Milo Manheim for Issue 16

Throughout the hour conversation, he apologises multiple times for “ranting”, but I couldn’t be more appreciative of this type of conversation - a real one - one where you forget the last thing you said, talk over each other and get so impassioned that you lose the point but find it in the end. We talk about how necessary this same authenticity is in acting as he says, “Life is messy. People stumble. People can’t get their sentences out. People trip and fall. It’s not clear-cut. I hate how non-regularly people talk over each other in movies!” He falls asleep to the loving chaos of Modern Family and the comforting discomfort of The Office. To quote the final lines of both shows (Milo very well might know these by heart); “Life is full of change, some big, some small. I learned a long time ago you can fight it, or you can try to make the best of it…” and “There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn’t that kind of the point?” To Milo, it is.

Whether he is living his life or living someone else’s through his roles, Milo calls every day an adventure - an opportunity to shift perspective, to run outside of his comfort zone, to take a leap creatively. And while he’s not without fear - which he jokes might seem shocking to most - he chooses to move forward even in fear or discomfort. He views conversation like a map that slowly uncovers the more you explore so we talk about life's fine lines like the tightrope between anxiety and excitement, insecurity and self-awareness, perception and intention. He moves forward skillfully, balancing his hands over both sides with an open chest. He makes it look easy (although in our photoshoot, he does look like he’s on the verge of toppling down the hillside and rolling through all of downtown LA).

While we talk about the idea that being “interested” is more important than being "interesting”, one of the most interesting things about him is his natural ability to make excitement feel effortless, earnest, and enduring, including our conversation that could have travelled for days.

"I sit in therapy and talk about how I’m a professional actor and somebody’s banking on me to do this, but I’m still letting my insecurities get in the way sometimes. I want to make a choice for a character and then I’m like, 'Ah, I don’t know!' Somebody’s going to think, 'That was weird, Milo, why’d you do that?' I love this job because it highlights these insecurities. It’s such a blessing to be able to look inward and explore yourself in that way."

Take in the full 18-page story beyond this. Our brand new Spring Summer 2024 issue Breaking Waves is available to buy online and in select stores worldwide.