Interview Laasaya Gadiyaram
In The Greatest Hits, Justin H Min listens to both space and time. Living in a reality where music can literally transform characters back into the past, Min’s character reckons with grief and loss as well as the life that can grow in its place. We talk about developing David as a character, Nat King Cole, and more!
Congratulations on The Greatest Hits! How has the process been so far?
It’s been an absolute whirlwind. I realized the other day that this is actually the first official press tour I’ve really been on. All of the other projects I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of came out during the pandemic or the strike, so I’ve never really had the opportunity to travel for events and screenings. It’s been wonderful to share this film with audiences in person and to be a part of the collective theater-going experience again.
Blazer, top, & scarf: Emporio Armani, pants & shoes: DSQUARED2, sunglasses: Oliver Peoples, jewelry: stylist’s own
Shirt & pants: Goodfight, tank, socks, & jewelry: stylist’s own, sandals: Dolce & Gabbana, sunglasses: Gentle Monster
How did you approach developing David as a character?
I approached David in the same way I approach many of the other characters I’ve played, first by mining and excavating the script for insights into who David is — what his world looks and feels like. This led to many questions and conversations with our incredible writer and director Ned Benson about the specific ways in which he desired to showcase David’s journey in the film. We were also fortunate enough to have some rehearsal time before we started filming, so I had the opportunity to work with Lucy to talk through Harriet and David’s relationship.
Your career has spanned over genres and mediums. What narratives do you find yourself gravitating towards?
That’s difficult to say. Oftentimes, I simply gravitate toward scripts and stories that I have a visceral reaction to while reading them. But I do believe the right projects find you at the right time. Almost always, I find myself experiencing or ruminating on things that my characters are going through. I’m so thankful for art in that way. I can use acting as a means to process and reflect on experiences that I have difficulty talking about in my real life.
Full look: Dolce & Gabbana, necklace: stylist’s own
Your previous works range from comedic sitcoms to dramatic serials. How do you see your comedic work informing your dramatic work? And vice versa?
They both completely inform the work because life is never strictly a drama or comedy; we’re constantly oscillating between the two. When, as an actor, you can find gravitas in comedy or levity in drama, you’ve become closer to finding the truth of a scene. And that’s all we’re ever striving to do as artists.
In The Greatest Hits, music triggers travels through time. If you could travel to one era of music which would it be?
Probably the 50s. I love Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, so it would be incredible to see them live.
Shirt & pants: Goodfight, tank, socks, & jewelry: stylist’s own, sandals: Dolce & Gabbana, sunglasses: Gentle Monster
How do you think music has the ability to define memory?
I’m constantly listening to music, and I love having a soundtrack to my life. So there are always certain songs that I listen to that bring me back to a particular place, time, or person. Music is so transportive in that way, and I think that’s such a universal experience.
In what ways are shows and movies influenced by their soundtracks?
They add another layer to the storytelling. It’s incredible what a certain score or song can do to a scene. They can amplify the emotions of a particular moment or completely undercut what’s happening. You think about something like a Hans Zimmer score; it’s a character all on its own. So it’s not surprising that when I think back on the most memorable TV shows and films I’ve watched, I always remember the soundtracks as well.
As an actor, how has music influenced your approach to developing your characters?
I haven’t used music as much to develop characters, per se. I do use music while filming if I need to get into a particular headspace or a heightened emotional place. But for The Greatest Hits, because music was such an integral part of the story, I did work with Ned to create a specific playlist for David. It was helpful to have that to listen to and fall back on whenever I felt a bit lost.
What similarities do you see in David’s life and your own? What differences do you notice?
David is someone who is quite often in his head, very pragmatic, very older brother syndrome. So when he loses his parents, he barely gives himself the space to grieve and immediately goes into problem-solving mode. I feel very similar to David in that way. I’m frequently caught up in my own thoughts, and I sometimes have trouble staying in the present moment. Fortunately, through years of therapy, I’ve been learning to give myself permission to feel everything that comes up.
David is definitely more of a romantic than me. He’s willing to go above and beyond to woo the love of his life. Me? I’m lazy.
Full look: Dolce & Gabbana, necklace: stylist’s own
What’s David’s taste in music? In what ways is it similar or different to yours?
David has a much more refined and varied taste in music than I do. I’m the type of person who listens to the same 20 songs on rotation, so I was thankful for the opportunity to explore other songs, artists, and genres through the filming process. But I would say we both share a love for melancholic tunes.
The Greatest Hits looks at music in the context of healing. What role do you think music plays in this process?
Music speaks to us on such a fundamental, soul level. It has the ability to express our joys, heartaches, and pains in ways that human language cannot fully articulate. That’s the beauty, magic, and power of the medium. So when we’re talking about something like grieving, music can often serve as a catalyst for healing because it allows us to feel, first and foremost, and then reminds us that we’re not, in fact, alone in our pain and heartbreak.
Shirt & pants: Goodfight, tank, socks, & jewelry: stylist’s own, sandals: Dolce & Gabbana, sunglasses: Gentle Monster
Blazer, top, & scarf: Emporio Armani, pants & shoes: DSQUARED2, sunglasses: Oliver Peoples, jewelry: stylist’s own
What are some songs that pull you back into the past?
It’s All Coming Back to Me Now by Celine Dion always takes me back to my childhood. Whenever we would go on long family road trips, my parents, who had only about three CDs in the car, would play Celine Dion’s album again and again and again. It was the best.
Shirt & pants: Goodfight, tank, socks, & jewelry: stylist’s own, sandals: Dolce & Gabbana, sunglasses: Gentle Monster
Full look: Miu Miu, shoes: talent’s own