You might best know Chace for his breakout role as Nate Archibald in the massively popular television series Gossip Girl, or his current starring role as The Deep on the hit series The Boys. Or you might’ve seen him in the 2006 supernatural drama The Covenant. “Terrible movie, please don’t see it,” Chace pipes in. Right from the outset, it’s clear that he’s humble, with an easy demeanor and a self-deprecating sense of humor. Chace doesn’t take himself too seriously, and his jovial mood is contagious, making all those around him smile and enjoy their day.
On a typical golden sunny California afternoon, we meet in a beautiful Pacific Palisades mansion, located just off Sunset Boulevard. The Nobleman photoshoot unfolds over a couple of hours and several outfit changes. The vibe is casual and fun. His manner is friendly, his vibe is approachable, and he speaks in a laconic and affable way, with more than a hint of Texas drawl remaining.
So who is this man, Chace Crawford, who we’ve seen on screens both big and small for the past two decades? What can we expect, from the star of What to Expect When You’re Expecting? What’s it like to have former Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo for a brother-in-law? And what makes a Nobleman? The conversation begins:
Let’s talk first about your acting career. How did you get into acting?
It’s a weird story. I never dreamed of acting as a career. I did a play in high school, and it gave me a little taste. I have always been on the artsy side. I did photography and painting in high school. When I came out to California to go to Pepperdine University, I had a little bit of a freak out not knowing what I wanted to do.
Once I got into Pepperdine, I had the thought, what am I gonna major in? I got into an acting class, to get out of my shell; and to meet some new people, and that’s where I fell in love with acting. It was an abstract Meisner technique class, and I met some people there who introduced me to an agency, and I went from there.
What was your first big break?
I remember screen testing for Friday Night Lights. Being from Texas, needless to say, I wanted this role. The role was for Jason Street, the quarterback. I didn’t get it, and I was devastated. Then later, Gossip Girl came around. It was based on these popular books. My initial thoughts were “It’s a stupid name for a series; they gotta change the name.”
So I got that role and then moved to New York pretty quickly when I just turned 21. The iPhone had just come out. It was great. So, that was a big jump in my career. That became my college experience in a way. My growing up.
How do you choose roles? What preparation goes into choosing roles?
I tend to choose to work on projects with people I wanna work with. When The Boys came along from Amazon, I read the first two scenes and I was hooked! That kind of dark, weird humor is my thing. I’m so thankful that The Boys came along. So now, whoever will hire me for the most money is where I go. (Laughter)
How would you describe the fan base of The Boys?
The fan base is rabid. It ranges from middle-aged women to Gen Z kids in high school to, you know, my parents. They even like it! There is certainly a barrier to entry with the violence and blood factor. If you can’t stomach that, you’re not gonna like it. But it’s a weird enough show where everyone can find what they like within it. It talks about very real things that are going on in the real world. But it’s this crazy world where superheroes are real.
What’s been the most challenging scene to play in your whole acting career?
It’s definitely from The Boys. Yeah. There was a scene in Season 2 where my character The Deep goes on his tangent into a Scientology-adjacent type of religion. He’s on this spiritual journey, and his buddy gives him mushroom tea. I don’t know what I’m drinking. So my character is starting to trip out on mushroom tea.
I’m in this room, pretending to have a mental breakdown. My character has gills. He’s this freak of nature. That’s his insecurity. He’s like an X-Men type guy, insecure about his gills, and his gills start talking to him. So I have this whole scene where I’m talking to my gills. I have someone else off-camera reading the lines, but I’m having this big freak out.
In the end, I have to break down and sing “You Are So Beautiful To Me” with my gills. It was embarrassing, and it was great, and it turned out super weird and amazing. That was a very challenging, technical scene to do.
What role does social media play now, about fame and fandom?
It’s funny because when I first started my acting career, social media wasn’t even a thing. Camera phones were barely a thing. Like I said, The iPhone just came out when Gossip Girl started.
Now, we’ve veered into the realm of too many influencer-type people. People kind of faking it, and projecting this false perfect image. What people want, is just to see your authentic self. They wanna see your sense of humor and your authenticity come through.
I’m still not great at social media. But it does help, for projects. People may hire you if you have a certain following and kinda put that out there with people. It is sort of a brand thing, but I try to share naturally and authentically. Humor is the way the way to go with it. I don’t do a ton of social media. I don’t have the TikTok thing. I asked my seventeen-year-old cousin: “Should I get a TikTok?” She was like, “That would be thirsty. So you should not do that.” I took that to heart, so no TikTok for me.
What would be your dream role to play? You talked about missing out on the quarterback role from Friday Night Lights. Is there another role that you would love to have played?
One of my first favorite movies I saw when I was younger, was when my dad showed me Cool Hand Luke with Paul Newman. Iconic movie. Iconic role. They don’t make movies like that anymore. To have that kind of a journey with that character and sort of have some southern feel to it; some dirtiness, some grittiness – that would be great.
Fight Club is one of my favorite films. To work with a genius director like David Fincher and do something gritty and edgy would be fun for me too.
Is there a prop from any of the characters you’ve played that you wish you would have kept?
Let me think. Maybe all the clothes from Gossip Girl would have been nice. They didn’t give me anything! The role I’m currently playing – The Deep – just has this stupid onesie suit. It’s neoprene, and it’s hot as hell. It’s terrible. So he’s got nothing for me. There’s nothing I’ve ever wanted to keep, I guess. Just maybe some clothes.
What role has sports played in your life?
Sports was the first thing me and my dad connected on. He would take me to college basketball games growing up, and Dallas Cowboys games. I’m a huge Dallas Cowboys fan. (Relevant factoid reminder: Cowboys QB legend Tony Romo is married to Chace Crawford’s sister). We lived in Minnesota for a few years. My dad and I would go to the old Metrodome to watch NFL football, and it was incredible. Warren Moon was the quarterback. Moon was just great, but Troy Aikman from the Cowboys was my guy.
A lot of kids look up to actors. For me, athletes were my star-struck moments. So, football was a big part of my childhood. Me and my dad connected with that. I had all the trading cards back in the day. Dallas won back-to-back championships (1992 & 1993), and we were hooked. Wore my Cowboys star jacket, the whole nine. So I grew up wanting to play football. That was my main thing. I played great in Pee Wee. I was really good. Texas football starts in 5th grade. So, I played a little bit of high school football, but I wasn’t great. I was on the bench.
Then about freshman year of high school, my dad said “Listen, son. You’re probably not gonna grow past 5’11’. Okay, you should maybe switch to golf.” So I was a nerd in high school for playing golf, but now it’s kind of the cool thing. You can play golf all through your life.
And you’re still a golfer to this day.
I’m still a golfer. I have a love-hate relationship with golf. I’ve quit and picked it back up many times. But I still try to play, and that’s kinda how I connect with my dad nowadays. And my brother-in-law is an amazing golfer as well. So I go back to Texas and play with them as much as I can.
Do you have a favorite golf experience?
I do. Jim Nantz, the national treasure. Took me and my dad and brother-in-law to play Cypress Point in Monterey, California. Iconic course. You got Jim Nantz walking up to the 18th hole, giving you the lay of the land. Giving you the whole rundown, in his legendary voice. Great experience for me. I’ll never forget that. The 16th hole in Cyprus is a par 3 over the water. It’s beautiful. One of the most well-known holes in golf. I’ll never forget it.
Do you have other hobbies, besides acting and golfing?
When I crossed over the 30-year-old threshold, I got into cooking somehow. My girlfriend at the time taught me how to cook a whole chicken. So I started to pick up cooking, and then it accelerated. During the pandemic, there was nothing to do. So I’m the guy with the sourdough starter, and it was slightly embarrassing.
Then I picked up cycling. I hate calling it cycling. (Laughter). But now I’m that idiot in the full leotard. When I started, I thought I was never gonna do that. You know? It started with a hybrid bike, and I just felt like a kid out there. So fun and free. The year 2020 accelerated that hobby too. You’re just out there on a bike playing around. And now I’m doing the full triathlon thing. It’s a lot. It’s an addiction.
How do you stay even and centered with all the ups and downs of a Hollywood career?
All my time in the gym keeps me mentally sane. Riding the bike is very meditative for me. To balance out the nomadic lifestyle of traveling as an actor, and often living out of a suitcase, it’s important to establish your sacred home base. As I said I like to cook and stay at home with the dog. I guess that’s all I do. I’m a reader. I’m a nerdy reader who is very into books and just chilling at home.
Do you have a favorite book? A book that’s made a big impact on your life?
The first book I ever read was Where the Red Fern Grows. My dad bribed me with a Super Nintendo Ken Griffey video game if I finished the book. I’ll never forget that dangling carrot, which turned out to be an iconic video game. I fell in love with reading. The Lord of the Rings trilogy might be my favorite of all time. Julie Cameron’s The Artist’s Way made the greatest impact on me. Doing the morning pages, and sort of figuring all that stuff – a life-changing book. Lately, I read a lot the “self-help” nonfiction stuff.
What are some of your hopes for your future, both personal and career?
Hopes? I’ve had a good run on The Boys. But I definitely wanna create my own material and create my unique role. I have some ideas. Owning some IP, and having some more skin in the game from the ground up, is sort of where I see myself going. Donald Glover is an inspiration. I see all these people doing their material, and I think that’s my next adventure. I wanna go in that direction.
What’s your pet peeve?
I’ve got so many pet peeves. I feel like I’m the best driver in the world. I think everyone else doesn’t know how to drive. That’s the problem. No one uses blinkers. The little things bug me. I gotta check my anger. In the kitchen, if I’m doing the cooking thing, I need to just be there on my own. Don’t bother me while I’m cooking!
What inspires you in life?
If you’re ever getting down in the industry, it’s tough. If you’re ever feeling like you’ve lost that spark and that motivation, I turn to good older movies.
Good movies and good books are the well that I draw from. Finding that material – finding that book that creates a spark again – is very important. You gotta keep yourself interested and motivated because in this industry you can get discouraged pretty easily.
Circling back around, I was intrigued when you mentioned that acting class in college – a certain method that you were taught. What was that style of acting you learned, and do you still use those techniques? How would you describe your acting style?
I have drawn from a bunch of different things. In that class, I learned the Meisner technique, Sandy Meisner. It’s really like the Stanislavski Method – “the art of experiencing” – but it was very abstract for me at the time. They start with repetition and repeating what someone’s saying and it’s all about observation. Observing what someone’s doing, then speaking and reacting naturally, and learning to flow with your reactions and emotions as opposed to just saying the lines and getting it right and hitting your mark.
I did the Beverly Hills Playhouse too, which is more stage work, and it was a little more technical. The script breakdown I got from the method techniques. The playhouse was using more of your voice and movement on stage. It was bigger, and the critiques were helpful. The criticism of your work is how you improve.
And then even doing Gossip Girl, how technical it was, and formulaic shooting-wise. That crucible of doing day-in and day-out work is a big lesson. Learning on set how to be a pro, to get through a full day, and do take after take and do different things technically each time; was sort of like a class in itself.
Is there a certain genre of movie you enjoy watching and making? Or are you open to all types of films?
I’m a sci-fi nerd, although I’ve never made a sci-fi movie. I love those old-school comedies as well. Judd Apatow comedies, like 40-Year-Old Virgin and Stepbrothers. I mean, all the way to the other dramatic side of the cinematic spectrum. I loved Magnolia growing up. Boogie Nights. I was really into those two movies.
So as we wind down the interview, how would you define a nobleman?
A nobleman is someone who takes responsibility for themselves. To be a real, grown-up adult. I’m still learning to grow into myself, learn what I like, and learn who I wanna be around. All those things go into it. It’s protecting that sense of self. What do I want? And then to go after it in the world! It’s a little bit about being selfish with your time, focusing on doing exactly what you want to do, and not getting distracted.
Photography by Eric Michael Roy
Styling by Caroline DeJean
Words by Jesse Stirling
Grooming by KC Fee
Shot on Location: 921 Rivas Canyon Road, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Listed by Smith & Berg (Compass)
