TWILIGHT’S BILLY BURKE
Tag: interviews
Year: 2008
Source: tdink.com
In 2008 Billy Burke was photographed and interviewed by David C Lee.
The pictures and their chat were published on TDink, an online magazine showcasing the latest fashion and cutting-edge trends.
Scroll down to watch BTS footage and an interview with Young Hollywood where Billy talks about Twilight and this photo shoot.
shoes by SALVATORE FERRAGAMO | ring ACTOR'S OWN |
watch by MOSSIMO | belt by TED BAKER | hat by ALBRIZIO
photography and interview by David C Lee
styling by Lisa Bae and Keely Maroney
makeup and grooming by Samuel Paul using MAC COSMETICS
wardrobe assistant Martin Estrada
Billy Burke can be seen on the big screen playing Charlie Swan on the Megahit Twilight. Suave, debonair and handsome are words that describe his persona. He reminds us of a modern Cary Grant—classic in nature and extremely down to earth.
What is your philosophy on life?
Do not under any circumstances, get fooled into taking yourself seriously enough to think that your “philosophy on life” will ever be implemented enough to make any significant difference in ANYONE’S existence– especially your own.
Who or what inspires you?
Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. Seriously, I don’t mean to take the piss out of this question but as I see it, inspiration is a completely subjective concept. Anyone who says that they are consistently inspired by anything, will ultimately end up a liar. Inspiration by nature, is an accident. It happens when you least expect it and with any luck, when you most need it. Shame on me if I ever put the responsibility to inspire me on anyone else’s shoulders.
watch by MOSSIMO | shirt by POSTAGE |
tie by CLUB MONACO| ring ACTOR'S OWN
How did you get into acting?
I fucked a casting director. Again, kidding. What’s funny is that people actually think it’s as easy as that. I wish.
To be honest, aside from high school drama class, I’ve never even met an acting teacher, so it had nothing to do with honing any sort of craft. (I sincerely hope that no one who reads this, takes that as advice). Early on, I felt pretty confident that if I could somehow get myself some opportunities, my abilities would speak for themselves. I’m a big believer in trusting one’s own instincts.
If being an actor is something that you MUST do, there is nothing more valuable than persistence. Talent, a lot of the time, is virtually worthless. Making your own luck is paramount. Aside from that, you must be willing, for a large part of your life to sacrifice pretty much everything that’s not life or death.
Truth is, I’m never NOT acting. I’m acting right now. From the moment I wake up, I’m playing one role or another, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. I really don’t know how I’ve managed to make a living at it. It’s certainly never a breeze but it’s a sweet life if you can develop the stomach for it. There must be a part of me that enjoys perpetual heartache.
watch by MOSSIMO | ring ACTOR'S OWN | pocket square VINTAGE
If you weren’t an actor, what would you be?
Most likely, I’d be asleep. But I would have liked to have had some success in music.
Tell us about your singing background. I understand that you were part of a band before?
Yeah, I spent the early years playing in a couple different variations of rock bands back in Seattle. I moved to L.A. just before the music explosion occurred up there. We actually shared a rehearsal space with the guys who became ALICE IN CHAINS. When their first album hit, I realized that the stuff my band was doing would never have been a part of that movement.
I still write and play my own songs. Mostly piano based tunes you’d hear in a shitty, downtown bar at closing time. Someday I’ll get off my ass and make a record or two of my own.
Do you have any aspirations to do your own projects? If so, tell us about them:
I have a script that I wrote a few years back that I hope to someday bring to life and I’m currently working on getting a cable series that a friend of mine wrote, produced. It wouldn’t make any sense to speak about either project in any sort of detail, but the answer is– yes, I do have some aspirations along those lines.
left:
knit cardigan by GAP
black tie by JIL SANDER
blue shirt by HUGO BOSS
slacks by MARC JACOBS
shoes by 100 STYLES AND RUNNING
ring ACTOR’S OWN
belt by TED BAKER
watch by MOSSIMO
right:
gray henley by JOHN VARVATOS
striped shirt by POSTAGE DENIM
jeans and belt ACTOR’S OWN
watch by MOSSIMO
shoes by 100 STYLES AND RUNNING
hat STYLISTS OWN
shoes by JOHN VARVATOS | sweater vest by CASSETTE |
tie by CLUB MONACO | ring ACTOR'S OWN
Where do you see your career going in the future?
Listen, I would feel like an absolute douche bag trying to answer this question with too much self awareness. I just want to keep working. I’d love to continue to give myself a longer leash and enable myself to make progressively ballsier choices. I’d also like to do at least one Western, at least one musical, and definitely a screwball comedy or two like the old Mel Brooks movies.
pocket square by BARNEYS NYC | shoes by FERRAGAMO
Do you feel like you relate to your character in Twilight?
Sure, a little bit. I feel like you have to be able to find a thing or two in any character you play that you can identify with, even if those things are not necessarily admirable. The self-imposed distance Charlie keeps between himself and others, most unfortunately between he and his daughter, is an idiosyncrasy I had to cop to. It is what spoke to me most immediately as I was reading the script. I’m hoping my own newborn daughter will help me get past and grow out of that bullshit.
pants by GAP | shoes by CONVERSE by JOHN VARVATOS |
tie by GAP | hat STYLISTS OWN | belt by TED BAKER
What are some of your favorite restaurants?
Del Taco, Sushi Ike, Amalfi on La Brea, Lucy’s El Adobe, and McDonalds for breakfast.
Who are some of your favorite clothing designers? Tell us about your sense of style:
I have a uniform. T-shirt and jeans. Various brands of each. My sense of style is an unfortunate denigration of living through the late 80’s and what I remember of the 90’s. I seem to have accumulated a lot of CHROME HEARTS stuff over the years and HUGO BOSS did send me a kick-ass suit for the “Twilight” premiere.
Every once in awhile I’ll make an effort to put a look together. Most the time it’s influenced by my rock n’ roll dreams of yesteryear.
Where are you originally from? Can you tell us about your childhood?
I grew up in Bellingham, Washington. Industrial/college town just south of the Canadian border. Pretty good place to ride motorbikes in the woods and build skateboard ramps, but the day I graduated high school I hitch-hiked to Seattle to get the fuck out. Most of my youth was spent dreaming of being David Bowie and waiting for ski season to start.
My mentality and value system continue to be colored by what I consider to be the best elements of a borderline white trash upbringing.
watch by MOSSIMO | ring ACTOR'S OWN | pocket square VINTAGE
Do you have anything to say to your fans?
Yes. Where are you? I promise, I’m not as much of an A-hole as I sound like in this interview.
tuxedo shirt by CHRISTIAN DIOR
pinstripe vest and bowtie STYLISTS OWN
slacks by GIORGIO ARMANI
shoes by FERRAGAMO
belt by TED BAKER
cufflinks by EVERYTHING’S JAKE
Pictures courtesy of David Christopher Lee.
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