Why Joel Edgerton chose films over his fiancee
JOEL Edgerton has opened up about why he chose films over his fiancee.
In the November issue of GQ Australia, the 42-year-old explains why he broke off his engagement with fashion designer Alexis Blake in 2013.
“You’re really close to the line and that [position] makes you re-evaluate a lot of things,” Edgerton tells the magazine.
“Right at that time, I made a decision that I was just going to work my arse off. To be honest, I haven’t changed that thought. I’m seriously married to work.
“Just recently I was like, ‘Maybe I need to take a little bit of time off,’ because ever since then I’ve worked non-stop. And that’s been fine and it’s been rewarding to a degree. But at the same time ...”
Edgerton didn’t just turn his back on becoming a husband, but also a father to Blake’s daughter.
But he hasn’t ruled out having children of his own in the future.
“Yeah, I think about it,” he tells GQ.
“I just turned 42. I have time. Plenty of time.”
After starring in Warrior, The Great Gatsby and Black Mass, Edgerton is now on the verge of becoming a Hollywood superstar.
“Look, here’s the thing about me — I’m a slow burn,” he says.
“I’m fu**ing 42 and I finally have a career. If success had come earlier, I definitely would have pissed it up the wall.”
One of the reasons it’s taken him so long to become a star is because Edgerton is so selective about the films he appears in.
He chooses variety over money and that’s the only way he can live with himself.
“If I’d done a shitty movie, maybe I’d have a Maserati,” he tells GQ.
“But I’d be sitting across from you, biting my tongue all fu**ing day going, ‘I fu**ing hate myself for this shit.’
“If you’re super good-looking and charismatic and you like playing the same character every time, good luck to you — you’ll make squillions of dollars. The interest I have in being an actor, though, is adapting your energy to play all sorts of different characters.”
The former The Secret Life of Us star is currently based in Los Angeles and seems rather bewildered by the upcoming US election, in particular by Donald Trump’s campaign.
“This is maybe going to come back to haunt me, but it’s like a drunk person is meanderingly driving through the streets and you expect him to be pulled up within five minutes, and yet three hours later, he’s still driving around and no one’s pulled him over. It’s like a weird kind of collision of sh*t that keeps on going.”
The November issue of GQ Australia is on sale from Monday, October 10.
Film Clip: 'Loving'1:07
Watch a film clip from "Loving," starring Ruth Negga, Joel Edgerton, and Will Dalton. Photo: Focus Features
Originally published as Why Edgerton chose films over his fiancee