Drew Starkey didn't audition for Luca Guadagnino's “Queer” — instead, the project found him.
The 30-year-old “Outer Banks” star was sending out self-recording tapes for various other projects when a producer friend showed Guadagnino one of Starkey's tapes. Then Starkey got a call saying the “Challengers” and “Call Me by Your Name” director wanted to have breakfast with him.
“I said to myself, ‘Well, this is crazy,’” Starkey says. diverse Via Zoom from his home in Los Angeles. He sported a short haircut and mustache, his black T-shirt contrasting with a psychedelic painting as a backdrop. Over the next two months, the two shared several meals as Guadagnino explained his vision for “Queer,” an adaptation of the 1985 Beat Generation novel by William S. Burroughs. Starkey eventually signed up for Eugene Allerton, a drug-addicted retired Marine who Daniel Craig’s William Lee becomes infatuated with in 1940s Mexico City — and got the part.
“It felt really natural,” Starkey says. “It doesn’t usually work that way. But I think it’s a testament to Luca really wanting to get to know his actors as much as possible, not just from a performance perspective, but from a human perspective. And I didn’t care if it was going to lead to anything — I was like, ‘Great, I’m going to sit down and have a conversation with a director and an artist that I respect and admire. What a beautiful thing.’”
Now, with “Queer” premiering at the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday night, Starkey is preparing to experience the same iconic moment Guadagnino is contemplating ahead of him, as are Timothée Chalamet and Josh O’Connor. Below, he chats with diverse On becoming a movie star, filming sexy scenes with Craig and why his role in 'Queer' was his biggest acting challenge yet.
Tell me a little about how you got started in acting.
It was 1993, I was just a kid… No, I grew up doing theater and I always had a passion for it without any kind of understanding of how to do it professionally. I loved being on stage. I was a very shy kid growing up, and for some reason I think getting up in front of people and performing was a way of expressing myself that I didn’t have in my real life, so it was a lot of fun for me. I ended up going to college to study theater and during that time I found this passion for film and cinema. So yeah, that was always a part of me, but I didn’t start doing it professionally until I was 22 or 23.
What were some of your favorite movies as a kid?
I grew up in this small town in a kind of rural area. [in North Carolina]Movies were a window into the world that I wouldn't have had access to otherwise. Suddenly, I had access to these different, weird, crazy, amazing people, whereas where I grew up, there was a kind of code of conduct, to put it mildly, about what kind of person you could be. It really expanded my world. I remember falling in love with movies when I was very young.
My dad showed me a lot of Paul Newman movies, like Cool Hand Luke, when I was 13. We also watched Forrest Gump — I watched that movie from the time I was 8 until I was 19. I probably watched it 100 times. Then, on my own, I discovered Paul Thomas Anderson movies. I remember watching There Will Be Blood when I was 13 or 14, and it was like a barrier breaker. I thought, “This is what a movie can be.” And then that opened the door to a million other filmmakers.
You got your first taste of fame during the COVID-19 pandemic on Netflix's Outer Banks. What was it like to have your life change overnight, but not be able to fully live it?
It was very strange and unreal… It was a very late process. We didn't get that much publicity until a year and a half in, really. At least that was my experience – I was able to hide in the shadows a little bit. But I think that was a good thing in the end, because if we had started working right after the first season and got out into the world, it would have been very difficult for me to adjust to it.
Now we've come here, with “Queer,” your first film festival entry. Were you familiar with Burroughs' work before?
I had never read “Queer.” I had read “Junkie” in high school, and I pretended I knew what was going on, like, “Yeah, I’m reading Burroughs.” But no, after my first meeting with Luca, I ordered the book and read it in one day, and I read it fast. I’m very obsessed with the Beat Generation, especially Kerouac and Ginsberg.
What kind of sense did you get of your character from the book and from Guadagnino? What did he want you to bring to Allerton?
The ambiguity, really, was a challenge. I remember Luca asking me, “Can you play someone who’s hard to read?” and I said, “I do that every day of my life.” I feel like I’m a hard person to read. But yeah, he’s a mysterious character and kind of confined in himself, but there’s a sense of longing there. And I wanted to protect him in some way and guide him through that.
I think Allerton, as Lee's counterpart, is the one who makes sense at this point. Lee is constantly trying to crack open his skull and see what's inside, and sometimes he does and sometimes all the walls come up. He's so mysterious and enigmatic, but also loving. And I still – it sounds crazy, but I swear I still ask questions about him. I still think about him. It was so hard to break through and it was the biggest challenge I've ever had as an actor, and it was really fun.
Complimentary point of view
Tell me about working with Daniel Craig. Were you blown away the first time you met him?
I think everyone is like, “Oh, yeah” when Daniel walks into the room. But of course, after five minutes, that feeling goes away and you’re like, “Oh, yeah.” He’s such a sweet, funny, lovely, giving actor and a good friend. He’s everything. But yeah, I mean, it was business and we got into it really quickly. He didn’t take anything seriously. Of course, I was like, “Oh, my God, this is crazy.” But Daniel was always so lighthearted, and I would have collapsed on that set if Daniel wasn’t there just to keep it moving. He’s the best.
How did you two get to know each other and create the dynamic of your characters?
Well, we definitely had to work on that. I think the nice thing is that there’s a kind of natural progression in the filming process anyway, in the story. It’s these two people trying to understand each other, and we were doing that on set. We had a few table reads and Luca was the guiding factor in the way these two people worked. He was always like, “There has to be love here,” so that was always in mind. But Daniel and I jumped into the rehearsals of the movement and the choreography together — it’s a great way to get to know someone. But it felt cohesive and natural. There was nothing forced. We just jumped in like, “Okay, we’re ready.”
You and Daniel share some exciting scenes together. What was it like filming those scenes?
You treat it like you would anything else. You obviously have more value with it and you communicate more on the day about people's comfort levels. But Daniel and I were up for anything. We were like, 'Let's go, let's have fun.' So he was a great partner in that. I think he and I share the same mindset of not caring. And Luca was very specific — he wanted us to be as comfortable as possible throughout the process, and we would figure out where these intimate scenes would happen and we would talk months in advance about what we thought they should be. It was also like a dance. We were trying to figure it out. But those were some of the most fun days I think we all had on set — just Daniel and I laughing.
This is your biggest film role to date. Were you ever intimidated, especially working with a director like Guadagnino?
I always feel like I'm screwing it up, especially in the beginning, I'm like, “This isn't right.” But I knew I could trust Luca very quickly because he'll tell you if it's not right. A lot of times, it's because of my insecurities. We actors are fragile, insecure people. We just want that acceptance. Once I was able to get that out of the way after I went into filming, it was a lot smoother. But yeah, it's always scary. No matter what. I mean, I feel like that on “Outer Banks” too. The first week or two, I'm like, “Oh, I'm screwing this up.”
What do you hope viewers take away from Queer, and from your performance in particular?
Oh, I hope they don't hate me, really. That's a request. I hope this movie is the kind of movie that opens new doors for me, like There Will Be Blood was for me when I was 14. I think if I saw this movie when I was 14, it would break a barrier and really motivate me to watch other movies in the same genre. This movie is very unique and special and has its own character, but I hope it highlights a whole new side of cinema for people.
In your career, what types of projects are you looking for?
I just want to work with good people, people who have a vision and are not very predictable. I want variety, and I don't want to stay in one job for too long. And I'm going to work with Luca until I die, so
