How ‘Star Wars’ Inspired David Corenswet to Become an Actor
David Corenswet, who stars in Ryan Murphy works like Hollywood and The Politician, is a major Star Wars fan. Discover how the George Lucas films created the talent that is Corenswet.
David Corenswet didn’t want to be an actor
Unlike so many kids who grow up knowing they want to star in major motion pictures, Corenswet much preferred immersing himself into fictional worlds as a viewer. As a kid, he was a big fan of Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Star Wars. “I wanted to spend as much time around the worlds that I loved,” he told MTV News. “I wanted to be as close to that as much of the time as I could be.”
To live in a fantasy world full time, Corenswet began to pursue acting. “I started putting all these hours in as a young actor in Philadelphia, and then doing musicals at my school,” he explained. Corenswet’s thought process eventually shifted into “‘I guess I should keep pursuing this because I have some experience in it.'” In addition to loving movies and every aspect that goes into making them, Corenswet decided to become an actor because it eventually made sense.
The ‘Hollywood’ star discovered ‘Star Wars’ at a Blockbuster
In the days of old, you had to travel to a physical store to rent movies and TV shows — you couldn’t ask your remote to summon such entertainment. Before Netflix and Hulu, Blockbuster was one of the premier sources for entertainment. Corenswet remembers: “I have a memory of renting the VHS tapes at Blockbuster. It was rent one, get one free for a week, and I rented Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back.”
It was then that another Star Wars fan was born. “I would watch them back-to-back,” Corenswet said. “When I got to the end, I would feel so emotionally connected to the characters and the world.” He recalled wanting so badly to belong and live within that world, he would hit rewind — remember the times! — and start the movie over again to fulfill that longing.
‘Star Wars’ helped ‘The Politician’ actor tap into his imagination and establish his career
Corenswet wouldn’t be the actor that he is today without the Star Wars franchise. “[Watching Star Wars repeatedly] really connected with my imaginary use of play, especially as a young kid,” Corenswet recalled. “I spent a lot of time by myself in my basement, pretending to be a Jedi.” Fortunately, Corenswet’s days of pretending to be the next Luke Skywalker weren’t all for naught.
After starring in a few shorts and TV series like Elementary and House of Cards, Corenswet made waves in Murphy’s comedy-drama The Politician. Working with Murphy inspired Corenswet to want to go deeper into the entertainment world. “I love making movies, every aspect of it,” Corenswet admitted. His love for alternate universes, like the ones depicted in Star Wars and Hollywood, is what makes being an actor the perfect fit for Corenswet.
While he is passionate about acting, Corenswet has an executive producer credit on Hollywood and hopes to one day work his way into directing.
