Charles Melton On His Breakout Year And More

In “May December,” Charles Melton appears as Joe Yoo, a young father who was seduced by his manipulative older wife as a teenager. Joe is shy, stoop-shouldered, and sporting a noticeable potbelly as if his emotional problems are a physical burden.

In reality, Melton, who’s 33, is square-jawed and self-assured, back to the athletic physique that aided his rise to teen stardom at the start of his career. Melton—who reportedly has a net worth of $7 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth—is the latest former teen dream to make the leap to respected actor, alongside the likes of Austin Butler and Jacob Elordi.

For “May December,” Melton was critically praised and nominated for several high-stakes honors, including a Golden Globe, a Critics Choice Award, and a Film Independent Spirit Award. Although his name was heavily predicted by award prognosticators as part of the shortlist for an Academy Award, the Oscar nod passed him by.

Nowadays, when he’s not acting, he’s often nesting at his home in the Silver Lake neighborhood of L.A., where he lives with his 4-year-old Siberian husky, Neya. His life largely consists of watching football or the anime show “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,” and journaling.

Here are a few things Charles Melton and his colleagues revealed to WSJ. Magazine…

Natalie Portman, co-star in May December, on Melton’s transformation for the role:

“It’s only been now, where I see him so physically and emotionally transformed as himself, that I realize how in character he was back then,” Portman says. “He’s so confident and charismatic and physically coordinated, and while we were filming it was all so utterly the opposite.”

Melton on his racial identity and experiences growing up in places like Kansas and Texas:

“Sometimes we can get caught up in the way someone else perceives us,” Melton says. “So we’re living more so for that perception of us, instead of our own identity.”

Melton on learning to fit in by shape-shifting to fit into different environments:

He learned how to shape-shift from a young Korean boy with blond-dyed bangs to an all-American high-schooler, molding his outer layers to fit new homes and the people they came with.

“You appear into this social group, and you’re not going to be there for long,” Melton says. “So a part of me was like, ‘What do I have to lose?’ ”

Melton on taking his mom as his date to the Golden Globes:

“She loved the sushi,” Melton says.

Todd Haynes, Director, May December on how Melton has been handling the new acclaim:

“Watching him navigate this particular experience of getting the attention and the acclaim has just deepened my appreciation of him,”

Melton on what appeals to him about acting:

Though he’s having his breakout moment, what appeals to him about acting is the chance to lose himself in a character—a serendipitous match for Joe Yoo and May December.

“I was like, ‘Oh, I get this guy,’ ” Melton says. “Wanting to disappear. I get not wanting to take up space.”

Read the full article here.

Photo: Shaniqwa Jarvis via WSJ. Magazine.

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