Sunny Suljic

IS A RAY OF LIGHT…

He might only be 13, but actor Sunny Suljic, hailing from the US state of Georgia, has already lit up the screen in the likes of The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot and The House With A Clock In Its Walls. He steps into the spotlight as skater wannabe Stevie for Jonah Hill’s directorial debut, Mid90s.

How did you get involved?

Jonah didn’t know I acted, but he knew of me through a friend. He was like, “Bring some suggestions of kids that skate around LA.” So Jonah and I went to the skate park, and just started talking. He was like, “Do you have any acting experience?”I told him I was in The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, and he was like, “No fucking way!”

Was it more important that you were a skater than an actor?

All the other cast members don’t act. Jonah wanted it to be authentic skaters, because skating has been messed up constantly on screen – people just over-exaggerate it. But everyone had the talent, they understood how to act.

You weren’t alive for the ’90s. Did Jonah give you a crash course in the culture?

Oh, 100 million per cent. Jonah gave all the cast members iPods with a playlist of his favourite ’90s songs, and we would have movie nights. But before filming I was pretty up to date because skating never really changed. It just stayed in the ’90s. People still rock that kind of clothing.

Have you always wanted to be an actor?

I never thought about not acting. I genuinely enjoy it. Becoming another character; I’ve always been doing that. Even when I was three, four or five, I would impersonate the kid from

The Shining or Austin Powers. So,

I fell in love with it, and I don’t think I’ll stop anytime soon. JF

ETA | 12 APRIL / MID90S OPENS LATER THIS MONTH.