Interview: Nat Wolff of 'The Fault in Our Stars'

One of young Hollywood's most promising emerging talents,19-year-old Nat Wolff already has a string of impressive credits to his name.

The former Nickelodeon star played a small but pivotal role in the underrated dramedy Admission opposite Tina Fey, before taking on supporting turns in the striking indie Palo Alto and The Fault in Our Stars, a box office smash when it released to theaters in June.

To celebrate today's release of the DVD of The Fault in Our Stars, based on the John Green novel adored by many romance readers, HEA had the chance to speak with Wolff about breathing new life into teen films, drawing inspiration from books and why young adult audiences deserve more than stock storylines.

Justine: Two films that you starred in this year, Palo Alto and The Fault in Our Stars, both add something unique to the teen-movie genre. As a young person yourself, what does it mean to be a part of something that breaks away from that formula?

Nat: It means the world to me. There are so many books and movies that talk down to teenagers and both Palo Alto and Fault in Our Stars either examine them or celebrate them, and I was lucky to be a part of those projects. They're both great scripts with great source material and with talented people working behind the camera. Both of them were hard, for different reasons, but you can feel when there's some magic on set.

Justine: Do you prefer having a book to work with or do you enjoy crafting your character and developing your own back stories and motivations?

Nat: It's always different. I like having a book because it gives you context and some environment to things that in a script you can't get. But no matter what, you have to create your own character out of it because there's always going to be holes you have to fill. Your character just serves the story, so you have to understand your character outside of the story. Having a book just makes it easier.

The funny thing about the book Palo Alto Stories is that my character's not even in it, but the book was helpful because there's a seediness and a creepiness to some of those characters and then there's a fun and charming element to them.

Justine: The Fault in Our Stars defied expectations at the box office. It's now classified as a "blockbuster," which is a label that's typically reserved for big-budget action films.

Nat: Obviously, it's based on a popular book, but there are no vampires or car chases. It's just a book about a couple of people. Honestly, I love a lot of big movies, but it seems like that's all there is now. It's so cool to have a small story on a big stage.

Justine: Do you think that the film's success could help cause a shift in what's considered a money-making film?

Nat: I do think it's going to cause a shift (at least in teen movies) and that studio execs are going to think, "Wow, we don't have to have a $100 million budget and a lot of explosions to get teenagers to go to the theater." Really, they will respond to character-driven stories and that's nice.

I've noticed that since Fault in Our Stars, some of the movies that are being made, including ones that I may have a part in, have been better. I don't know if that has anything to do with [the film's success] or if it's just going to be the new trend.

Justine: There was already a strong fan base in place for the novel The Fault in Our Stars. Do you recall a work of literature that meant as much to you?

Nat: As a really angry 12-year-old, I loved Catcher in the Rye. I read it, like, eight times. It was a book that I felt defined me.

Justine: You have a number of projects in the works that fall into a variety of genres. Do you have a strong sense of the types of films you'd like to be a part of?

Nat: I don't really have a grand career trajectory except that I just want to do things that I'm excited about. I just don't want to get locked into doing the same thing over and over again because I think that would make me crazy. When people want me in a movie, I just want to suck up the most interesting characters possible, and at the same time, the people that I get to work with factor in. I want to work with really good directors and actors. That's all I can really look for, good work and good company.

As a book, film and pop culture journalist, Justine Browning has interviewed celebrities such as Steve Carell and Meryl Streep. She's also an avid reader of romance novels. You can connect with her on Facebook and Twitter (@JusBrowning).