Corey Fogelmanis is riding that sweet spot between indie darling and studio star. It’s a position that’s come totally organically for the actor – routed by his thoughtful approach and instinct for ambitious and emotionally resonant stories. Case in point: his recent turn in Tommy Dorfman’s directorial debut, I Wish You All the Best – a poignant coming-of-age story framed around identity and queerness – and his upcoming role in David Fincher’s The Further MisAdventures of Cliff Booth, continuing the story of Brad Pitt’s cool dude stuntman character from Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. While on stage, Fogelmanis is set to make his off-Broadway debut in upcoming psychological thriller, Rope. Long gone are the Disney Channel years that made Fogelmanis a teen favourite, and in their place are projects built on risk and resonance.

Playing brother and sister in I Wish You All the Best, Fogelmanis and Alexandra Daddario’s on-screen chemistry evolved into an off-screen friendship only forged by such an experience.

Alexandra Daddario: Hi!
Corey Fogelmanis: Hey, are you in New York?

Alexandra: I am. Where are you?
Corey: I’m at LAX – I’m coming to New York. I’ve hidden behind this pillar so we can have a little bit of privacy. [laughs]

Alexandra: Have you been travelling a lot?
Corey: A little bit. I was in Italy for our movie I Wish You All the Best [which was shown at the Taormina Film Festival].

Alexandra: I wanted to go so badly, but I was working. I’ve been to that film festival before, and it’s really sweet.
Corey: Oh my gosh, they have you walk up on stage in front of, like, the whole town in the town square.

Alexandra: Wait, you were in that little town square?
Corey: It was wild. They were like, “OK, you’re going to go do the carpet now,” and we go into the town square and everybody in the entire town is there. We walk up onto this stage and they’re playing music straight out of The Hunger Games. Tommy turns to me and she’s like, “I feel like a tribute right now.” [both laugh] Then we’re like, “Hi, guys.” We take the photos, we meet people. It was so funny.

Alexandra: I went years ago when I was pregnant. I was still trying to hide my pregnancy, so I was wearing all these giant oversized things, even though it was the middle of summer in Italy.
Corey: Oh my god. It’s such a cute town because you can walk everywhere, but I guess you probably weren’t walking everywhere. [both laugh]

Alexandra: I was trying to do as little walking as possible.
Corey: Do you feel like having a child has changed the way you look at the world?

Alexandra: Yes.
Corey: How could it not, right?

Alexandra: I feel like I’m more at peace. I also feel like I’ve realised that I think I’ve always been a mom, but just without a child. So now I get to fully embrace my mom energy. I don’t mind getting older and being a mom, like [puts on mom voice], “OK, kids…” [Corey laughs] It’s cool, and I can tell that sometimes people look up to me, so I try to give advice and be like, a nerdy mom – I like that.
Corey: That’s amazing. I felt like you really tapped into that with Hannah [Alexandra’s character in I Wish You All the Best.] I was like, “She knows what this is.

“[On working with David Fincher] It really feels like there’s a before and an after for me. Being on that set, and the passion and respect that everyone had for the work, was kind of unparalleled. It was very clarifying.”

Alexandra: I was ready. And your movie, The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth – did you film in LA?
Corey: In LA, yeah.

Alexandra: That’s extremely exciting. Is everyone asking you what it’s like working with [David] Fincher? Is that the most boring question on earth now?
Corey: No, no, it’s the most interesting question, and the one I’m most happy to answer. It really feels like there’s a before and an after for me. Being on that set, and the passion and respect that everyone had for the work, was kind of unparalleled. It was very clarifying, I’ll say that.

Alexandra: Right, I completely understand what you mean. That’s such an awesome experience to have as an actor. I’ve had experiences on projects where… not that it’s not taken seriously, but you can tell people are just working. The reason we got into this is to create art, and when you get to have that experience, it’s so life-changing. It’s filling your soul’s purpose, and you don’t always get to do that, so it must have been amazing.
Corey: I really think such a big part of it is how much time you have. When you have a shorter amount of time, the priorities are different. Sometimes it really is just about making sure you get every scene shot. But this was like… we had the most time I’ve ever had to do anything, and I just feel like I really left it all on the floor, which is all I ever want.

Alexandra: That’s amazing. I’m so happy for you, and so excited to see it. Did you have to audition?
Corey: I did.

Alexandra: What was the audition process like?
Corey: It was a tape at first, and it was mock sides, so it was interesting because I knew what the project was, but I didn’t know what the scene was. I knew what the character was, but I had sides from the space movie Galaxy Quest. At first I was so confused because I was like, “How do I meld these two worlds?” It’s interesting, too, when you have mock sides. You’re like, “What part of this can I use to showcase what I think the character is versus how can I just do this scene?” I remember filming it, and I didn’t really feel like I got it, so I ended up doing it again the next day, really early before I had to leave for a flight. I can’t imagine you’re self-taping very much anymore, but every time I tape, I really have to, like, muster up… It involves so much energy to create something out of nothing and send it off into the world.

Alexandra: When you have to self-tape, do you have someone that you prefer to read with? I’ve heard of people recording their own voice and reading with themselves, which I think is crazy.
Corey: Yeah, that is crazy. I have done that once or twice, but it’s so hard. I have a couple of people that I really feel comfortable with, and who get the best work out of me. But you know, it’s this thing where I’m like, “Wait, I think I need to do it again.” So I end up taping it a couple of times just to make it what I wanted it to be. Then I did a work session with Laray Mayfield, the casting director on The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, and that time I got to work on the actual sides. It’s so nice when you go into a session and the casting director is very straightforward, giving you notes and trying to help you get it. That’s really how I felt with her.

Alexandra: Yes, that’s a great casting director.
Corey: Then maybe a month went by, and I got it. So I didn’t even meet David until I got to LA.

“I just feel like I really left it all on the floor, which is all I ever want.”

Alexandra: Wow, that’s incredible.
Corey: And Sam Rockwell’s character from Galaxy Quest was a reference in terms of the peaks and valleys of the energy, and that’s why he’d chosen that scene for the audition, which all made sense once I did the movie.

Alexandra: I can’t wait to see it. The audition process now is so interesting. You’re younger than I am, and when I started out – I was twelve or eleven – if you put something on tape, that meant there was no chance of you getting it. Probably no one would even look at it, and it meant they didn’t want to see you audition. It had to be in person. For years and years, even after I moved to LA, I was scared to leave town or go on vacation because you could get an audition the next day for something like, “We need you tomorrow for this huge audition.” You were constantly driving around Los Angeles and New York to all of your auditions, and they were all in person. Now, for it to have shifted so that an in-person audition is this special experience, and everything can be cast from tapes or Zoom, is so wild. I think it’s good. I don’t think it’s a bad thing. It’s just really different. And the art of making your own tape is a real art.
Corey: What is your approach to your tapes? Do you do it in front of a blank wall, or do you give yourself props and a set sometimes?

Alexandra: I don’t do props or sets. Sometimes I’ll use a cigarette if the scene calls for it, but for me, it’s really about who I’m reading with. I really need the right person to read with. I was doing a tape the other day where the scenes were a little bit sexual, and the only person available at that time was my mom. [laughs] So I started doing the scene with her, and my mom reads scenes with me and she’s wonderful at it, but I was like, “You know what, I’m just going to have to ask for an extra day to do this. I’m going to have to book someone to do this with.” [both laugh] It has to be with the right person so that you can really perform, get out of your head, and do the best job possible. It’s the same as going in-person as far as preparation. You used to just prepare everything over and over and over with someone, and then hopefully nail it when you went in. Now that process is on tape.
Corey: Do you give yourself a limit of takes?

Alexandra: Yes, I try to limit it, because you know how we get – we’ll drive ourselves crazy.
Corey: I have a long history of taping with my mom and my sister too, and I had to instate a take limit so they would do it with me. [laughs]

Alexandra: How long would you spend doing tapes?
Corey: This is embarrassing to admit, but there are times where I’ve spent three hours on something.

Alexandra: No, me too.
Corey: I think part of that was maybe because I didn’t know what it was going into it, so I was still finding it while I was taping, and I think that’s not a good approach for me. My favourite is when I’m ready for something and I do a tape and get it in, like, one or two takes. That was my tape for I Wish You All the Best – one of my scenes was that way. It’s different with everything.

Alexandra: It is. I think it’s really about being prepared. When I was younger and in school and still learning, I would try to cold-read stuff, and it just doesn’t work. You have to be super prepared and have everything memorised. That changes auditioning. Then you don’t need to tape for three hours, but you might spend three hours preparing the material. Do you want to go back to work soon?
Corey: Oh, I always want to go back to work. I just spent the weekend working on a friend’s dance film, and I was in dance rehearsals all week. It was insane how close I felt to everyone after just a single week, because dance is a very vulnerable thing, and we were doing a lot of it in various states of undress. It was so interesting. It felt like the most natural thing I could have done, but it was the first time that I’ve ever danced professionally – danced on film.

Alexandra: I was going to ask you, when did you start dancing?
Corey: Last week, at least in the contemporary world. But I grew up doing theatre, so I was kind of trained in tap dance, but that’s very different from contemporary.

Alexandra: I’m the same way. I always want to go back to work, but I know I need to give myself breaks. It’s hard to get out of that mentality of always wanting to work.
Corey: I wanted to ask you how you spend your time in between, but now I feel like your answer is completely different than it would have been, right?

Alexandra: You know, now I realise how much time I used to have, even when I was busy. I’ve moved back to New York now, but I lived in LA for fifteen years, and I would go on hikes, go to my yoga classes, do all my weird health stuff, see friends.
Corey: What’s your weird health stuff? [both laugh]

Alexandra: I lived in West Hollywood, so I’d go over to the Earthbar, and in the back of the juice bar they had all their vitamin shots, which now I guess is normal, but fifteen years ago was weird. I’d go get, like, my B12 shot and my smoothie and drink wheatgrass shots, and then I’d find the best green juice in LA. I’d occupy myself with all of this stuff, which I have no time to do now. Sometimes I’d go on road trips by myself.
Corey: That’s really interesting.

Alexandra: I’d check out California because I was new to California. I’d go on road trips to Death Valley and go to ghost towns. I didn’t have any money to fly anywhere, so I would drive. Now it’s hard to keep up with everything just because I have so much responsibility, but I’m happy to have that kind of responsibility. Everything has to be planned and efficient, and I’m kind of proud of myself that I’ve gone from being a little kid running around like a maniac, doing whatever, to now being, like, efficient and in charge of stuff. It’s very, very weird.
Corey: But I feel like the less time you have, the better you have to use it. In a way, do you feel like that’s been a blessing, to focus on what’s important?

Alexandra: It has, yes. And it’s really great to still be doing what we love to do – at 40. It’s like, “Wow, I’ve been doing this for over twenty years. That’s crazy.” I feel lucky to do that. Would you ever want to direct anything?
Corey: That’s a really good question. I think absolutely, but it feels far away. It was so interesting to see Tommy do it for the first time because she did it so naturally and made it look so easy. But how decisive you have to be, and how clearly you need to know what you want to say to the world – those are two things that I feel like I want to hone a bit more before I bring a group of people together and put something out. It’s very intimidating, I think, honestly.

Alexandra: I agree. It’s a really brave thing to do. I don’t think I could do it. I think acting is my thing. If I can perfect one thing, I’ll be thrilled.
Corey: A lot of people have been asking me lately if I want to write, and my boyfriend’s a writer, and I see what he does and how he does it.

Alexandra: Does he write during the night or during the day?
Corey: He mostly writes during the day. He likes to go to the library – New York’s got some great libraries. He just got into grad school, so he’s probably going to be writing at all hours of the day for that. I do feel like when people ask me about writing, there’s some pressure to be like, “Yeah, I want to do that. I have all these ideas of things that I want to make on my own.” But I don’t really feel that way. I’m very happy to be part of someone else’s vision.

Alexandra: I completely get that, and I understand what you’re saying about the pressure. There’s this pressure like, “You should want to do more.” And I’m like, “I want to do more, but within acting – that’s what I’m good at, that’s what I’ve studied, that’s what I love.” I wouldn’t be so presumptuous as to assume I can direct or write without having had that experience. I mean, some people are really good at all three. I’m like, “You know what? I think I’m just good at one thing.” [laughs] Do you turn projects down? Are you picky?
Corey: I’ve been more picky lately. But I will say, a lot of the time it’s just deciding which auditions I do and don’t want to do, so that I can save my energy for the things that I really want to do.

“It’s easier for me to feel confident when I’m kept busy. There’s less time to focus on the things that don’t matter…”

Alexandra: It’s good. Since you’re devoting so much time to auditions, you have to make sure you’re picking the ones that you really love.
Corey: There’s an interesting thing where sometimes you’re auditioning for the casting director… Actually, this is so interesting. I would honestly say that up until, like, a year ago, anytime I would get an audition in my inbox, I’d be like, “Oh, I have to do this.” Because growing up I was like, “You do every audition that you get because you want to get in front of the casting director, and it’s just great practice.” Then there was a very clear moment where I was like, “Oh my gosh, I’m still kind of operating in this way, and I’m not prioritising anything – I’m just throwing myself at everything. That might have worked for me when I was younger, but not anymore.” It’s been cool to realise that.

Alexandra: There is something about being a young actor where you feel like you have to do everything – get yourself out there, show yourself, get practice. Then there’s this really wonderful point where you can take control of your own career and your own art. That’s a really cool evolution in your career.
Corey: Do you remember the moment in your career when you felt like you kind of took it into your own hands?

Alexandra: There have been ups and downs, and for a long time I still had the mentality of, “I have to just keep working, keep working, power through.” Even if it was something that maybe I didn’t love, I would go out and audition for it. As you have more success, that changes because you have more control. But also, getting older, I realised that some of that was coming from a place of fear. Whereas now I’m like, “Everything’s going to be OK.” Life’s complicated and your career doesn’t always end up being exactly what you expect it to be, but I feel more confident now than I used to. Do you feel more confident now?
Corey: Depends on the day.

Alexandra: Yes, that’s true.
Corey: It’s easier for me to feel confident when I’m kept busy. There’s less time to focus on the things that don’t matter, especially coming off this last week of really giving everything I had to the dance floor. Oh my god, that sounds crazy. [both laugh] But really connecting my mind and my body, and letting myself go… I do think I’ll be riding this high for a couple of weeks, and then I’ll be like, “OK, what’s going on? What am I doing with myself?” I found a new love and a new way to be in community – with others and with myself – and that’s really exciting.

all clothing and accessories worn throughout by ANN DEMEULEMEESTER FW26

grooming BEN JONES using ORIBE and WESTMAN ATELIER; set design ELAINE WINTER; lighting tech ANDREW BEARDSWORTH; fashion assistant MAX REID; set design assistant MARC ANDREA