Aaron Taylor Johnson: Second I met Sam, I knew I wanted to stop running
This is one of the weirder photoshoots I’ve ever seen from Flaunt. Aaron Taylor Johnson posed for what turned out to be a 40-photo editorial – you can see the full slideshow here. Some of the photos are amazing, some not so much. The theme of half the pics is, like, Aaron is some kind of Charles Manson-like cult leader, I think. The other half is just Aaron chilling in the desert. And yes, everyone is talking about the butt shot – you can see it here, it’s kind of NSFW. He has a great butt though. And a really gross belly button. I’m sorry if outies are your jam, but for me, his belly button is a big NOPE. Some highlights from the interview:
He’s so selective: “It’s not just about character, it’s about the filmmaker as well. It’s about working with great directors. I’m so selective. The roles that I’ve turned down are just due to the fact that the character itself didn’t really do it for me, didn’t challenge me enough. I have to connect to that character and know that I’ll be able to properly execute its story alongside the director. When I pick characters, there’s a diversity, something I obviously associate with, and I embed myself in that.”
His marriage to Sam Taylor Johnson: “There’s not much people don’t already know. It’s tricky to be open and candid while maintaining privacy, but the veil’s already been lifted and I think I have a handle on it now.”
His life before Sam: “I worked hard, played hard, and had money to burn. I got myself into some serious, crappy situations. My adolescence was all about wild exploring and experimentation, about doing and trying everything. Searching for what fit right.”
He used to think he was stupid: “I thought I was stupid, wasn’t clever enough. I had really low self esteem, but when I started making films, and was around all these people in the film world, I felt empowered and I felt special. Not because I was an actor, not because of the fame from it. I felt like I finally had a voice. I was able to be openly and freely myself. I was allowed to cry and be emotional. I was allowed to yell and be as bold as I wanted.”
Meeting Sam: “I took my exams at fifteen, finished school and never looked back. After school, I threw myself more into acting, did job after job. Constantly running away. Ultimately, I was just lost. Then my life completely changed with Nowhere Boy, when I met Sam. We just clicked from day one. We’re very close and instantly had a connection. I was just on the cusp at that point. In a way, she helped me transition out of that nomad kind-of-lifestyle. Because I felt secure with her. Second I met Sam, I knew I wanted to stop running, I just wanted to stay in the moment with her. And that’s what it’s been ever since then.”
His journey to Sam, marriage and fatherhood would be a beautiful story – and it is, sort of – except for the fact that Aaron’s “wild adolescence” was basically from the age of 16 to 18. He was 18 when he met Sam and they worked together on Nowhere Man. By the time he was 19, he and Sam were engaged and she was expecting their first child together and he was helping her raise her two daughters from a previous relationship (one of the daughters was 13 when her mom got engaged to a 19-year-old). While I believe that they “clicked” and I think their love is real and everything, I think Aaron plays up the idea that he was such a wild child and Sam saved him somehow, because that is a better story than a 40-something woman perving on a teenage boy.
Photos courtesy of Michael Muller/FLAUNT.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmbWtkaoVxe8Caqaimj6muurjOq5ajp5ijwLC6vqycnKeemayqq8yeq5irkaKsqqvKp5ywl5mUxKK6056bmKyflMC1u8%2BYqa6mnp67qHs%3D