sheridan was cast in Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life—and his life completely changed. Now, the 19-year-old Texas-native has been to the Cannes Film Festival, successfully auditioned for Steven Spielberg and played a superhero in X-Men. Thanks to his prolific performances in films by Malick, Jeff Nichols, and David Gordon Green, he is featured in W’s Royals portfolio as the new Indie film hero, alongside the legendary Ethan Hawke, who has worn that crown ever since Dead Poets Society thanks to roles in Reality Bites, Before Sunrise, and Boyhood.
What was your first audition? My first audition was for Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life. These casting directors came through Texas, and they recruited somewhere around 10,000 kids to come and audition for this movie. They sent me a letter in the mail, and I went and auditioned for this movie. And I kept getting called back again and again, and then I finally ended up booking a role.
How old were you when this happened? I was 10 years old when the audition process started. I’d never done an audition before, so I had no idea what they were like. But it was very much like improv stuff in the audition. A lot of times they just had me play around with other kids for 20 minutes, and then they just run around with a video camera and just taping all of us. So I think the process was a bit unique, but I didn’t know that at the time.
Wow. And where were you born and raised? I was born in this little, tiny town called Palestine, Texas. And I was raised just south of there for the majority of my life, up until I was about 15 or 16. Then I started traveling and working quite a bit.
And when you started doing the movie, did you immediately get the acting bug? Yeah. I knew. I was 11 years old when I finished Tree of Life, I was definitely interested and intrigued by filmmaking, but I don’t think it was until my second or third film that I really started to fall in love with the art of cinema.
And was that Mud? That was Mud or Joe, around there, working with Jeff Nichols and then David Gordon Green. Those guys really inspire me and then turned me onto filmmaking.
Where was Mud filmed? In Arkansas, about an hour southeast of Little Rock, in this small town called Stuttgart, Arkansas, which is the duck hunting capitol of the world, if you didn’t know that already.
I did not. Did you hunt? I did not. The day I wrapped the movie, it was opening day of duck season. I actually deer hunted when I was there, but I didn’t have a chance to duck hunt. I remember the morning I left, I was in the car and you could just hear, like, the Fourth of July or something. All these guns were just going off because it was opening day of duck hunting season.
What happened when Mud wrapped? I went straight back to school. Immediately back to my public school I grew up in. I think I missed a whole entire semester my freshman year in high school [filming Mud]. And then I completed the rest of the year. And then the following year, I did David Gordon Green’s movie, Joe, and then the same thing happened. I missed the beginning of the year. When I came back, for some reason, my grades weren’t recorded, so my GPA was really bad. And then, I didn’t have a chance to take the SAT, so now getting into college is quite a struggle.
Are you trying to go to college? Yeah, I’d love to just go to school. It’s just hard to find the time. But even just for a semester or something would be amazing. I just want to have that experience while I’m young, and I’m just hungry to learn. I have such a strong desire to be in a classroom and have that college experience.
Did you go to the prom? I didn’t. I never went to prom. I went to an eighth grade dance. I think I took my cousin to the eighth grade dance. Not in a weird sexual way though, but as, like, “Oh, let’s go together. It’ll be fun, because I don’t like anyone, and you don’t like anyone. We’ll just have each other.”
So you just finished X-Men? We wrapped X-Men. We were shooting in Montreal, Canada, which I love. I was there for five months. I love Montreal. I love the people.
You speak French? I don’t speak French. Not fluently anyway. Not even close to fluent. I don’t know why I said that. I speak very little.
What’s the name of your character? I play Scott Summers, or Cyclops, a guy who shoots lasers out of his eyes.
All of that’s done green screen, right? So you had to pretend you were shooting? A lot of it is done green screen. My lasers are done in post, so in the film I basically just take off my glasses and then stare at someone really intensely. At times it’s hard not to laugh. I feel like everyone else’s superpowers are cool because they get to do stuff with their hands. Like, Magneto’s stopping metal. And then Storm is creating a storm, and then I’m just, like, staring at someone really intently and growling. Quite weird.
And what movie are you making in London now? I’m shooting a movie called Ready Player One. Mr. Spielberg is directing. And I’m really excited and couldn’t be more excited, actually.
What was that audition like? Going into audition for Ready Player One, I knew that Mr. Spielberg was gonna be in the room. And I told myself before going in I just to be grateful for the opportunity. Just to go on, and shake his hand, and to audition in front him was an experience alone, which was phenomenal. But, then like, a month later, and [my agents said], “All right, you’re going to London to work with Steven Spielberg. It’s unbelievable. It’s not really a reality yet. I don’t think it will be until I step on set.
Do you have a favorite Steven Spielberg movie? I love all his films, Minority Report. I love E.T. I love Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I love Saving Private Ryan. You look at his resume, and you look at his credits, and it’s just mindboggling how one after another, back to back to back is just a hit. It’s super inspiring. That’ll be incredible to work with him and to gain as much advice as I can.
And do your parents come with you on set? My parents come to visit sometimes, but they don’t really know anything about the film industry. My dad’s a UPS driver, and my mom owns a small hair salon. My mom used to travel with me when I was a lot younger, but I think since I was about 17 I’ve been working alone. But, my parents always come and visit for, like, a week or two. I was doing a movie in South Africa. This was February of last year, 2015. And my folks came for a week all the way to South Africa to see me, and that was cool, but they were on set for, like, 10 minutes, and they were like, “Okay, well, we’ve seen this before. We’re going to go explore Cape Town.” And so, they just left me. I didn’t see them for the whole entire week while I was working. They were just roaming around South Africa.
What movie makes you cry? Inside Out. The first time watching Inside Out was a very emotional experience. There’s something about animation that allows you just feel like a kid watching it, and so you feel like you’re allowed to cry. But even then, I think it was all about timing when I saw it, and also the movie’s incredible, and it’s all about embracing your emotions.
Who do you have a crush on in the movies? I love Natalie Portman. Not only is she an incredible actress, but I think she’s very pretty. I love Black Swan, the Aronofsky film. I love his work. And then I like Rachel McAdams. I don’t know what I saw Rachel McAdams in first, but I don’t think it was Mean Girls. I love her in To the Wonder. The first time I watched it, I stopped, started it over immediately, and watched it again.
What’s your favorite love scene in a movie? Maybe a scene from Badlands, where they’re walking down the river, and I think they’ve just made love for the first time. Badlands and then my favorite rom-com, my guilty pleasure movie, would be Crazy, Stupid, Love. I remember when that movie came out. I just watched it over, and over, and over. I was obsessed with Ryan Gosling in that movie and how he talked to girls.
I hope you didn’t try copying him. No, no, no, no I didn’t. But I really respected the character. I just love the relationship. I love the contrast between Steve Carell‘s character and Ryan Gosling in the film. And the way all of the love stories are just intertwined. At the end of that film, I just think you’re sucked in, the ending is so powerful. Each character’s arc is so good.
Have you done the Dirty Dancing move as a result of seeing that movie? Oh, no. I couldn’t do that. Have you seen my arms?
The 2016 Royals: Priyanka Chopra, Cindy Crawford, Chris Evans, Kanye West and More
Priyanka Chopra wears Burberry XO Barneys New York dress. Beauty: Burberry.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus wears Carolina Herrera dress; Pomellato earrings. Beauty: Nars.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Francelle. Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Irina Shayk wears Prada dress, harness, corset, belt, charm, agenda, tights, and shoes; Bulgari ring. Beauty: L’Oréal Paris.
Halle Berry wears Versace gown; Pasquale Bruni ring. Beauty: Revlon.
Hair by Castillo; by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY; Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Elle Fanning wears Gucci gown; Bulgari earrings; Dior Fine Jewelry rings; Marc Jacobs shoes. Beauty: Gucci.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Fulvia Farolfi for Chanel;Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Jodie Foster wears Giorgio Armani dress; Harry Winston earrings; Mish New York cuff. Beauty: Giorgio Armani.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Kanye West wears Yeezy Season 3 hoodie and pants. Grooming: Clinique.
Hair by Ibn Jasper at Frank Reps. Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Chris Evans wears Berluti tuxedo; Simon Miller shirt; Tiffany & Co. watch. Grooming: Giorgio Armani.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Kit Harington wears Hermès suit; Vince hoodie; Boss T-shirt. Grooming: Aramis.
Grooming for Harington by Johnny Hernandez at Fierro Agency. Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Ethan Hawke wears Louis Vuitton coat; Simon Miller T-shirt; AMI Alexandre Mattiussi trousers; Church’s shoes. Grooming: Dior Homme.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Fulvia Farolfi for Chanel; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Rami Malek wears No. 21 sweater; Prada pants, socks, and shoes. Grooming: Chanel.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
New Royalty: Television “When I was a teenager, I was a tomboy and had scars on my legs. But then I taught myself to take care of my body and my hair. It takes time, but if I can do it, anybody can. Today, my legs sell 12 or 15 products in my part of the world.”
Alexander McQueen jacket and dress; La Perla bra and shorts; Harry Winston ring.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Television “I don’t approach my work from a gender point of view. If people are talented, be they men or women or transgender, I’m into it. I want to play ball, and I want to play hard. And if you can do that with me, then we’re going to get along great.”
Oscar de la Renta dress; La Perla bra.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Francelle; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Superhero “In the 6th grade, I played the supporting lead in a play called “Crazy Camp.” I ended up dating one of the more popular girls as a result. The second the play was over, she dumped me. So, at a young age, I learned the power of getting a good role.”
Melet Mercantile T-shirt; Rag & Bone Standard Issue jeans.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Superhero “In Doctor Strange, I play Baron Karl Mordo, the first person to introduce Dr. Stephen Strange into a mystical, weird, and wonderful world. Mordo can transport between dimensions, and I studied quantum physics to understand the science behind his powers. Personally, I would rather be able to make myself invisible.”
Burberry jacket and trousers; Prada sweater.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Model “I hadn’t planned to be a model, but I went to beauty school and was discovered there. My big break was in 2007: the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Being Russian, I never imagined my career would involve swimsuits—I was raised with snow, and warm coats sounded a bit better to me. A swimsuit model has to stay in shape all the time. I love food, even though people think models don’t eat.”
Miu Miu dress, stole, and stockings; ring from Stephen Russell, New York.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Model “I grew up in a small town in Illinois, and I didn’t even know that modeling was a real job. My dad thought that ‘model’ was a nice word for prostitute. I did, however, have Calvin Klein jeans, and I knew about Brooke Shields and Seventeen magazine. That was my introduction to fashion.”
Stella McCartney dress; Curriculum Vitae bra.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Fashion “I have eight older sisters, so I started thinking about fashion when I was very young. I would customize clothes on my best girlfriend—putting together a man’s shirt with a Victorian dress. And, being a classic Leo, I would always give my opinion to my sisters. I would watch them put on makeup, and I’d tell them what I thought, which wasn’t always welcome. Of course, now they all wear my clothes. They are obsessed.”
Tisci’s own Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci sweater.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Fashion “I didn’t mind putting my name on underwear. Jockey had its name on the waistband, so why shouldn’t I? My daughter, Marci, said in an interview that it was strange to have sex with men who had my name on their underwear. I told her, ‘That’s not funny.’ But it is funny—just not when it’s your daughter.”
Klein’s own clothing.
Hair by Thom Priano for R+Co at Garren New York; Makeup by Régine Thorre; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Superhero “The costume for Supergirl is cute, but it’s difficult to put on. It’s not a one-person job: There’s a bodice on top of which muscles are added, because ain’t no way that I am that muscular. And the cape is its own special thing. The costume lives under lock and key. If I wanted to wear it for Halloween, I’d have to stage a mission to steal it.”
Valentino dress; Tiffany & Co. necklace.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Fulvia Farolfi for Chanel; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Superhero “I loved being Catwoman. I was a gymnast growing up, so I got to use all of those skills for the role. I hated cats going into it, but I learned about the psychology of them—and I came out of that movie a die-hard cat lover.”
Alexandre Vauthier dress.
Hair by Castillo; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY.
Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Classic Royalty: Television “On Game of Thrones, there were a couple of weeks when it looked like I was going to die. I thought, Maybe this is it. Then I found out I wasn’t going to die, so I had to keep this massive secret from everybody. I did tell my parents, though: ‘All right, Mom and Dad, you’re in on this now.’ They then went about lying to everyone. They relished it, I think. They’re quite dramatic, my parents.”
Derek Rose pajama set.
Grooming by Johnny Hernandez at Fierro Agency; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Television “I am a troublemaker, for sure. I have a pretty cool scene coming up in Mr. Robot, and I’ve already talked to my makeup artist about bringing something that is not going to go over too well with the costume department: blood. A lot of blood. Our costumes are one-of-a-kind, so I could get into a lot of trouble. But you’ve got to take some risks in life.”
Prada pants, socks, and shoes.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Renaissance Woman “My parents always encouraged us to do what we believed in. There’s a funny interview from when I was 5 or 6 years old: My dad is interviewing me, and my mom walks in and says, ‘You are Wonder Woman.’ That’s one of my most vivid childhood memories.”
Chanel Haute Couture dress; Cartier bracelet; Chanel flats.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Renaissance Woman “I don’t think I’m particularly brave. I’m confident in my opinions about making films, but there are tons of things that I’m really just a child about. For instance, I have a fear of picking up the phone and asking someone, ‘Would you like to have lunch with me?’ Little things that other people learned in Adolescence 101 have always scared me.”
Saint Laurent jacket and trousers; Boss turtleneck; (right hand) Repossi ring.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Independent Film “I was 10 years old, going to a small public school in Palestine, Texas, when casting directors came through and asked kids to audition for a movie. The film was The Tree of Life, directed by Terrence Malick. They saw around 10,000 kids, and I ended up getting the role. I’m 19 now, and I have been acting ever since.”
Prada jacket and pants.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Fulvia Farolfi for Chanel;Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Set design by Philipp Haemmerle; Lighting technician: Lars Beaulieu; digital technician: Johnny Vicari; photography assistants: Felix Kim, Javier Villegas; fashion assistants: Ryann Foulke, Dena Giannini, Sam Walker, Anastasya Kolomytseva Anita Lau; hair assistants: Adlena Dignam, jennifer kim, dale delaporte; makeup assistants: Tayler Treadwell, Mariko Hirano, Robert Reyes, Takahiro Okada; set design assistants: Theo Volpatti, Ryan Stenger, Valentin Haemmerle, Matt Solis; special thanks to Highline Stages and Spring Studios, New York.
Classic Royalty: Independent Film “I did Born to Be Blue, the story of Chet Baker’s midlife crisis, because it was something I could relate to. I was 18 when Dead Poets Society came out, and that success didn’t leave me far to go. We all like to feel that we’re growing better and stronger and improving every year of our lives, but when you peak at a young age, you have a long way to fall.”
Jil Sander sweater; AMI Alexandre Mattiussi trousers.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Fulvia Farolfi for Chanel; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Renaissance Man “To me, Will Ferrell is royalty. He is one of my personal gods. I would like Will Ferrell to play me in The Kanye West Story. Can you make that happen?”
Yeezy Season 3 sweatshirt; Hoorsenbuhs necklace.
Hair by Ibn Jasper at Frank Reps; Hair by Ibn Jasper at Frank Reps; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Society “Growing up, we lived in the Waldorf Towers. My classmates used to call my sister, Paris, and me the Eloises of the Waldorf. If there were events in the ballroom, we were always sneaking in and spying on people. We did everything but order room service. Room service was off-limits.”
Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini cape and dress; Nili Lotan dress (underneath); Chopard earrings; Harry Winston necklace; Chanel Fine Jewelry rings; Wolford tights; Miu Miu pumps.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Fulvia Farolfi for Chanel; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Society “I have always loved fashion and was lucky enough to live through the era of great couture designers. In the early ’80s, Azzedine Alaïa took a piece of jersey and draped it on me. He then took chalk and marked out the dress on my body. When I received the finished dress, it was stitched where he had placed the chalk marks. It fit like a glove then. Now it fits more like Spanx.”
RR 331 by Ralph Rucci coat and top; earrings from Stephen Russell, New York; Munnu the Gem Palace bangles; Perrin Paris gloves.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
