Spoiler Alert: Hollywood’s New Go-To Stoner Avan Jogia Doesn’t Even Smoke Weed

In the trailer for Zombieland: Double Tap, actor, musician, poet, and artist Avan Jogia’s character Berkeley is introduced when Abigail Breslin as Little Rock timidly asks, “You don’t have weed, do you?”

At first, his face is serious as he responds, “Do I look like the type of person that would have weed?” He then bursts into a smile as big as the bag of weed he holds up, exclaiming, “Boom! Yeah!” landing one of the best jokes of the trailer.

And that’s not the first time he’s played a stoner on screen, as he also starred in this year’s Now Apocalypse series on Starz as LA millennial Ulysses, a character rarely shown without a vape in his mouth or hand. But in reality, it’s all just a bit of movie magic.

“I famously can’t smoke pot,” Jogia, 27, admitted when he stopped by the Decider offices in New York City this week, ahead of his book signing at the Strand, where he’d be reading poetry, performing songs, and discussing the new release, Mixed Feelings. “I don’t like it,” he explained of the drug, which he confirmed made him paranoid when he has partaken in the past.

“I think people see me as a relaxed guy so the assumption is made,” he offered, also expressing that his complicated feeling toward the drug is not just physical but also political, saying he’s “not anti-weed” but that one of his problems with weed culture stems from those making money off the substance that has landed way too many people of color behind bars. It’s just one instance of many during our chat where Jogia can’t help but share his feelings on a variety of modern political and cultural issues. “But yeah, I do play a lot of stoners,” he said with a small chuckle. 

Now Apocalypse, the Starz half-hour series that aired earlier this year and is still available to stream, was canceled after just one totally bizarre season. He describes the show as “too weird to live,” proudly stating there is simply “nothing like it on television.” And he’s right. There are very, very few shows one could ever compare it to, specifically because it came from the mind of Gregg Araki, a trailblazer of the totally bonkers. “Gregg has always been a pioneer in this regard and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are many TV shows after this that emulate him,” Jogia said. “He’s one of the very few auteurs who actually genuinely has their own style that’s different than everyone else’s. Being able to work with him and having him write this series for me is something I’ll always have and I’ll always love that show.” 

While the show focused on a group of millennials living in Los Angeles navigating their personal and professional lives, that’s the blandest and most basic explanation of this show, which never shied away from being super sexy and unapologetically wacky. And the worst part about it all, is that a second season was already written.

Araki shared the scripts with Jogia who coyly nodded when I asked if he had any idea of what a Season 2 would’ve included, doing his best to control the smile creeping on his face as he held in the secrets he clearly got more joy from knowing than he ever would from sharing them. He of course couldn’t say much, but did reveal, “I read it all. It was great. The whole thing. It’s awesome and so good and again, such a rare bird as a show. Gregg made a different thing, something really weird. Maybe it has another life,” he added, clinging to a shred of hope along with the many, many people he receives messages from on social media, expressing their love for the show. 

“Doing this was interesting,” Jogia said, pointing to conversations with Araki about developing and understanding who Ulysses was as a character. “Specifically with this, I wanted to be able to make a person that felt like you knew this guy. From there, the insanity of the show can play itself out.” So even though Uly was (mostly) grounded, Jogia explained his attraction to that character, and any other he may step into, is that “What moves me and drives me is trying to inhabit anything that will expand me.” 

That also applies to Mixed Feelings which is a collection of images, art, poems, and short stories from Jogia and others reflecting on their upbringing, cultures, and significant moments and feelings throughout their lives. While many feel (and are) incredibly personal, Jogia told me they weren’t ripped from his actual journal because he doesn’t quite have one. “I can’t journal. There are so many books I have in my house that I do the front page and put my name in it, get the first page, second page, blank.” So instead of starting and stopping with writing down all the details about his day, “I just realized rather than trying to do something that’s not working, I moved to poetry really early on. So I have an emotional understanding of my childhood but not a factual one. Which I think is better. It’s about feelings.” 

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Had a lovely chat (and art session!) with Avan Jogia. See him tonight at @strandbookstore at 7PM.

A post shared by Decider.com (@deciderdotcom) on Sep 25, 2019 at 10:40am PDT

The book includes pictures, memories, and reflections on his childhood and family members, but when asked if there was anything he deemed too personal to include, Jogia instead shared that he leaned right into that resistance. “I tried to be as exposed as I could about myself. I really challenged [myself] to say, let’s be brave and talk about this. Maybe if I can be honest that can push other people to be honest about themselves or their childhood or growing up and allow them to get deeper or more personal with themselves.” 

“My goal as an artist, it doesn’t matter what it is, acting, movies, writing, I want to try to be as vulnerable and as open as possible in a public forum. I want to do all of my developing out loud in front of people. It’s a new thing for me,” Jogia admitted. The actor, who also previously starred on Nickelodeon’s Victorious, said, “Before, I was very precious and private with my thought process and the way that I am. But now I don’t mind contradicting myself in eight years time. In fact, that’s the whole artist’s journey, to show some growth and a story.” In fact, it’s the stories he initially worried about sharing that have proven the most popular with fans attending stops along his book tour. “It just proves the point that you must be vulnerable and open because it just helps other people be vulnerable and open and if that’s what I want out of the world, and this world is in dire need of, then I should be putting that out into the world.” 

“I have always felt out of place in this world,” reads a poem on the first page of the book, and while Jogia confirmed that he feels “out of place in the world, contextually,” he’s also always been “a sure person.”

“I’ve always felt like I’m doing the thing I’m supposed to do. I’ve never felt necessarily included anywhere, but I’ve always felt sure of my place in regards to who I am.” And relaying these messages through the book is already paying off. He’s hearing from older generations telling him how glad they are to have a book that addresses being of mixed races and cultures, and that it’s available for their children to read.

I asked Jogia about a part I particularly enjoyed, the concept of “Flowerboys” presented on page 64, which includes a picture and poem about his brother and their relationship. “Me and my brother are incredibly affectionate, I hug him all the time,” he said. The concept to him is about “Strength through kindness, strength through love. The idea that masculinity is any particular thing…the makings of a man are not his brutality. It’s the kindness and the love and the openness and the ability to take care of his loved ones through his love. That was my father and that is what I try to do.” 

It leads us to a bigger discussion, one that Jogia is ready to embark on, has clearly thought about, and is visibly distressed by. “Men are going insane and have been going insane. We need to talk about the root of it all, this is toxic masculinity; that term gets thrown around a lot but it comes down to the pressures we put on young men to be a certain kind of masculinity or you are weak. It’s men trying to prove to themselves that they’re as manly as everyone is trying to make them be. I find that to be one of the biggest poisons going on in the world. Women are working on themselves, but men aren’t working on themselves and that’s fucking terrifying.” It’s a generalization, sure, but it’s one he’s passionate about, and more importantly, worried about. But it also seems to be part of the reason he’s enjoying being so open and honest with others about his experiences and his sensitivities, and hoping to connect with others about theirs. Because similar to a picturing everyone in a crowd in their underpants kind of mentality, Jogia offers one that allows him to care for others, and is a true reminder, that deep down, “Everyone’s just a little baby.” 

Where to stream Now Apocalypse