04 april 2020 - Roy Sommer Gets Some Fresh Air...


16 april 2020 - I Need to Talk About Roy Sommer and His...


27 april 2020 - The Rental: First Glimpses of Conrad Bowers'...


01 may 2020 - Roy Sommer is a Triple Threat...


02 may 2020 - At Home with Roy Sommer: The Playlist


12 may 2020 - Roy Sommer Wears a Mask While Out...


19 may 2020 - Roy Sommer Keeps Doing The Most This Quarantine...


Roy Sommer Gets Some Fresh Air Amid Shelter in Place Mandates

Roy Sommer keeps it casual while getting some fresh air on Saturday (April 4) in Los Angeles.

The 25-year-old actor/musician revealed through Twitter he's stuck in California amid the global health crisis. He's currently sheltering in place with friends and family in the Los Angeles area.


roy sommer is a triple threat: musician, actor, and farm boy
โ€”

Issue 506 โ€ข May
It's been nearly four years since Roy Sommer graced our screens as Steve Harrington in Netflix's Stranger Things. Despite his character making a few bad choices in the show, Steve and his hair were instant fan favorites. The character was set to be written off in season one but due to an overwhelming response from fans and Stranger Things staff alike, he stayed.

Those four years have been busy for Roy, who caught his first big break in 2014 in Parker Best's iconic music video for Blank Space, Roy assuming the role of the titular blank space. Since 2016 he's had a recurring role in Stranger Things, a supporting role in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, lead the 2019 war epic 1917, and filmed The Rental - a Conrad Bowers film co-starring Naz Esfahani. Thought that was enough? His band, Sommersรถhne (an ensemble made up of three of his brothers: Leon, Jonas, and Noah Sommer), also released two albums, charting #1 in their home country of Germany.

Back when we photographed Roy things weren't quite as they are now. He was in Germany accompanied by his stylist, agent, and a few other friends for a closed set photoshoot. Soon after pandemic was in full force and shelter in place orders were issued we caught up with Roy, who had made it to Los Angeles just before the travel ban was in full effect. We got to talk about how he sees the future, what it means for his upcoming projects, and the advice he'd give to self-isolating fans.

First off, nice shirt.

Oh, are we dispensing with pleasantries? Hello! Yes, thank you, I picked it up... Jesus. I'm pretty sure it's not mine, though I'm fond of the pink.

It's electric! How's self-isolation for you?

It's going well. I'd say... I'd say very well, for me. I've been locked down with the same people, and it's a good group of people. I haven't done much in the way of streaming or creating but it's been good, I'm fortunate to be where I'm at. How's it going for you?

I've been locked down with my mum! Lucky for me, she's good people too.

That's wonderful. How've you two been passing the time?

Shouldn't I be asking the questions?

[Laughs] Technically, yes, but now I'm curious.

Fine, fine. We play a lot of boardgames, we read, watch TV, we've developed a game where we give each other challenges. For example, who can fold their clothes the fastest.

Is she tricking you into doing your chores?

I... I think she is...

Diligence is a fine quality. At least make sure you're folding your t-shirts with a crisp edge, Kondo-style.
God, you and my mum would get along well. But we aren't talking about me!

Aren't we?

No! Do you do this in every conversation?

It's possible. I think I have a knack for interviewing people, or just learning about them.

Do you? Where does that come from?

Growing up very socially, I think. I've got eight siblings, did you know that? I think when you're sixth of nine everyone's so fed up with answering basic questions that you learn to get creative. "Leon, why do you choose strawberry jam over blackberry for your toast?" It doesn't sound revolutionary, but that one really stumped him back when I was eight. I think I sent my 10-year-old brother into an existential crisis.

Is that your goal in every conversation? Existential dread?

Not every conversation. Why, am I making you nervous?
No, not yet. What was it like growing up?

That's a big question. It was a spectrum of easy and difficult. All through my adolescence we had a lot of farm chores and neither of our parents were really keen on letting us do anything... industry. We would visit my father on set occasionally or go to one of maman's [pop icon Lina Sofia] concerts but they were very strict on participation. I don't want to be blasรฉ, or something, saying it was a "normal" childhood, but it was very much... wake up, go to school, come home, do chores, and so on.

Wake up, go to school, come home, do chores, but your mother is an international icon and your father is an Oscar nominated actor?

Yes, exactly, though you'd be surprised just how little that did for me in Germany. I mean, people knew who my parents were, of course, and I'm sure there was some amount of leniency happening but the mentality was always: "Yes, sure, your parents are accomplished. What can you do?" [Pauses] I'm pretty sure my father said those exact words to me once. It's a theme. This feels like a breakthrough.

Do you have a lot of those?

Frequently. Practically daily, at least these days anyway. Plenty of time to think and reflect. How about you?

You're doing it again.

[Laughs] Right. Yeah! I have a lot of breakthroughs. There's plenty of time to think, reflect, let the creativity flow. I started this lockdown really pushing myself to write something. I was getting tired of playing others' music and so there was a few days where I sat with noise cancelling headphones and played my guitar hoping something would manifest. Long story short, it didn't. It turns out you can't really push creativity. So, after failing at writing the next big thing in music, I went back to reading journals on music theory and practicing scales which, I think, might be slowly driving my quarantine partner insane. The thing is, now that I've released myself from this pressure I've been having a lot more moments of clarity. The other night I woke up at 3:00 AM with a riff I couldn't get out of my head. I recorded it and went back to sleep.
How did it sound when you listened to it the next day?

Honestly? Like garbage. But that's fine, not every riff can be a winner.

Your band is enormously popular in Germany, and you've been very vocal about gay rights at your concerts. Do you have a large gay following?

I couldn't begin to give you a specific number...

Just a rough estimate, then?

[Laughs] Sure, yeah. We do. We play pride, usually in Cologne. I think using our platform responsibly is important and so we pick and choose the issues we want to address with great care, LGBTQ rights are often at the forefront of it.

May we ask how you identify for those who arenโ€™t familiar with you?

Of course! I identify as bisexual. Though really if we're going with labels, I think pansexual might be more appropriate. The older I get the more I realize my attraction has no limits.

When did you realize this?

Honestly, I don't know. I wish I could pinpoint a time but one of my brothers recently told me I've always been just as "boy crazy" as I was "girl crazy". I think there wasn't ever a definitive moment of when I realized I was queer. I've always had a very open, accepting family, and the same is true of my school friends. I've always had girlfriends and boyfriends and the only issue that ever came up was how annoyingly dramatic I could be about them.

Did it ever play a big role in your music?

I think so, yeah, in the way all relationships do. My first relationship was with another man. Boy, I should say, since we were only 16 at the time. That was the first person I ever really experienced pure heartache and loss with. I wrote a song about him that came out years later and I was very intentional on leaving pronouns out of it. I wasn't trying to be... extra about it, or encourage speculation. I think I'd just had this realization that heartache is universal, relationships are universal. The way I feel in that song I've felt about others, regardless of gender.
What are you most excited for?

About the future, you mean? It feels very uncertain right now. What are you excited for?

They do feel very uncertain. I'm excited for summer, for long drives, because I can take them. They might be lonely, but I'm excited to have the windows down while I drive.

That's beautiful. I'm excited for the same thing. I'm an eternal optimist but also a realist, those things tend to work at odds. I'm eager to see how the world changes. I'm eager for us all to adapt to that change. I'm not sure how filming is going to work, but I'm excited for the next business call I get about it. I'm excited for The Rental, a project I got to work on with one of my best friends. I'm so excited that people get to see it!

Do you feel like you're missing out on anything?

In a sense, yes. Back in Cologne, it's lambing season on my family's sheep farm. We're actually at the end of it now and that was something I was looking forward to. Spending time at home, following our tour, a brief respite where I could go back to doing what I do best while I'm not working... farm labor. I'm missing out on that. But other things are happening, good things, and I'm taking advantage of the time I'm afforded thanks to my circumstance.

Do you have any advice for those sheltering at home?

Oh, you know, yes. Be kind. Appreciate the people who must work during this time. Don't succumb to the pressure to do something "productive" for the sake of production. Stream The Rental, available video on demand July 24th!

Oh, very smooth.

Thank you, I thought so. Do you have any advice for me?

I think you said it perfectly.

Sommersรถhne's discography is available for streaming on Apple Music and Spotify, Stranger Things currently streaming on Netflix, The Rental is set to release in theaters and VOD on July 24th.

The Source For All Things Pop Culture

Dan Stevens as "Charlie", Naz Esfahani as "Mina", and Roy Sommer as "Josh" in Conrad Bowers' THE RENTAL. Courtesy of IFC films. An IFC films release.
The Rental: First Glimpses of Conrad Bowers' Directorial Debut Revealed!
Written by Jason Price / on April 27, 2020

Synopsis: Two couples looking to celebrate their seed money from a new business venture, embark on a weekend getaway to a seemingly perfect house they've booked online. But what begins as a festive weekend for the four close friends turn into something far more sinister as secrets they've kept from each other are exposed and paranoia grows that they may not be alone. Co-written by Conrad Bowers and Joe Swanberg, THE RENTAL features an all-star cast including Dan Stevens, Alison Brie, Naz Esfahani, and Roy Sommer. The film also marks the directorial debut of Conrad Bowers. IFC Films will release THE RENTAL in theaters and on demand July 24th.

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Roy Sommer Keeps Doing the Most This Quarantine... or At Least His Friends Do...
Always let your friends promo for you.
Posted on May 19, 2020, at 4:32 p.m.
View 78 comments โ†“
We've all been subjected to an endless parade of celebrity appearances and streams via Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok, but Stranger Things fans have commented a lot on one noticeable absence in that parade...
ABBY
@abbyshere
i feel like i've seen the whole cast do stuff by now but where tf is the roy sommer content??? all we get is like 2 tiktoks of him w/casey calvetti and dom nazzari??? tf???
โ™ก 13 2:23 PM - May 14, 2020
If you aren't part of the sensation sweeping the nation, Roy made brief appearances on TikTok. The first in April on Casey Calvetti's account, featuring what appears to be Casey popping Roy's dislocated shoulder back into its socket (allegedly you can hear the voices of singer/actress/director Naz and actress Dom Nazzari. The second is from Hype House hopeful Ellie Webster, who caught Roy helping Dom out of a pool in Malibu.

However, friends, it seems as if fans like you and I have been holding our breath for a reason! Roy's long time collaborator and best friend, Lena Mรผller, just uploaded a series of photos featuring Roy and a million gorgeous models.
lenalamb
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Ich habe diese fรผr eine lange Zeit versteckt gehalten. SchlieรŸlich geben sie ihr Debรผt. Vielen Dank an alle, die dieses Editorial mรถglich gemacht haben! /// I've kept these hidden for a long time...
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The pictures were reportedly taken sometime last summer, while Roy was in Los Angeles between promoting Stranger Things and gearing up for his band's Sommersรถhne's festival circuit.

The photos are for ล’ Magazine, a fashion magazine local to Berlin. Lena is a photographer/videographer living and working in Germany and, really, God bless her...
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Sommer kinder โ˜€๏ธ
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I have no idea what the narrative of this editorial is other than watching Roy have great hair and terrible clothes, surrounded by beautiful women, but you know what? I'm here for it. Turns out I'm not the only one...
claude
@cloudyyya
can someone tell me the point of this other than 2 make me weep w/joy steve ur hair is beautiful...
โ™ก 16 9:07 PM - May 19, 2020
Then it turns out another friend and collaborator, Mia Webley, posted some behind the scenes shots...
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vermissen dich, sommerjunge ๐ŸŒž๐ŸŒž๐ŸŒž Hope to see you again soon
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The editorial will be available on ล’ Magazine's website this Wednesday, May 20! This + the photoshoot for ล’ MagazineGay Times? These are the quarantine blessings we needed.
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Daily Mail Celebrity @DailyMailCeleb โ€ข May 12, 2020

Roy Sommer wears a mask while out on a walk in Los Angeles
Roy Sommer wears a mask while out on a walk in Los...
The actor, 25, was seen taking a stroll alone in Los Angeles, following a sighting with...
๐Ÿ”— dailymail.co.uk

Brill @brilliantsss โ€ข May 12, 2020
lmao @ this idiot covering his face w a mask after not sheltering in place like 40 times this month do celebs think we're that stupid or

goldie @shesgold โ€ข May 12, 2020
@brilliantsss pretty sure he's spent the whole quarantine with the same 5 people but go off

taylARRR ๐ŸŒต @hestooprecious โ€ข May 12, 2020
@shesgold the whole point of sheltering in place is that you... shelter... in... place...

val @valentinax โ€ข May 12, 2020
whoooooo caaaaaressss "oh another german related to lina sofia broke quarantine like an asshole" whatever happened to GOOD CONTENT

โœจ VANESSA โœจ @vanessa203004 โ€ข May 12, 2020
i'm seriously crying at this guy being like "hee hee we're just dancing in quarantine" 2 apple music and then a day later he's in some pool in malibu w/an actress way hotter than him

b โ›…๏ธ @lovedangel โ€ข May 12, 2020
@vanessa203004 LMFAOOO agreed anyway do we all think he cheated on sam toomey bc ngl that turnaround was FAST i used to stan roy but....

โค๏ธ๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ’• @silviagreen โ€ข May 12, 2020
@lovedangel def cheated

rush๐Ÿ‰ @garnetzzz โ€ข May 12, 2020
@lovedangel nah he didn't cheat but his relationships never last he just latches on to whoever keeps him relevant a beatiful trick he learned from bff and co-star @naz

andrea ๐ŸŒŸ @aestheticsmoo โ€ข May 12, 2020
can't he afford a real mask...

BuzzFeed Celeb @BuzzFeedCeleb โ€ข April 16, 2020

I Need To Talk About Roy Sommer and His History of Outrageous Photoshoots
I Need To Talk About Roy Sommer and His History of...
In mid-March Roy Sommer posted an onslaught of photos of him in fishnets, and we still haven't recovered. Let's take a look back at...
๐Ÿ”— buzzfeed.com

๐•ž๐• ๐•ฃ๐•“๐•š๐••๐•’ @glassesxme โ€ข April 16, 2020
jfc i'm over this website and its stanning of this trash man literally everything he is is owed to nepotism???

jamie โ˜€๏ธ @sunsout โ€ข April 16, 2020
yeah idg the obsession with him he's fine as steve but what was he even doing in 1917 in what should've been sam toomey's role (the answer is nepotism)
๐•ž๐• ๐•ฃ๐•“๐•š๐••๐•’ @goodusername22 โ€ข April 16, 2020

jfc i'm over this website and its stanning of this trash man literally everything he is is owed to nepotism???

๐ŸŒน ๐•œ๐•ฃ๐•š๐•ค๐•ฅ๐•ช ๐Ÿฅ€ @cristycrush โ€ข April 16, 2020
gaytimes released a few more pics on their insta and somebody needs 2 fucking hose me down after viewing i can't wait for this feature omgggg

๐Ÿ ๐Ÿ ๐Ÿ @glitterbee โ€ข April 16, 2020
a white guy did something kind of not boring my congratulations

hallie @thehallwayy โ€ข April 16, 2020
jesus christ this thread when did the internet turn against roy sommer jw???

๐™จ๐™ฉ๐™–๐™˜๐™š๐™ฎ @spaceystacey โ€ข April 16, 2020
@thehallwayy when he and sam broke up lmao

daisy ๐ŸŒป ๐Ÿ˜ƒ @daisydee โ€ข April 16, 2020
@spaceystacey EXCUSE U plenty of us thought he was USELESS before that esp compared 2 the best Sommer My Queen Flora

๐Ÿ„ฐ๐Ÿ„ฝ๐Ÿ„ฝ๐Ÿ„ฐ @annabanana โ€ข April 16, 2020
@thehallwayy are you new to twitter

๐ฃ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ž @jessicat โ€ข April 16, 2020
did anybody actually watch the video he did for flaunt it's got like a lame monologue over it but the visuals are amaaaazing and by amazing i mean everyone's wet and that's great


darli ๐Ÿ’ž @steps129 โ€ข April 16, 2020
wow legit glow up anyway can someone talk to me abt these pics bc oh my god... nasty as hell...

vittoriii @ vittoriii99 โ€ข April 16, 2020
@steps129 wow amazing what staging and makeup can do for a man anyway why is nobody talking abt how these were taken near where dom nazzari lives???

m00nlight @2m00nlight โ€ข April 16, 2020
@vittoriii bc ur the only person that cares


Roy Sommer was in the middle of touring in Germany with his band, Sommersรถhne, when pandemic hit. "It's sad, of course," he tells Apple Music. "But some things are more important." Now he's in Los Angeles, spending time on the things he doesn't normally have time for: cooking, reading, and doing his best to coexist with his siblings. "We haven't been in this close of quarters since we were kids. It's been nice to be around the people I love, even if I don't have any other choice." He's focused mostly on upbeat music, pop hits, nostalgic songs that remind him of friendships and times before busy schedules.

"We grew up on a lot of new wave, my father was vehemently against CDs so most of what we listened to around the house was all on vinyl. I never felt I ever missed out on anything really, though. Friends from school were always sharing their music with me. But, most of what I heard at home was old. The same with films. Our father hung on to VHS for a very, very long time." Roy recalls listening to his father's renditions of Alphaville on acoustic guitar, his grandmother's (or, as he says, oma's) love of Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris. This quarantine there's been reflection, appreciation, but most importantly: "Dancing. There's been a lot of dancing. I never really engage with the art unless I'm on stage, it's always so freeing. But I've been doing it a lot more lately."

He's stayed optimistic through it all, keeping spirits high and accepting his situation for what it is. "I never get bored. That's the trick, you know? There's always something to do. I think now, for me, it's not time to force it. It's time to just be." Check out this exclusive playlist of the songs Roy's dancing to.
At Home with Roy Sommer: The Playlist
Apple Music
Updated Saturday





Sister Golden Hair
America
Pauline
Pomme
Bizarre Love Triangle
New Order
Paradisin'
Rina Sawayama
Overnight
Flora Sommer
Mine
Parker Best
Where's My Juul? (Feat. Lil Mariko)
Full Tac
Modern Love
David Bowie
Read My Mind
The Killers
Let's Go
The Cars
The Ledge
Fleetwood Mac
I'll Keep My Light in My Window (12" Version)
New York Community Choir