Even having spent most of my teenage years obsessed with how attractive he was, absolutely nothing prepared me for the sheer impact of sitting next to Chace Crawford. If you’ve ever wondered why you’re not famous, I can tell you why: it’s because there are people like him keeping the entry requirements astonishingly high.
Looking almost no older than he did when he played Nate Archibald in Gossip Girl, Chace Crawford was in London to promote his new Amazon Prime show – The Boys – another product of superheroes now becoming so ubiquitous that the rest of culture seems to exist only to parody them.
“What if superheroes existed in the real world – there were, like, a thousand of them and the top of the top are called The Seven... you have to audition. They’re owned by a big corporation, they’re like athletes where they’re contracted out to cities,” explains Crawford, who plays an Aquaman-adjacent figure in the story, “and then you have the other side of it, The Boys, a ragtag vigilante group of blue-collar guys.”
It’s interesting that, with the rise of superheroes, the attention actors have to pay to their bodies has also risen. Previously, we spoke to Jason Walsh, who trained Brie Larson for Captain Marvel, who said increasingly “there are ways of using [an actor’s physique] and manipulating it to help with the character building. It’s part of the character arc”, while Joivan Wade, who plays Cyborg in DC’s superhero show Doom Patrol, also said that auditions were now just as much about his abs as they are about his acting ability.
While Crawford was intrigued by the prospect of spending the show in skin-tight lycra – “There’s some helpful padding in the suit” – it was intimidating, but only required upping his gym frequency a little bit. “I don’t work with a personal trainer. I took it upon myself to get in there a little bit more,” he explained. For Crawford, keeping healthy is “the best natural Xanax”.
We asked how he keeps happy, healthy and fed when he’s working on a show. We only had a few minutes to chat, but I had enough time to invite myself over for coq au vin. Was he just being polite? You betcha. Have I booked my one way ticket to California? Oh, absolutely.
Monday
“Mondays start earlier. They try to get a 6am call time, trying to finish by 6pm, but it doesn't always happen. Say it goes until 9pm, it goes over, the next day you have to have a 12-hour turnaround, so it'll start at 9am. By Friday you may be starting at 1/2pm going until 4am. I don't mind that that much – you have your morning, you can work out. But, to be honest, with filming it's tough to get it in if you're starting at 6am.
“With this particular project, it's been a little bit easier because it's such a large ensemble cast. Everyone isn't working every single day, so if I get one [gym session] in on the weekend I can usually keep it up.”
Tuesday
“I wish I could work out on set. I'm sure if you're The Rock you have a full semi-trailer with a full gym. Which would be amazing because there's so much downtime with lunch. There's been a few times where I've snuck off if I have a big gap. I tend to blast through it. I don't sit around on my phone, I do it in 35-40 minutes.
“During the week I try to cook a lot, cook dinner. But if not, Postmates and Uber Eats have some good stuff. I don't have a lot of arrows in the sling [but] I do make a mean coq au vin. I'm probably butchering the pronunciation, but it's super easy and it tastes real good if you do it right. I can roast a really good chicken – super boring – [and make] a decent pasta, which is rare.”
Wednesday
“I work out in the mornings. I'm not technically a morning person: I envy the people who can get up at 5am and go and get it over with by 6.30. I've just never... it always makes me feel sick; I don't have the energy. I like to get there at 8am and then you're done by 9am. It's nice, you have energy, you're clear-headed.
“I try to do at least five days a week. I'm kinda old school, I don't really buy into all these new things, nothing too complicated. I do a lot of body weights: dips, pull-ups, push-ups, bench, all that kinda classic stuff. I like to do circuit training: push/pull. If I'm doing bench, some sort of push-up. I'll mix it in with the pull-up, do four different things – circuits like that for back and chest one day.”
Thursday
“I don't like breakfast to be a big decision. I do a pretty standard protein shake with some healthy stuff, some greens – it takes ten minutes – or do eggs and avocado. I try to make it as quick and painless as possible. Some black coffee. I tried activated coffee a little bit, but not too much any more.
“I used to have zero self-control or restraint on set. It depends if the food's good or not. If there's a bad craft service you just don't worry about it. A lot of times I'll bring my own snacks now – seeds and nuts – but on set I do tend to over-caffeinate. I drink a ton of coffee and try to keep the energy up.”
Friday
“If I’m travelling and doing press, you've just got to roll with the punches. If you find an hour gap, you go back to the hotel and fit in a 40-minute thing. I don't really stress about it too much. Being at home in your routine is nice, but if you're out and doing press I don't beat myself over the head too much. Most places have healthy options, but you're on the go. Don't think about it too much.”
Saturday and Sunday
“When it comes to fitness and nutrition I try to do 80/20: on the weekends I let myself do whatever to maintain my mental health, otherwise you go crazy. If I have downtime, I have a dog in LA, go for hikes, walk the dog, play golf on the weekends. But I like to hang with friends; I'm very social. I like to read books, keep to myself, and at the weekends I hang out.
“I'm not very good at social media. I don't really pay attention to it and guard my private life. I'm in a pretty good spot. I used to get it worse but I can still walk down the street and go to dinner... it's not too crazy for me. But, to be honest, the best natural Xanax is working out. It helps me sleep better, keeps me level-headed, and if I stick to my routine throughout the week it's all good.
The Boys is out now on Amazon Prime.
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