Luke Grimes
Twenty-four-year-old actor Luke Grimes grew up believing in God and Bruce Willis. Eventually his faith in both changed. The son of a Pentecostal pastor in Dayton, Ohio, Grimes spent his childhood summers at a church camp. Early on, however, he realized his true calling was not the congregation but the stage. “I’m not really a fan of organized religion,” Grimes says. Still, his parents supported him, mortgaging their house to send him to acting school in New York City. Now, though, it seems that his faith has paid off. Later this year, he stars in Assassination of a High School President, as a scheming student-council vice president, alongside Mischa Barton and Bruce Willis. “It’s really odd to be up close to an icon like Bruce Willis,” Grimes says. “You’re used to seeing him on a screen, 50 feet tall. To think, ‘Hmm, I’m taller than you are’ is just weird.” Grimes is also shooting Shit Year, in which he appears opposite Ellen Barkin. The two share a sex scene. “I’m not nervous,” he claims. “I probably will be. That’s how I work. If there are any nerves, it won’t happen until right before. I don’t really invest too much in the future.” These days, Grimes also plays drums for an alt-country band-a skill he picked up in church.
