Simon Rex on “Blink Twice” & the Power of Positive Thinking

Simon Rex has led a semi-charmed life. His 30-year career started a model by accident (he was cast while waiting for his model girlfriend at her audition), became an MTV VJ in the ’90s, acted in a handful of dramas and sitcoms, joined a popular comedy franchise (Scary Movie), dated starlets, bought a house in Laurel Canyon, and toured the world after adopting the rapper-producer persona, Dirt Nasty, winning over fans with his carefree charm. He lived in the moment and didn’t overthink the future. Then, you saw less and less of him. His Hollywood agents stopped calling, and he was pushing 40, doing a hard-partying joke rap persona. It dawned on him that he might be “that guy.” You know the one — the middle-aged has-been. So, he decided to move to the California desert to see what would happen. Whatever it was, he would be happier doing that than being in L.A.

Then, in 2021, Rex made a stunning comeback in the critically acclaimed, Sean Baker–directed A24 film Red Rocket. He was both charming and unsettling in his performance as Mikey, a washed-up porn star returning to his Texas hometown. It’s a performance that has you rooting for the protagonist despite your better judgment. The film went to Cannes and it was there that Hollywood remembered Rex.

“One day [Zoë Kravitz] said, “Simon, you’re enough.” Meaning I didn’t need to do all these bells and whistles. Just showing up and being there was enough. That was a big thing for me to hear.”

Simon Rex

Ever since, the phone has started ringing again and Rex is more dialled in than ever, knowing that this is the time to not only gain some serious acting cred, but push harder than he ever has before. With a sunny outlook on life, imposter syndrome in check, and maybe taking himself a little more seriously than in the past, Rex’s resilience is paying dividends. This summer, he stars alongside Channing Tatum in Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut, Blink Twice, where he’s back to living the good life as the friend of a hedonistic tech billionaire — at least, until things start to get weird.

You recently celebrated your 50th birthday — happy belated!

Thank you. It’s a weird age to turn, but it also keeps getting better. Not physically, but it’s weird — at the same time [your] body’s kind of declining, and you start to be more at peace with who you are.

You look great. Do you have any tips for all of us?

No wife, no kids? [Laughs] Well, that may make you look more rested, but the flip side is you probably don’t have as rich and fulfilling a life without some foundation and family, like a free leaf in the wind. It’s both good and bad.

Switching gears, congrats on Blink Twice! How did you get involved with it?

Zoë [Kravitz], who wrote and directed the movie, cast it based on whether she could hang out with the person for two months at a resort in the middle of nowhere. She knew my work and had seen Red Rocket, so she knew I could play the role of Cody, Channing Tatum’s best friend and personal chef. It wasn’t really about the acting; it was more about whether she liked me and if I would bring good vibes. She’s smart because that’s so important. You’re basically at summer camp.

“If you slow down and let the game flow, that’s when you’ll hit your shot. I think that applies to life. It sounds corny, but that’s how life works — with women, work, money. The more you want it, the more it slips away.”

Simon Rex

Steven Soderbergh told the Wall Street Journal that out of anybody he knows, Zoë Kravitz has a real shot as a first-time director to make something really amazing based on her talent and character. What was it like working with her?

I know what he means. She’s like a unicorn and when you meet her mom and dad, it makes sense. She’s a by-product of the coolest people, and not in a shallow way. She’s very intelligent and a calm in the storm.

She also taught me a lot. I kept wanting to do more [than was in the script]. I’d ask, “Hey, can I do this here? Or do that?” One day she said, “Simon, you’re enough.” Meaning I didn’t need to do all these bells and whistles. Just showing up and being there was enough. That was a big thing for me to hear. It was cool to learn that from Zoë, especially from someone 15 years younger than me.

You mentioned that shooting was just like summer camp. What was it like working with Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Naomi Ackie, and the rest of the cast?

You walk into these movies, and you just hope everyone’s cool. Because to be honest, sometimes actors can kind of suck.

I was surprised, not specifically at Channing, but just at that level, that you could be so down-to-earth, normal, and cool. That’s not very common. It’s a testament to Zoë putting this group together. Even Geena Davis, an Oscar-winning actor, showed up and was such a trooper. It was inspiring to see someone at her level still be curious and have fun with it. You always learn so much by watching other people on these jobs.

I watched Channing because he also helped produce this movie. When he wasn’t on camera, he was back at the video village with the producers. I thought, “Take notes. This is the next level.” It planted a seed, and a year later, I produced my first movie. I was doing exactly what he was doing.

You’ve kind of done it all in your career. The impression I get from you is that you’re always just down to learn new skills; you’re a sponge. You even tried stand-up back in the day.

I did; I failed miserably. But sometimes in life, you have to find out who you are by finding out what you’re not — try all the rides at the carnival. I still want to try more stuff. It’s a weird thing we do when people say to me, like, ‘What do you do?’ I think we all do that as humans because we just want to put people in a box and label them. I always just have a weird response to that question because I’m going to be something else in five years. Maybe I’ll be a director.

On the topic of learning, you auditioned for Gus Van Sant years ago and he said that it was the worst audition that he had ever seen. But he also saw something in you and suggested acting classes. What did you learn from those?

As soon as he said that, I thought, “Oh, shit, if Gus Van Sant is telling me to go to acting school, I better listen.” He’s a legend. So, I started going to acting school in New York and taking improv classes. I knew I didn’t want to be a VJ forever. This was my chance. I started taking theatre classes and classes specifically for sitcoms, all kinds of things.

My time on MTV naturally led to acting gigs, but you learn the most when you’re on set. You can go to acting school forever, but you truly learn the mechanics on set. I learned pretty quickly.

“Whatever events happened formed the path that got me here. It’s tricky to say, like, if I went back, would I do anything different? I don’t think I would have.”

Simon Rex

You’ve had a lot of ups and downs in your career. Is there anything you can say you’ve learned from it all?

You can’t take anything personally. It’s like the AA slogan — I’m not in AA, but there’s truth to it. It goes something like, “Give me the strength to worry about the things I can control, not worry about what I can’t, and the wisdom to know the difference.” If you’re the guy they’re looking for, you’ll probably get it.

There’s so much out of your control. As an actor, you’re sitting around waiting for the phone to ring, waiting for things you can’t control. So, don’t worry about it. I remember my high school basketball coach would always say, “Simon, let the game come to you.” I didn’t understand what he meant; it was a very Zen thing. But if you slow down and let the game flow, that’s when you’ll hit your shot. I think that applies to life. It sounds corny, but that’s how life works — with women, work, money. The more you want it, the more it slips away.

Is it fair to say you’re a guy who doesn’t believe in regrets either?

I’ve made horrible decisions when I was younger. But if I didn’t do those things, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you right now. Whatever events happened formed the path that got me here. It’s tricky to say, like, if I went back, would I do anything different? I don’t think I would have because I’m pretty happy right now.

You’re a pretty optimistic guy.

That’s probably one of my better qualities. These are all the cliché bumper stickers, but they’re so often true, it’s like, you can either look at the glass half full or half empty. I think that’s just sort of a choice that you have to make. If you’re positive and around positive people, then life’s pretty good.

“I moved out there to surrender, to give up, and to see what happens. Then, everything kind of pulled me back in.”

Simon Rex

You moved to Joshua Tree a few years ago, before the pandemic. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world but also quite isolated. What called you to the desert?

After 20 years in L.A., the phone wasn’t ringing much. I was disenchanted with the industry and L.A. So, I moved to Joshua Tree. It was affordable, beautiful, and offered peace and quiet in nature. I fell in love with it, bought a tiny house on a bunch of land, and started spending time there, thinking, “Let’s see what happens.” I knew I needed to shake things up.

Sure enough, after a few months, Sean Baker calls and says, “Hey, man, I know you don’t know me, but I have this movie. Can you come shoot?” It was Red Rocket. It’s funny how life works. As soon as I moved out of L.A., I got the best job of my life after 20 years.

Letting the game come to you.

That’s right. I have people asking, “You just moved to Joshua Tree, then you did Red Rocket. Should I move out there?” And I tell them, “You already won’t get that because you already want it.” I moved out there to surrender, to give up, and to see what happens. Then, everything kind of pulled me back in.

Photography by Elizabeth Weinberg (Anderson Hopkins). Shot on location at 1 Hotel West Hollywood.

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