14 DAY TRIAL // Justin Theroux is the leading man of HBO’s brand new show, “The Leftovers,” which has already gotten plenty of viewers’ interest secured, so he’s doing his part to promote it. This means that fans also have the chance to enjoy one of his rare interviews (which are always fun to run) and even rarer photospreads.
Even though Theroux has been working in showbiz for years in various capacities (he’s also a talented screenwriter and a director, not just an actor) and he just happens to be engaged right now to one of the most famous women on the planet, he’s not exactly the kind that likes to draw attention onto himself.
If anything, he’s the exact opposite of that. So, his interviews are scarce.
Details magazine managed to secure one, along with a gorgeous spread in which Justin is all brooding and muscly and dark and edgy, in several biker chic outfits he also favors in real life. Of course, we all knew that he was in top shape but, you know what they say, it’s always nice to get extra visual confirmation.
Now on to the most interesting topic of conversation: because he does so few interviews, he never really speaks about his relationship with former “Friends” star Jennifer Aniston, which, in turn, gives the tabloids free reign to speculate whatever they like about it.
As Justin puts it, he’s not in any way afraid or intimidated by the media attention that comes with being the man on Aniston’s arm. He’s confused, more likely.
Here’s how he explains it: “It doesn’t feel like a hardship, it doesn’t feel difficult. It can be an annoyance, but it’s not the end of the world. You have to center on what its core thing is, which is that you met someone you fell in love with. It’s hard to explain. I just find myself wondering, What’s the big [expletive]-ing deal?”
Since he doesn’t understand why all the fuss, he knows better than to pay attention to the tabloid reports and Internet rumors. They’re all “fiction” after all, he says, which, as you will agree, is absolutely right: of the countless things written about a celebrity in any timeframe you want, perhaps less than 2 percent is true.
So Justin has come up with the perfect way to cope with the media coverage: he pays it no attention.
“You just kind of ignore it, but then you also become reluctant to say anything about the relationship. I could say everything’s good, and then it’s reflected back as JUSTIN THEROUX: EVERYTHING’S GOOD? That just creates this echo chamber, and as it ricochets around the Internet, it just gets wacky,” he says.
In the same interview, the handsome star also talks about his early days as an artist, his bartending years and how he’s not leading man hero material, and would probably never appear in movies in which the destiny of the entire world lies on his sculpted shoulders. The full piece is available on the Details mag website.