EDGE Rewind: Rising Star – David Corenswet Sends Out Leading Man Vibes

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With his sleek cheekbones, dimples, and All American looks, actor David Corenswet looks camera-ready to play Superman. For now you can catch the lanky (6'4"), 29-year old in last year's hugely underrated horror film, "Pearl," Ti West's Technicolored study of a young woman (an Oscar-worthy Mia Goth) descent into madness in rural Texas in 1918. In the film, the title character dreams of Hollywood stardom, fueled by her visits to a local movie theater where she is befriended by its projectionist (Corenswet). He seduces Pearl one night by showing her WWI-era stag films, which shades his character as a bad boy; but he proves no match for the truly mad Pearl.

Talking to Yahoo! News about his role, called the Projectionist in the film's credits, the Juilliard graduate says: "When Ti pitched to me what he envisioned for the film, it was all about visual aesthetic and cinematic references, and this core idea of... doing a horror film, telling a tragedy in the shell of a movie musical... and I love that idea."

Added Corenswet: "It immediately resonated with me and struck me as a great film that I would want to see."

The musical movie reference may seem strange for a slasher film, but in the film's vibrant cinematography and Panavision look, it could easily be mistaken for a Vincente Minnelli film. When, for instance, Pearl auditions for a church holiday show as a dancer, it becomes a full-scaled musical number right out of the 1950s. It is moments like this, Corenswet feels, that allowed West to go to "extremes" he wanted to.

"I think it's giving Ti permission to use the extremes when it comes to images and sounds, and music, the elements that make up the film that evoke the emotions from the audience," he said. "In a genre like horror there's permission granted to use the most grotesque and vulgar images, and sounds and situations, and there's also the opportunity to have ridiculously silly moments."

It was also musicals that helped him with the role of Jack Castello, a World War II veteran who dreams of making it big on screen, in Ryan Murphy's "Hollywood." On the show, Castello plays a gas station attendant "who moonlights as a male gigolo (a story line plucked from the 2012 memoir 'Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Lives of the Stars' by Scotty Bowers)," writes Variety in an interview with the actor. "Jack's first client is the wife of a prominent studio executive played by Patti LuPone."

He told the publication he prepared for the role by "just watching old movies..."

"I re-watched 'Singing in the Rain' and the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies and the old movie musicals, 'Guys and Dolls,' that kind of thing. I watched some of the movies that I had wanted to see that I hadn't – some classic Brando movies and James Dean movies. I re-watched 'A Rebel Without a Cause,' because I was kind of hoping that Jack would be a bad boy in the end."

With his next role, he may get to play that "bad boy."  Deadline writes that the actor was recently signed to play the male lead in hourlong pilot "The Answers," FX's adaptation of Catherine Lacey's novel. The project is being helmed by "Sorry for Your Loss" creator Kit Steinkellner, "Dopesick" creator Danny Strong, "Requiem for a Dream" director Darren Aronofsky, and 20th Century Television.

The novel, which has been compared to "The Handmaid's Tale," follows what happens when a group of women join an enigmatic experiment  in a secluded location where they each date the same man, movie star Christopher Skye (played by Corenswet). Deadline writes about the character that "[w]hen we first meet him, we are so taken with his talent, charisma, and raw power, we absolutely believe he is one of the world's most eligible bachelors. However, the more we get to know Christopher, the more we see his wild neuroses and his deep despair. This is a man who, on the surface, has everything, but underneath feels empty."

Deadline adds that Corenswet's breakout role came in Ryan Murphy's "The Politician." He recently wrapped the Apple TV+ limited series "The Lady In The Lake," opposite Natalie Portman, starred in the Netflix romantic comedy "Look Both Ways," and appeared in HBO miniseries "We Own This City."

A deeper dive into Corenswet's private life made by the website Fansided last summer revealed that he is currently single. "The actor, who has over 340k followers on Instagram, tends to keep his private life to himself and only share posts about his work. Corenswet hasn't publicly commented on his relationship status."