Things have changed drastically for Dylan ever since his early days as a Disney superstar – but all for the better. Dylan is currently diving head-first into his soon to be opened meadery All-Wise Meadery,  all while expanding his wings into independent film and proving to the world that he’s a multi-faceted performer. Dylan is part of a new generation of actors that bring hope to the industry. At the close of award season, we spoke to Dylan as our March Online Cover Star about all things Hollywood and the positive aspects of the #metoo movement. In spite of his young age, he’s wise beyond his years and sets the examples that we’ve so desperately needed to have. Here’s Dylan Sprouse – FAULTs and all.

Let’s talk about your newly started business – All-Wise Meadery. What do you reckon is the most rewarding part of being an entrepreneur and what advice do you have towards young people looking to start their own business?

I would say that the most rewarding thing for me has been the realization of this project with my friends who are now also my business partners. Particularly because they were people who believed in me and not only invested their time but also their money in the prospect that we could really succeed together. The only advice that I’ve got for young entrepreneurs who are looking to start a business is that it’s easy to think that you won’t succeed if you don’t put a lot of your own money upfront and that’s not true. The first step to actually succeeding is just starting and thrusting yourself into uncomfortable scenarios. Just learning the ropes of how to open a business and really getting in there. If you look at it from the outside and you never step in, you’ll never figure it out. And you’ll never get anything done. So I would say just start. Immediately.

 

What were the biggest challenges on an emotional level that you’ve encountered along the way?

 

The biggest emotional challenge was, on a similar level, knowing that my friends invested so much in the meadery that our futures were intertwined. If one of us slips up, all of us do. That was particularly nerve-racking. But on an emotional level, probably the most rewarding thing has come recently when we were actually stood in the space of All-Wise Meadery after nearly two years of trying to put it together. Seeing it physically, tangible – was just overwhelming.

Your latest released film – Dismissed – features quite an intense troubled young man. What catches your eye when you’re going through a script and how did you manage to identify with Lucas?

There are a bunch of different things. One criterion that I use is doing something that I’ve never done before. Even if we’re talking about a negative character – in the case of Lucas. But also – Do I think that the cast and crew will be good to work with? That’s huge for me. You could be doing the coolest role ever, but if you don’t like any of the cast and crew, it’s going to be a terrible shoot. And it will also show in the end result. I’ve been away for so long that I want to stretch my acting again and I want to do things that are different. When my audience sees me in a role, I want them to go like – he’s definitely got more range than I thought he did.

How did you manage to identify with Lucas or empathize with him in any way, shape or form?

I only identified with a part of him. Definitely not his actions. But with parts of him, I certainly did. The stress of wanting to succeed for your family’s sake in a classroom setting is something that I think any student can identify with. The fact that you’re potential future hinges on a single individual and their personal opinion of you can be really damaging and frightening. I think that’s the part of Lucas that I really identified with. When I was young, we were kind of a lower class family and so I was very desperate to bring things to my family and elevate them. That’s something that made me relate to Lucas. It was the struggle of having to succeed in any way and not just for yourself, but also for your loved ones and your family that made me understand him.

 

 

When looking at your acting career – it’s been Disney and then you’ve gone into independent film. How do you feel you’ve managed to find your identity outside of the Disney bubble, considering the fact that you were involved in it at a very impressionable age?

It was a little bit of everything. Diving into my hobbies, like my meadery, has defined me in a way. I also think that taking time away from the industry and letting people forget about me for a while was a good thing. Furthermore, I think I’m also trying to do different roles. The truth is that I don’t think I’ve got the angst to define myself against Disney. I don’t care that much. But at the same time, I would like to do other things. Needless to say that I played Zack for 7 years before I took my break! Doing the same thing was tiring after a while.

 

You and Cole are very distinguishable in terms of the paths that you’ve both chosen to pursue. Yet while growing up, you still had to go through self-identification – while having someone identical to yourself by your side, working in the same industry and being in the public eye. Was it difficult for you to find your own separate ways?

 

I don’t think it was too difficult. As twins do, sometimes you just try to push away from the other, in terms of fashion and hobbies. And I think we did it in college, but it was never a moment of us being like ‘no, fuck you, see you later’. We were never combative about it. We’re actually pretty tame. There are twins who go through this mental awakening whereas we were just like ‘meh, I like this, you like that’. Although we were also careful not to step on each other’s toes. At the same time, I don’t like photography for example; I don’t personally like doing it. Even if Cole hadn’t started his photography, I wouldn’t have picked it up. If I started doing photography after he did it, it would seem bizarre.

 

Would you say that you’re quite opposite characters then?

I think yes and no. I mean, we’re not super different, but definitely, enough so that we moved into different directions with our hobbies, for sure.

 

Hollywood is currently ablaze with sexual accusations left and right. Have you ever witnessed similar occurrences while on Disney?

I’ve never seen or experienced anything of that sort while I was on Disney. But my heart goes out to people who have. What’s giving me hope is that so many people are responding to it. So many people are speaking out, which is the first step in order for a major movement or change to take place. I’m hopeful, I have hope. In a way, I think it sounds bad right now, but actually, it’s a great time to be in the entertainment industry. The bad times were previously. Because people were literally being bullied into being silent. Now is the good time to be in this industry because this bullshit isn’t going to happen anymore.

 

What do you think people in the industry should do to in order to make it safe for both men and women?

I think that these occurrences are happening by and large because of individuals who are corrupt. The best thing that can be done is what’s already being done. But it’s also boycotting and taking a personal stance against artists that you don’t agree with. I hear the same thing a lot, which is ‘I really dislike them as a person but they make great films.’ Well okay – you shouldn’t watch them then. Because when you do, you support their personal habits indirectly. People are notorious for having really corrupt practices and we hold them as artists still. And without naming names, I would say – just stop.

How do you support good art and not support bad behavior if the two are intertwined?

 

You can be a good artist and not have a bad behavior. The two aren’t linked. I think people like seeing and talking about this idea of the ‘insane artist’. There were painters in the medieval period who used to cut people’s heads off and everyone went like ‘oh my god, he’s the best’. Okay, but at the same time, he’s cutting people’s heads off and you shouldn’t be supporting a guy like that. There are so many great artists in the film and television industry that don’t cut people’s heads off that you should support. It’s baffling to me how people support the movement and wear black at awards shows yet continue to support artists and filmmakers like these. It’s very hypocritical – take a stance and really stand by it. I think that way everyone can bring change to the industry from inside his or her household.

 

What’s your FAULT?

I’ve got an intense love of food – up to a point where that’s a fault. Because I’m not a chef and I’m not equipped to cook well and I’m also lazy. So I spend so much money on food that it’s becoming ridiculous.

 

 Interview: Adina Ilie

Photography: WOLAND

Hair and Make Up: Valentina Creti using Charlotte Tilbury