Emile Hirsch

Even though he’s sporting fluffy hair and outlandish glasses, Emile Hirsch holds his own in the biopic Milk, in which he plays unlikely activist Cleve Jones opposite Sean Penn, who’s already receiving Oscar buzz for his performance as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to hold American office. The 23-year-old called us recently to discuss 1970s fashion, weight loss, and what it was like to act alongside the man who directed him in Into the Wild.

Time Out New York: You were born in 1985. What was your biggest challenge in portraying a gay man in the 1970s?
Emile Hirsch: I just think it was a different mentality back then. This is before AIDS, so he’s not thinking about that. He’s not necessarily thinking about the risks. So I talked to guys about what it was like for them back then, and I tried to understand their way of thinking and how free they were and how much fun they were having. I was just trying to get into that mode, you know?

TONY: I thought you might say that it was the hair. Is the crazy ’fro you sport in the movie a wig?
Emile Hirsch: No, that’s my hair. I grew it out a little bit, but that’s my hair. But my hair is naturally that curly. I straighten it in all the movies I do.

TONY: Really?
Emile Hirsch: No, that’s bullshit. Sucker!

TONY: Doh! You also wear some pretty crazy eyeglasses in the movie.
Emile Hirsch: Occasionally, when I’m not wearing my contacts I’ll wear thin titanium frames that are almost weightless. These were so much different. They actually bruised my nose bone. They were so frickin’ heavy. It was like wearing an anvil on my face.

TONY: Cleve Jones is the brainchild behind the AIDS Memorial Quilt. No offense, but you don’t look like much of a quilter.
Emile Hirsch: My quilting skills are purely in the fictional world, a.k.a. nonexistent. Maybe I’ll take a role someday where I’m a quilter, though. I could get really into my character and just quilt all day.

TONY: Sean Penn directed you in Into the Wild, and now he’s your costar. Which Penn do you prefer?
Emile Hirsch: It’s kind of like being asked to play basketball with your coach when you act with him versus being directed by him. It’s very different. Actors, whenever they’re working together, have a camaraderie. And we were just mischief makers on Milk.

TONY: Did you TP director Gus Van Sant’s trailer or something?
Emile Hirsch: No, nothing like that. We were just kind of like goofsters. [Sean] wasn’t directing the movie, so it’s like a whole different thing. It was kind of more “chill” in a certain sense.

TONY: Now that you’ve vicariously experienced the 1970s, what’s your stance on disco?
Emile Hirsch: What’s my stance on disco? It’s a funky stance—as soon as I strike it. I strike a funky stance.

TONY: You famously lost 40 pounds for Into the Wild. Any advice on how I should go about shedding fat after I inevitably pig out this Thanksgiving?
Emile Hirsch: You just gotta start eating salads every day, and running every day as well. You know when you’re eating shit food, you know? When you’re eating chips, you’re like, This is pretty bad for me but it tastes so damn good! You’ve just got to cut out all those “I know I shouldn’t be doing this” kinds of foods and you will lose the weight lightning quick.

TONY: Thanks. You should totally do Emile Hirsch’s Guide to Dieting.
Emile Hirsch: That would be pretty cool. It’s pretty fun giving people motivational speaking advice on how to lose weight.

TONY: Your next movie is called Taking Woodstock. I assume it has nothing to do with Snoopy.
Emile Hirsch: Snoopy?

TONY: Yeah. His best friend is a bird named Woodstock.
Emile Hirsch: That’s funny. Yeah, the movie is all about kidnapping Snoopy’s bird.

TONY: I can’t wait to see it then! Many critics were mystified by Speed Racer. Did you agree with them?
Emile Hirsch: No. I love that movie. The Wachowski brothers are so brilliant, and I was just happy to get to be part of their vision. I still love kicking back and watching that on Blu-ray.

TONY: Has Sean Penn said anything to you about that one?
Emile Hirsch: I know he’s seen it. But we haven’t really discussed it.

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