Biografie

Though born in the Bronx, New York, was raised outside of Portland, Oregon, where his parents relocated when he was just six months old.

He is of Ukrainian Jewish, Irish Catholic, as well as French, Finnish, German, Spanish and Swedish descent.

Attended Portland State University for a year and a half before dropping out to pursue an acting career.

Favorite movies include 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), Blade Runner (1982), Enter the Void (2009), Son of Saul (2015).

Studied acting under master teacher, William Esper, at his studio in NYC.

[on the legacy of his debut film Love (2015)] It's going to go down as one of the more risqué films in history. It's a love story but yeah, the sex scenes are in 3D. I may be the first full frontal in 3D, not in porn but in a feature film with a world-wide theatrical release. If so, I feel like Neal Armstrong. The thought of the movie exciting people pleases me. Ultimately, I hope people like what the movie does to them. It's not a traditional movie. It's better to be open to the unexpected.

[on how some of the risqué shots in Love were achieved] There are a few ejaculations in the movie. They had to use some computer effects to enhance one of the ejaculations, make the ejaculation pop a little bit. You as an audience member get a 3D facial.

[on the stress of the Love almost getting canceled] It was so stressful for me to hear the updates. It was literally a fine line between you're doing a movie in 3D, the most insane movie in 3D with your favorite director, or you're not. All this crazy stuff happened where the funding for the movie fell through days before we were actually supposed to start shooting. It got so down to the line whether or not the movie was happening, whether or not it was going to be in 3D. Then the lead actress dropped out. It was a famous English supermodel before. I mean I'm not going to say her name, because she was originally supposed to be in the movie but for personal reasons had to drop out.

[on being shot by cinematographer Benoit Debie] I was very proud to see myself in a picture shot by Benoit Debie. There is a reason why Gaspar likes working with him, the man is a genius with light. This is by far the most beautifully shot movie I have ever been a part of. I am proud.

[on doing full frontal nudity in his very first film] To do full frontal you have to be completely comfortable with everything that's going on down there. Or just really uncomfortable and say fuck it here we go. There were times when we were laying on the bed and it was cold in the room, and I was getting self conscious about that and he said, "In this shot your dick is small, in the next shot it will be big." There's dick of all different shapes and sizes in this movie. My dick has it's own character arc. So there was no digital enhancement, there were no weights added. It's all au naturel. It'll definitely be a focus. Whenever you put a cock in a movie, people tend to put a focus on it. The thing about the full frontal is, I really wanted to work with Gaspar. I was up for anything Gaspar had in mind because who knows if I'd ever have another chance to work with him. And Gaspar demands a lot, he wants daring people. And I need to try challenging things.