One New Yorker Taking Hollywood by Storm: Ben Schnetzer

BORN TO DO IT. Up-and-coming New York actor Ben Schnetzer is one to watch. DA MAN catches up with him to chat about making mistakes and learning from the best

 

T-shirt by Sunspel

A new generation of actor with a mature head on his shoulders, Ben Schnetzer possesses a wide range of talents that you are only going to see more of. Dedicated to his craft from a young age, Schnetzer is ambitiously committed to every role he takes on, an actor who uses outlying pressures to his definitive advantage. Following a breakthrough performance in war drama movie “The Book Thief,” the twenty-four-year-old has many more exciting roles on the horizon.

DA MAN: Hi Ben, your star seems to be burning brightly right now, how do you feel?
Ben Schnetzer: I feel very, very grateful. The opportunities I’ve had over the past year and a half have been amazing, and it’s been great motivation to stay focused and work as hard as I can.

 

Blazer and trousers by J. Crew, T-shirt by A.P.C

 

DA MAN: In your upcoming film “Pride,” you play a young gay Irish activist. How did you find this experience?
Ben Schnetzer: “Pride” was a real highlight for me. The fact that it’s a true story added an extra sense of responsibility to the preparation. As such, we all tried to serve those who inspired it with as much honesty and integrity as we could, which meant countless hours of historical prep and dialect work.

DA MAN: You’re working another film, “The Riot Club,” which is based on the acclaimed play “Posh.” It has a great young cast including Max Irons, Douglas Booth and Sam Claflin. What was the environment like on and off set?
Ben Schnetzer: The environment on “The Riot Club” was remarkable. It was the first time since school that I had the chance to work with actors my own age, and it was very inspiring. All my fellow cast members were talented and unconditionally supportive, which made for a hell of a shoot. We even ended up turning into a fraternity ourselves! I literally just got back from Glastonbury music festival with all “The Riot Club” boys about an hour ago.