Ansel Elgort knows that, like his friends The Chainsmokers, a lot of people don't like him — for no reason. "I don’t walk around calling attention to myself," he says in a cover story interview with Billboard. "It’s important to be able to blend in; otherwise you turn into a Hollywood douche bag. I’m sure plenty of people think I am one, too."
"I’m super easy to hate," he adds, "but it’s fine. It’s hard to be liked and successful." Elgort was prompted to say this after the interviewer informs him that he is often the topic of discussion on a podcast about almost-famous celebrities, Who? Weekly (it's hilarious and fantastic). The podcast never says his name with venom, just adorable mockery, because he seems like a well-rounded enough guy to take the critics —which, judging from his answer above, appears to be true.
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Elgort is starring as the lead and title character, Baby, in the upcoming summer blockbuster Baby Driver. He is very excited about this role because, much like his major breakout role in The Fault In Our Stars, he is leaning very hard into the identity of his new character. (In his Billboard interview, the word "baby" is written 19 times.) He also continuously points out similarities between him and Baby, most notably their shared love of music.
Elgort is a singer and recently retired DJ (shame on you if you didn't already know his iconic stage name: DJ Ansolo). His musical friends include Frank Ocean (who told him at the Met Gala that he had an "amazing voice" after hearing Elgort's emotional cover of La La Land's "City of Stars" on Instagram) and The Chainsmokers. Yes, Elgort is truly not afraid of being hated, and he even defends his DJ pals who get a lot (A LOT) of hate. (The main source of their haters actually stem from another Billboard cover story, ironically enough.) "It’s a prime example of how success makes everyone hate you if you’re not underground,” he says of The Chainsmokers (Alex Pall and Drew Taggart). "And I’ve also been there. It becomes a meme to hate somebody. But don’t be like, ‘They seem like they’re so bro-y.’ They were never trying to fool anyone into thinking they weren’t bro-y. Sorry if I sound heated. It’s just so easy to be a hater."
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Basically, if you're gonna hate on Elgort, he's ready for it. (But maybe don't, because he's probably the most harmless leading man out there.)
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