F  L  A  U  N  T

 Skeet Ulrich, who began his career in the 90s with hits like The Craft and Scream, enjoyed a launch to stardom not unlike the explosion of his younger co-stars Madelaine Petsch, KJ Appa, Lili Reinhart, and others on the massively popular series Riverdale. Since that initial takeoff, Ulrich’s career has seen him working with legends in films like Boys with Winona Ryder, Touch directed by Paul Schrader, and Ang Lee’s Ride with the Devil. As Ulrich’s time as Forsythe Pendleton Jones II, father of Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse), in Riverdale nears its close, Ulrich looks ahead to 2021 with a presumed sense of hope that many of us share. But with daughter Naiia entering the industry and a Tom Hanks science fiction thriller on the way in 2021, chances are good he’ll do so in classic Skeet style. Peep the interview below… and make it rain!

How have you been keeping busy during the craziness of 2020? The first few months were similar to most people’s experience I’m sure. My kids and I cooked lots, played games etc. Then I started building my gardens and not long after work started back—including finishing Riverdale and working on Brad Anderson’s film Blood with Michelle Monaghan, and working on scripts for a series I am writing and developing. You grew up in North Carolina in a family steeped in the super masculine world of NASCAR. Was there any pushback when you didn’t go into the family business? Any pushback about being drawn to the arts? There was some resistance in the beginning but my family has always had my back and my step dad fully supported my decision to move to NYC and go to NYU. I owe so much of my success to his belief in me! You have been fortunate enough to work with some incredible artists including notorious bad boys Jack Nicholson, Christopher Walken, and Paul Schrader. Anything about those guys that would surprise us or are they exactly what we think they are? I was VERY fortunate to be around such inspiring performers early on and they are definitely a bit of what you would think but the common trait amongst all of them is a deep love of telling stories. Jack is incredibly personable and has a wicked memory and is very inventive when it comes to bringing behavior to the screen. Chris is an enigma and I have many stories of his uniqueness! Paul was so sweet to me and very open and honest.

You burst onto the scene in 1996 with the classics The Craft, Scream and the cover of the first Vanity Fair Hollywood issue. Looking back now what would you tell the 25 year old kid as he started his journey? I would have told myself to be more competitive. I was always working hard on the craft part but I didn’t put enough thought into the business side of it. Concerning the above, do you see any similarities with what some of your co-stars on Riverdale are going through? I think each of them has a firm grasp on what they are after and where they want to go. They are all very bright and talented and seem to navigate the business quite well. Do you think it's easier or harder nowadays to navigate young Hollywood? I think it’s much more difficult now. When I was coming through the business at their age we didn’t want people to know about us personally. We wanted the audience to walk into a theater and experience the character without being sidetracked by our personal lives. Now that is much harder for obvious reasons. Your daughter Naiia is dipping her toes into show business. Does she ask you for any advice? Naiia has such a natural ability and talent that I could have only wished to have at her age. She is incredibly smart and in touch and doesn’t really ask me for advice or need it. In fact, she wants to do it her way so that she knows her successes are her own and not due to any nepotism.

You have been directed by some of the greats like Richard Linkletter, Wes Craven, James Brooks and Ang Lee. In your eyes what makes a director great? Can you tell on set? The commonality is probably a clear vision of what the story needs at every turn and an ability to guide every department towards that end. In terms of acting, they all are truly in the moment when the cameras are rolling. That matters more than I can say here. And yes you can definitely tell on set! Your time as FP Jones is coming to an end. Anything you’re gonna miss about your time in Riverdale? I will miss Cole’s quirky sense of humor and brilliant mind. And I will miss all the close friendships that have been formed. I know we will stay close but there is no longer a guarantee of seeing each other on a weekly basis. You just finished Sci fi movie BIOS opposite unknown up-n-comer Tom Hanks. Please tell us post-apocalyptic Tom Hanks is as nice as present day Tom Hanks? He is everything you would imagine and more! The moment I met him he made me feel as if we had known each other forever and he spent at least an hour just hanging out and chatting. He really is one of the nicest and most compassionate people I’ve ever met.

This FLAUNT photoshoot with model Jayden Robison by Randall Slavin is pretty steamy & sexy. How did it come about? Randall and I have known each other for awhile now and have always wanted to do something a bit more edgy and editorial than usual. So we did! When do you feel the most vulnerable? Probably when we first rehearse a scene on day 1 of a new film. All the butterflies of putting all the preparation out into the world and hoping it is perceived in the way I intended. When do you feel the most invincible? After working on intense material and connecting with it in a palpable raw way. What are you wishing for? I hope to someday find true love.

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Model: Jayden Robison Photographed by Randall Slavin Styled by Jules Wood Assistant Elaine Allen