Interview

COLMAN: Chuck’s quite the dandy. Are your own fashion choices a bit more conservative?

WESTWICK: Well . . . conservative would be one word. I don’t go out of my way to wear something that’s just come off a runway.

COLMAN: It’s funny—your character talks with an American accent but dresses with a British accent.

WESTWICK: There’s something in that. There are a few things in Chuck’s wardrobe where he drops little hints. He has a pair of cuff links with the Union Jack on them and stuff like that. But even now some people still don’t know that I’m British. They’re shocked when they hear my accent.

COLMAN: What do you like about New York that you don’t get in London?

WESTWICK: It’s 24/7 here—it really is. It’s nonstop. I mean, I’m young, I’ve got the energy, and it just seems like everything is at your doorstep. You can have it in the click of your fingers, which can make one lazy, I guess. You don’t really have to leave your apartment for anything.

COLMAN: What’s the longest you’ve stayed in your apartment?

WESTWICK: Oh, god, I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever spent 24 hours here. I need fresh air, you know? As fresh as New York air can be . . .

COLMAN: What’s the latest you’ve ever gotten home?

WESTWICK: [laughs] Probably like three days later.

COLMAN: That’s pretty good. So you are really taking advantage of the 24/7 . . .

WESTWICK: Look, there are a lot of cool things to do in New York, you know? You’ve got such a variety of . . . of fun to get involved in. And, of course, like anyone, you’re young and you like to . . .

COLMAN: Go to museums.

WESTWICK: Go to museums, exactly.

COLMAN: So what’s the worst trouble you’ve ever gotten into in New York?

WESTWICK: Wow, let me think. I’ve pretty much been under the radar. I don’t even think I’ve been kicked out of the clubs.

COLMAN: Goddamn it! What the hell’s going on with you?

WESTWICK: The kids today, man. We’re just not that scandalous.

COLMAN: When I was in boarding school in Connecticut we would come down to New York for weekends . . . So there’s a lot of weird nostalgia for me watching the show. A lot of it is actually frighteningly accurate. During my senior year in high school, two students at my school flew down to Venezuela for spring break and came back with almost a pound of cocaine to distribute. They got caught, and, like, about 15 students were thrown out. It was a crazy scandal. I think it made the cover of The New York Post.

WESTWICK: Well, I won’t be making any trips to Venezuela to pick up a pound of cocaine anytime soon. I’ve pretty much been good. The biggest trouble I got in was being hit by a cab when I was playing soccer in the street outside a bar somewhere—which is foolish, but that’s about it.

COLMAN: What do you miss about London?

WESTWICK: I’m a big fan of London in the summertime. English people are dependent on weather to change our attitudes, and, provided it’s a decent summer, everyone’s spirits are uplifted and the whole place is in bloom. It’s a magical transformation. London in the summer, going to see bands play outside, watching football . . .

COLMAN: Are you pursuing other roles in movies?

WESTWICK: Yes. Right now is a crucial time in terms of what decisions I make. I want to pursue other roles; I want to pursue different characters. I’ve been really, really pleased with what’s been happening, but I want to do other things. I’ve learned so much playing this character, but there’s so much more out there. You have to do things that excite you; you have to have a passion for your work. Otherwise you’re just a face on the screen. We’re trying to be raconteurs here—we’re trying to tell stories.

COLMAN: What character would you love to play?

WESTWICK: Being from England, and being a lad, I have to say James Bond. It would be wrong of me to say anything else.

COLMAN: You’re in the sequel to Donnie Darko [2001]. When did you first see the original?

WESTWICK: I probably saw it two or three years ago. I think it was a boring night, and we rented a movie. Obviously I’d heard a lot about it . . . This was before Gossip Girl. When I first saw it I didn’t really get all the hype. Then, of course, you look closer. Richard Kelly did a great job, and so did the cast. But the original is not the most watchable movie. A lot of people just don’t want to think too much when they see a film, you know? They just want to be taken on a story and get some laughs and, when the film finishes, be able to know what happened. The original
Donnie Darko was quite confusing at times.

COLMAN: The whole thing is confusing. What kind of character do you not want to read another script for?

WESTWICK: Well, for right now, I don’t want to do something where I play a kid in a school. And I don’t understand these spoof movies. I’m actually a big fan of the first Scary Movie

[2000], but it just kind of dragged on to things like Not Another Teen Movie [2001] and Meet the Spartans [2008], and you just end up thinking, “What the fuck? Is anyone going to watch this stuff?” It’s just a waste of money and energy.