Most people [who I've spoken to] have felt alone at some point, whether that's been for 10 minutes, 10 years or their whole lives. I related to him feeling like he was by himself. Eli had his brother [in the film] despite his mother treating him badly but I related to it because I've felt alone before. For example, you can be in a crowd full of people but not gelling with anyone because you don't like their energy, so you feel alone. I remembered the exact feeling and implicated that into the performance.
