In the time it takes to smoke one cigarette, our conversation hops from an intense discourse about the Greek myths (specifically, the writing of Narcissus) to one-night stands (they’re overrated) and Love Island (the UK version) to his favorite Phoebe Bridgers song (her rendition of Tom Waits’ “Day After Tomorrow”). He is incredibly attentive and curious; over four hours, he doesn’t check his phone and only breaks eye contact to occasionally locate the miniature baby blue lighter we’re sharing. Cole says he loves to chain smoke because it helps him stay present. “You know, the ‘taking a step outside, finding connection, and just breathing deeply kind of present’” he specifies.
Naturally, we start at the beginning. From where we stand today, it seems Cole navigated child stardom with poise—but he says his upbringing was “really, really rough,” declining to provide more details because he says he doesn’t want his childhood anguish to become all that people know about him. “There’s two kinds of kids that start acting in the industry,” he explains. “There’s the kids that choose it and there’s kids like my brother and I, who had to put food on the table of a single mother.” Throughout our conversation, Cole clarifies that he didn’t want any of the fame, ever—“it’s disgusting,” he bluntly says. He and his brother found financial stability early on after The Suite Life became a big hit, and so he endeavored to spend as much of his young adulthood as he could “away from the public eye.”
Blazer by Dunhill. Shirt, $890, by Salvatore Ferragamo. Long sleeve t-shirt, stylist’s own.
Cole doubled down in 2011, when he decided to leave Hollywood behind to attend New York University. Despite my prodding for how he might have rebelled for even a brief moment while gallivanting in New York City, he hints at nothing remotely chaotic. What drugs did he try? Is casual dating a complete nightmare when you’re really fucking famous? What kind of drunk was he? Which Joe’s pizza was his go-to, Union Square or Williamsburg? (He laughs at this question, then says Brooklyn). “I’ve prided myself in making right choices and not falling victim to a lot, even after Disney,” he says.