Charles Melton: Riverdale truly was my Juilliard I was learning and growing

I’m late to the Charles Melton Hype Train, but now I’m on board 100%. He’s great and he’s running a very effective Oscar campaign for his performance in Todd Haynes’ May December. He not only holds his own with two Oscar-winning actresses, he steals scenes from Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, both of whom are acting their asses off. Melton’s quiet turmoil is remarkable, and he is spectacular as a childlike man still coming to terms with how he was abused and manipulated. That being said, it’s not necessarily a “showy” role, so I’m not sure if Melton is really a shoo-in for the big awards. Which is where his campaign comes in – in every interview I’ve read with him, he’s just lovely. He shows a lot of respect for the teen dramas like Riverdale and he’s leaning hard into his half-Korean roots. Melton recently spoke to I-D Magazine. Some highlights:

Connecting to the script: “I think it would be an actor’s dream for every script they get sent to feel this immediate connection to the character and the story. I don’t think it’s like that most of the time, but when I got Samy [Burch]’s script, I felt that.” Charles was determined to book the gig. He cut short a prior work commitment and told his family he needed to miss an upcoming reunion (they were super supportive) to prepare. In the end, it took him six hours to record his self-tape, starting over until he was satisfied he’d done the best he possibly could. Of course, he got it: “Maybe this is kind of a heady thing to say, but [from that point on] it was up to me to paint in the colours of [Samy’s] map.”

He worked with two acting coaches to nail his character: “Joe [is] preverbal. It’s hard for him to communicate. He’s been conditioned and influenced by society telling him at such a young age what he was, who he was supposed to be. Todd [Haynes] helped guide me throughout that whole process, which was incredible. He was someone I’d always dreamed of working with. I rewatched everything he’d made before we shot. Velvet Goldmine twice, Safe, Poison. He’s a genius.” Acting is an often mysterious art form credited mostly to the individual performer, or perhaps at most a particularly attentive director, but Charles maintains: “I believe it takes a village.”

His preparation for a quick, indie-film-like shoot: “It’s not so much what you do in the season as what you do in the off-season.” He shot May December in just 23 days in Georgia last year. The time leading up to it was what mattered the most. During that prep time, he was watching films like In the Mood for Love (especially Tony Leung’s performance) and Brokeback Mountain (to see how Heath Ledger captured his closeted cowboy character’s “personal conflict”), as well as speaking with Todd and those aforementioned coaches, all to make sense of his character. “I was learning how certain emotions live in the body. I can get so in my own head, going against my body’s natural instinct, because of all these structured ideas that almost restrain the performance….I probably need to chill out.”

He’s not a Method actor: “I do have certain exercises that can separate the character from myself, and as I’m discovering how I like to work, I’m finding my technicality means I have the freedom to just let go. I don’t need to suffer.” So no method acting then? “The idea of causing suffering and pain to others around you, in order to tell your story for the character… That is not my cup of chamomile tea.”

Saying goodbye to Riverdale this year. “Obviously it frees up more time for projects like May December, but I learned so much being there. I formed relationships that I will have until the end of my days. It really helped me refine this work ethic. Riverdale truly was my Juilliard – I was learning and growing and playing and taking risks. I was allowed to do that. We just had our final season, so you know, it’s… It’s bittersweet. But I’m so happy it brought joy to so many people.”

[From I-D]

People have feelings about “Riverdale truly was my Juilliard.” But it’s true – and it’s something Julianne Moore probably understood too, she got her start on a soap opera. Many young actors learn their craft in that particular trial by fire, doing soap operas or cheesy teen dramas or bad sitcoms. They learn how to quickly memorize their lines, improv, hit their marks, figure out their angles and still try to work with whatever they’re given. Not everyone has to learn their craft at Julliard! Melton is consistently complimentary of his time on Riverdale, and he’s often compared (favorably) to Jacob Elordi, who talked sh-t about some of the cheesy movies he did to get his start. I get it but I think it would be fine if Melton talked sh-t about Riverdale too. It’s nice that he doesn’t, but his Oscar campaign isn’t going to hinge on it.

He’s eating with his awards-season fashion as well.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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