‘Lie To Me’ Star Grace Van Patten Opens Up About Star-Spangled Kid—and Friendship With Timothee Chalamet
“Tell Me a Lie” star Grace Van Patten made a big splash when she landed the lead role in the hit Hulu series—but instead of reaching the star-studded heights of fame, the actress spent most of her childhood preparing for such a moment.
Van Patten, 29, who stars as Lucy Albright in the popular thriller along with her real-life boyfriend, Jackson Whitehe got his first introduction to the dizzying world of Hollywood fame at a young age growing up in New York City, where he was raised by his mother, Wendy Rossmeyerand the director father, Timothy Van Patten.
The actress made her screen debut in one of her father’s most popular projects, The Sopranos, making her series debut at the age of 8, playing the daughter of a gangster in an episode directed by her father.
But even at home, the on-screen actor — who grew up in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood — admitted he was always surrounded by stars, telling Nylon in a new interview: “The actors my dad had that were very close to our family—like Edie Falco again James Gandolfini.”
Seeing how these celebrities deal with balancing their glamor with their personal lives, Van Patten said, was one of the most important lessons he learned early on.
“These people who were very famous, the first thing they prioritized was to live with their family first,” he added. “So I think the exposure of those kinds of people and artists made me want that. All these people were only in the arts and nothing else.”
Fortunately, Van Patten’s parents were more than happy to support his dreams of becoming an actor, enrolling him in the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts, where he gained popularity. Timothy Chalamet again Madonnadaughter of, Lourdes Leonamong his classmates.
Despite each student’s drive to succeed in the industry, Van Patten insisted there is a lot of bad blood between him and his classmates—and said their success is nothing but a positive for him.
“Timmy is my best friend. I was in the audience for all of his rap shows, it was unbelievable,” he continued. “I feel like a proud mother to everyone at LaGuardia who is doing well. It’s very encouraging.”
Her father also helped her by teaching her how to keep her cool even when managing a busy schedule, earning more by being a role model.
“I saw my dad recently having a million plus, the most chaotic day you can imagine, and he was cool, calm, and collected,” she said.
“Then when he got home, he said, ‘That was crazy. But he was putting it together for the people around him.'”
The actress – who has two sisters – is not the only member of the family who has launched a screen career, with her younger sibling, Anna Van Pattenaccompanying him is the latest biographical drama of a man accused of murder Amanda Knox.
When Van Patten portrayed Knox in “The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox,” her younger sibling played her sister on screen.
Pictures taken at the premiere of the series showed the Van Patten siblings supported by their family, with mum Wendy smiling proudly as she posed with her three daughters.
A strong family bond is something Van Patten has enjoyed for most of his life, continuing to live in the family home even after establishing his career.
When Van Patten hit his prime, as it were, he landed a major role in the popular Hulu series “Nine Perfect Strangers,” which was also on. Nicole Kidman again Melissa McCarthyhis family had moved to Brooklyn, moving to an amazing brownstone in Cobble Hill, which Timothy and Wendy bought for $2.87 million in 2011, according to records.
Although work draws him to Los Angeles regularly, Van Patten admitted to The New York Times in 2021 that he was not yet ready to commit to living full-time on the West Coast, revealing that he was still happily allowed in the family home.
“I’ve traveled all over the place in the last few years and I long for a place that belongs to me, but I don’t know where it is yet,” she said. “I love you here [in New York]it will always be at home.”
In the four years since then, Van Patten seems to have put down permanent roots in LA—where, Nylon reports, he’s already routinely stopped on the street by “Tell Me Lies” fans.
But, she insisted, fame was never her ultimate goal—and the idea of being in the public eye almost made her want to quit acting altogether.
“The small chance of fame almost forced me to quit,” he said. “It scares me to be seen like that. It’s probably my insecurity and fear of people knowing too much about me. What I’m focused on is just doing it.”
When the superstar needs to get away from the limelight, he goes to one of his favorite places in Los Angeles: Big 5 Sportswear in Studio City, where he can indulge in one of his biggest passions, sports.
“Being here feels like it’s the start of the school year and you’re getting all the clothes from the sports teams you joined,” she said. “It gives me butterflies.”
Van Patten’s passion for sports is something he developed during high school, when he signed up for the LaGuardia High School basketball team, something he describes as “a great escape” from his studies.
