Paul Walter Hauser feels “very alone” in Hollywood.
Paul Walter Hauser feels more at home in wrestling than Hollywood
The 38-year-old actor – who is also a professional wrestler – has opened up about the different sides to his personality, and how it has positioned him as something of an outsider among other celebrities, whereas he feels more at home around his colleagues in the wrestling world.
He told The Hollywood Reporter: “I’m a way better actor than I am a wrestler, but I just… I don’t know, when I walk into a wrestling arena and there’s a bunch of nerdy fans with signs and autograph stuff, and I feel like one of them.
“Whereas, when I’m at a Hollywood function or a premiere, it feels like that awkward high school thing [where] there’s a bunch of pretty people who are saying all the right things, and I’m the only one who wants to truly be some sort of unleashed version of themselves, and I feel very alone in that for some reason.”
Paul pointed out that his life choices and beliefs are at the root of his feelings
He added: “I’m an outspoken Jesus guy, but I also can’t stand Donald Trump.
“I no longer live in LA. I am obsessed with professional wrestling, and I’ve made somewhat of a career out of that.
“In a weird way, I almost feel like I fit in the wrestling world more than I do in Hollywood.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps star explained how those feelings of otherness inspire his creative choices as she makes sure to only pick worthwhile projects.
He said: “There’s so much I haven’t done that I want to do desperately. Kevin Costner offered me a part in Horizon, but it was one line of dialogue and the character had nothing to them. “I don’t need to be a piece of furniture in anybody’s movie. I love Kevin Costner, and I want to work with him, and it’d be an honor, but I also want to do something good.
“The same thing with Luca Guadagnino, [who] offered me [a role] to play the tennis judge during the big matches in Challengers.”
While the latter was also tempting, he compared the role and his ambitions to being “too hungry to eat garnish and pretend it’s a meal”.
He argued: “I would rather hold out for the right thing.
“On the day I’m just going to be all hungry, and then I’m going to look stupid and then I’m going to feel awkward. In Hollywood, I don’t feel like I fit in at all.”