Lukas Gage is a 25-year-old American actor with a CV full of TV and film roles in projects like Euphoria, Assassination Nation, Supergirl, Veronica Mars and more. He’s not a household name, but he’s a working actor with some kind of profile. Like many actors during the pandemic, he’s been forced into auditioning for future roles via Zoom. He was doing one of those Zoom auditions in his apartment when this happened:
psa if youre a shit talking director make sure to mute ur shit on zoom mtgings pic.twitter.com/PTgMZcRhEw
— lukas gage (@lukasgage) November 20, 2020
He didn’t name the British-accented director who did this, which I’ll get to in a second. The director can be overheard saying, “These poor people live in these tiny apartments… Like, I’m looking at his background and he’s got his TV and, you know…” Lukas interrupts him to say that the guy is, in fact, unmuted, and “I know it’s a s—y apartment. Give me this job so I can get a better one.” The director can be heard saying that he’s “mortified” that Gage overheard him. Gage behaved with grace and class.
After he posted this on his social media, actors of all ages came out to defend Lukas and praise him and commiserate with him. January Jones was one of those actors, which has led some people (who know January’s particular backstory) to suggest that the director was Matthew Vaughn, a British aristocrat-turned-director and Claudia Schiffer’s husband. That has not been confirmed, although some people are, like, doing vocal comparisons online.
I feel so bad for this young man, but he’s got to feel good about just how many people – many of them actors – stood up for him. And stood up for his apartment, which looks nice!
Since @lukasgage is going viral on film twitter for being the graceful, quick-thinking sweetheart he is, I’d like to add for any (non-asshole) director’s looking that he’s also a delight to work with, funny, talented and a blast on set. Hire this man! https://t.co/Sjai5jqury
— Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) November 21, 2020
As a young man I would have dreamed of an apartment like this one. Look at that sweet flat screen! The guitar! The moldings! https://t.co/cAEGxLy03G
— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) November 21, 2020
What an honest young actor. What a dumbass director. You’ll go farther than he will, @lukasgage.👍 https://t.co/aRI2AGGazp
— patrick wilson (@patrickwilson73) November 21, 2020
Shitty ass director, brilliant ass response. Side note, your apartment looks pretty slick to me @lukasgage. 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾 https://t.co/n0pHeXE2qi
— Dulé Hill (@DuleHill) November 21, 2020
Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red.
Where’s the sh*tty part? Looks like a nice apartment to me. Sweet kid. Better to not have to work with that classist, dick director.
I know, right? The director is incredibly out of touch, which is just gross to contemplate.
Totally. It’s way nicer than my shitty rental house, which is all I can afford. LA rent is ridiculous.
It’s actually his hotel room. He’s in Hawaii for a project or something and has been staying in a hotel. He jumped in with apartment because the director said it. This was confirmed on Twitter. That said it’s not even a dump. And how does a flat screen on a wall equate to a poor person? His “apartment” would be pretty standard in Paris.
This is delightful. The director must live in a mansion because Lukas’ apartment looks pretty good to me. Lukas handled this perfectly. He must have a great sense of humor. I dont know much about him, but he is now on my radar. I hope you got the job, Lukas.
I don’t get it. Even if the director lives in a mansion, couldn’t this be one room in a mansion? What part of seeing a professionally mounted flatscreen tv in someone’s bedroom says “struggling”? Unless I can see the bathroom, kitchen, and neighbors through the window all in one shot, the kid is doing okay.
I have a tv too, and I don’t even have crown molding, and nothing whatsoever is that well-color-coordinated, so… I live in a shi++y house too, I guess. Sigh. Question: what does Mr. Director think is supposed to be in the background?
What a snobby prick. The apartment looks nice.
It looks clean and well-maintained. I guess, the director is used to chatting with those who live in mansions.
Kudos to him. I think it’s a nice apartment. IDK if he is naturally a tidy kind of man but I have coworkers he do not get the concept of turning the camera to face an uncluttered background or cleaning up the background before a zoom meeting.
If it is Vaughn, it’s curious that January Jones is the one who named him, since he is one of the leading candidates to be her baby’s father…
To be fair to her she didn’t name who she thought the director was. All she said was she thought she knew who it was, and everyone was replying to that “who” and is it Mathew Vaughan.
What is January’s backstory?
I only know January dated that douche Kutcher who treated her like crap. I think she was pretty open about that but he was more famous at the time so it was seen as crass? I can’t be sure but I just remember she got flak. And then this rumor about Vaughan. She had a kid, it was a shock to people and she never named his dad, but everyone just kind of assumes it’s Vaughan. If it is, it’s the world worst kept secret. And she’s in LA so does the kid even see his father? I feel like if she had been more popular a sighting would have gone down. That said I used to think she wasn’t a great person but have changed my mind after seeing some of her Insta. I guess Betty Drapper haunted because I could have sworn people said she was a lot like her character.
Co-sign @Ashley’s comments. The two candidates for her baby’s father I have heard is Vaughan, and Jason Sudeikis.
He’s adorable.
He handled it well and was quick thinking! I wish I could say that’s I’d be so quick on my feet.
If that apartment is considered crappy then I can’t imagine what the director would say about my place! Shame on that man and I’m hoping this public embarrassment will humble him.
Maybe its just the accent thats throwing me off…was that director not actually sympathizing with him!?? When he said these ‘poor people’ i think he meant shame these struggling actors really go through it before catching a break?
Agreed, the “poor people” comment sounded worse when it was written, but the comments that came after that lead me to believe he comes from a very small bubble. That’s a perfectly fine apartment. If he thinks that looks poor then I guess he’s only used to hanging around mansions and penthouses.
I kind of agree? Maybe there was more to it, but I was thinking like, poor us that we are cooped inside for a year? I often feel like that about NY-erf. I can’t imagine being stuck in a small NYC apartment through the pandemic.
These poor people???? WOW! Either he’s a major prick or he was being sympathetic!! The flat looks actually nice…, Either way, still eyrolling
I do think he meant it sympathetically, but it’s still absurd. That apartment isn’t cause for sympathy. I am baffled by the comment about seeing his TV. Even in the poshest apartment ever, one might still be standing in front of their TV on a zoom call.
Worst part were people trying to justify the director by saying that maybe he should have had a blank background to audition. That is a nice apartment, how out of touch are these people?
Also, I’ve only seen Lukas in Euphoria and he was really good! I feel so bad for his character.
Edit to add: it’s weird that some are using this story to speculate about the father of January’s son. As long as the kids knows, who cares?
He definitely shouldn’t ‘have to have’ a blank background, but most actors would want one. These type of auditions are real short, and anything at all going on in the background can only serve as a distraction, so if you have the space for a empty background you’d 100% use that.
Not at all justifying the directors comments, but for the people asking how the director knew it was a small apartment and not just one room in a large one that’s how.
It’s so weird, it could look like the director was talking about other people’s appartment , maybe other zoom auditions, and continued his thoughts, comparing them to that guy’s nicer appartment . But then why not saying that..
Ok i’ll stop rambling.
His apartment actually looks nice…and even if it didn’t, that director is a jerk for even saying something like that. The good thing about this is this young man now is on everyone’s radar. He’ll get acting gigs because of this…so a win for him I say !
I don’t understand the comments saying he meant poor people in a good way. The ass was embarrassed and apologized, so clearly he was being insulting. This kid handled it like a champ though.
At best, his poor people comment was akin to a southerner saying “bless your heart.” It clearly was not genuine sympathy, he was mocking the guy’s apartment.
Pretty mean comment from the director, but I guess it was just a poor choice of words.
I’ve seen lots of this “online casting” lately, and most actors use a screen or some kind of “curtain” or fabric where they tape their auditions. What the director perhaps meant was that Lukas probably didn’t have set up a proper auditioning space.
Heck, I’m a teacher and even I try to look for a clean wall with minimum decor as background during my classes so attention is focused. It’s not like I’m gonna just open my computer and start class from whenever I am.
Agreed.
I mean I would never shame anyone’s home but for professional zooms, I definitely place the lens on a clean back wall.
I had to rearrange everything to get a clear background! Still always checking my web cam to make sure it hasn’t slipped a bit to show clutter.
Exactly. It’s important to be professional no matter the circumstances.
These poor directors with their narrow view of success…like, I’m listening to his commentary and I can hear his shallowness…
That apartment looks quite nice, actually. Why is living in a small space considered a bad thing? Even if this actor is living in a small apartment because it’s what he can afford, so what? And why assume it is? I sold a larger home to move into a 1 bedroom apartment because I didn’t need the space. It was wasteful, living in a house and not using parts of it at all. Not everyone needs a huge mansion to feel content in their lives.
I have also downsized numerous times over the past 15 years. Saves money on utilities, saves time on cleaning. I feel better keeping a smaller footprint, so to speak.
8.5 m views last time i checked, I wonder how this actor feels about becoming an overnight legend? I hope there are casting directors that are seeing this, and would be willing to give him a chance.
What are the chances that from now on when actors have to do Zoom auditions they are given gag orders in order to prevent releases like this this ever happening again? It’s a pity as this behaviour should be pointed out as highly unprofessional.
I am in the camp of thinking that the director didn’t actually mean to be shitty, but it was rather patronizing and he needs to get a clue. Also, having an English accent that is perceived as posh isn’t helping matters (as the owner of a RP English voice that can sound rather snobby by asking How are you, never mind anything else, I know the drill). Auditions are fraught with nerves and having someone make such a personal comment about your house can really do a number on you. Lukas Gage was an absolute champ at handling this, and shows he is good at improvising and keeping his cool. He probably did not get this role, but I am sure others will follow.
Also, his house looks absolutely lovely and tidy. After seeing this story I realized mine is nowhere near as clean-looking as his and it inspired me to tackle my hazmat of a kitchen. I think the director would have keeled over if he would have seen mine on a Zoom call.
I’m also interested in the aftermath of this. I’m guessing he didn’t get the part and then he posted the vid, not caring about his relationship with the director? I’m sure by now the director being filmed is aware. Will he get publicly named? Whether it’s Vaughn or not, his name is being tied to this, and not in a good way. A bold move and Gage comes out the winner here.
The aftermath is that Lukas is probably not going to get a job again because the sad reality of our business is that horrible things go on in studios that everyone turns a blind eye to. He’ll be branded as a traitor to the system but passive aggressively , just like a lot of the actresses who called out Weinstein
I live in a large nice house and my tv is in a room that looks like that. That’s just a standard setup for flat screen tv’s for most people.
Lol Lukas should have used the background that Four Seasons Total Landscaping provided for Zooms.
At least the director had the sense to apologize and be mortified. If he were a truly hopeless cause he would have just told the actor to shut his pie hole and get on with the audition. But I do have to wonder at his frame of personal reference if he thinks clean and well appointed little apartment is anything to pity. I spent the first 30 years of my life in surroundings that apparently would make this guy weep. 😂
I don’t know this Lukas guy, but he handled it very well, and very graciously in the moment. I don’t know if I would have then posted the video online, but at the same time, this snobby director deserves to be knocked down a peg or 2.
None of the rooms in my house look that nice.
That apartment in LA is likely 4 grand a month. Or more. (I guess it’s actually his hotel room in Hawaii on location?) In the state I just moved to you can get a nice studio apartment over a garage with a washer and dryer and use of the garage for 350/month in a nice semi rural area near a major city. Couldn’t believe it when I saw the ad a week after I moved here.
And like everyone here said it’s a nice apartment – no shade warranted. Did he post this cuz he didn’t get the job?!
This is a classic upperclass British attitude = poverty shaming. “These poor people…” HAHAHA. The poor people who live in apartments with TVs on the wall?? Doesn’t fly so well outside of Britain. America lacks tall poppy syndrome, and generally celebrates anyone who can make something of themselves. I bet a British actor would’ve felt the shame too. But this kid is American, so he’s just like wtf? Give me a job, you loser.
Agreed. I’m completely a fan now. Never seen him in anything except this video and can tell he has “it” and I want to see more.