Page 58 - Sharp September 2024

NO REGRETS
HOW LETTING GO LED TO SIMON REX’S NEW LEASE ON LIFE
By Ben Kriz
Photography by Elizabeth Weinberg (Anderson Hopkins Shot on location at 1 Hotel West Hollywood
S IMON REX HAS LED A SEMI-CHARMED LIFE. HIS 30-YEAR CAREER STARTED
as a model by accident (he was cast while waiting for his model girlfriend at her audition), became an MTV VJ in the ’90s, acted in a handful of dramas and sitcoms, joined a popular comedy franchise (Scary Movie), dated starlets, bought a house in Laurel Canyon, and toured the world after adopting the rapper-producer persona, Dirt Nasty, winning over fans with his carefree charm. He lived in the moment and didn’t overthink the future. Then, you saw less and less of him. His Hollywood agents stopped calling, and he was pushing 40, doing a hard-partying joke rap persona. It dawned on him that he might be “that guy.” You know the one — the middle-aged has-been. So, he decided to move to the California desert to see what would happen. Whatever it was, he would be happier doing that than being in L.A.
Then, in 2021, Rex made a stunning comeback in the critically acclaimed, Sean Baker–directed A24 film Red Rocket. He was both charming and unsettling in his performance as Mikey, a washed-up porn star returning to his Texas hometown. It’s a performance that has you rooting for the protagonist despite your better judgment. The film went to Cannes and it was there that Hollywood remembered Rex.
Ever since, the phone has started ringing again and Rex is more dialed in than ever, knowing that this is the time to not only gain some serious acting cred, but push harder than he ever has before. With a sunny outlook on life, imposter syndrome in check, and maybe taking himself a little more seriously than in the past, Rex’s resilience is paying dividends. This summer, he stars alongside Channing Tatum in Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut, Blink Twice, where he’s back to living the good life as the friend of a hedonistic tech billionaire — at least, until things start to get weird.
You recently celebrated your 50th birthday — happy belated!
Thank you. It’s a weird age to turn, but it also keeps getting better. Not physically, but it’s weird — at the same time [your] body’s kind of declining, and you start to be more at peace with who you are.
You look great. Do you have any tips for all of us?
No wife, no kids? [Laughs] Well, that may make you look more rested, but the flip side is you probably don’t have as rich and fulfilling a life without some foundation and family, like a free leaf in the wind. It’s both good and bad.
Switching gears, congrats on Blink Twice! How did you get involved with it?
Zoë [Kravitz], who wrote and directed the movie, cast it based on whether she could hang out with the person for two months at a resort in the middle of nowhere. She knew my work and had seen Red Rocket, so she knew I could play the role of Cody, Channing Tatum’s best friend and personal chef. It wasn’t really about the acting; it was more about whether she liked me and if I would bring good vibes. She’s smart because that’s so important. You’re basically at summer camp.
Steven Soderbergh told the Wall Street Journal that out of anybody he knows, Zoë Kravitz has a real shot as a first-time director to make some- thing really amazing based on her talent and character. What was it like working with her? I know what he means. She’s like a unicorn and when you meet her mom and dad, it makes sense. She’s a by-product of the coolest people, and not in a shallow way. She’s very intelligent and a calm in the storm.
She also taught me a lot. I kept wanting to do more [than was in the script]. I’d ask, “Hey, can I do this here? Or do that?” One day she said, “Simon, you’re enough.” Meaning I didn’t need to do all these bells and whistles. Just showing up and being there was enough. That was a big thing for me to hear. It was cool to learn that from Zoë, especially from someone 15 years younger than me.
You mentioned that shooting was just like summer camp. What was it like working with Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Naomi Ackie, and the rest of the cast?
You walk into these movies, and you just hope everyone’s cool. Because to be honest, sometimes actors can kind of suck.
I was surprised, not specifically at Chan- ning, but just at that level, that you could be so down-to-earth, normal, and cool. That’s not very common. It’s a testament to Zoë putting this group together. Even Geena Davis, an Oscar-winning
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