JACK DREAMS IN BROOKLYN

Jack Dylan Grazer, the Young Thespian Starring Alongside Liam Neeson in This Year’s “4 Kids Walk Into a Bank” is one of our print cover stars for Issue 003 Spring 2026!

Taken from VALŪS Issue 003 Spring 2026 glossy print edition - pre-order your copies today!

Story by Jo Rosenthal

Jack Dylan Grazer has big dreams. And so far they’ve all come true. His personality fills up any room he enters, and every day is the most exciting day of his life. There’s a sparkling confidence beneath his vibrancy—a sense that he knows exactly who he is and where he’s headed. Grazer carries himself with an ease that doesn’t need validation, making bold choices without hesitation and embracing every moment as it comes. His self-possession sets him apart, making his ambition both tangible and uniquely his.

The 22-year-old moved to New York about 2 years ago, and in Brooklyn, he’s built a community with his close friend as a roommate and his girlfriend nearby. Grazer finds the New York environment challenging but conducive to accomplishing real work, contrasting it with the intangible feel of Los Angeles. 

When Grazer isn’t charming the silver screen, his day begins with a run through Prospect Park. After a reset or the occasional errand, he eases into the rhythm of writing. Grazer is currently working on a screenplay with a few of his friends. When evening comes, there’s always a pause to recalibrate before socially stepping into the scene. Lately, though, his pull has been inward: more writing and less noise.

New York wasn’t always the plan for him. But what started as a temporary stay for pre-production and filming slowly turned into something longer-term. Before landing in Brooklyn, he lived on the Upper East Side and in the East Village while working on Friendship, getting to know the city in fragments before it fully clicked. Although he’s lived in New York for a short time, it feels like home. Grazer describes it as cozy, gentle, and almost storybook-like, filled with babies, dogs, and older neighbors who give the area its charm. That’s what stems from his dreams always feeling within reach and never overwhelming. 

Asking about the East Village, Grazer doesn’t hesitate as he laughs and calls it a “funny ass place,” shaped as much by its past as its present. With friends living off of St. Marks, he’s seen its evolution up close, where the grit has been replaced by curated cool. His go-to spots match him perfectly. Although he says Cafe Himalaya is too busy now, he enjoys a Gregorian chant or two at Burp Castle from time to time. Closer to home, he loves Terre in Park Slope. For Grazer, the challenge of navigating the many intensities of New York is what makes it exciting. 

Before New York, there wasn’t really one fixed place. Grazer considers Los Angeles the place he grew up, although work took him to extended stays in Toronto and Atlanta before moving to Nashville, where he still has family. He likes moving around, but lately that’s been shifting, which is why he's using New York as a creative anchor. When it comes to work, the contrast between coasts is stark. “New York feels real,” Grazer says. “Like, you can actually accomplish things here.” Los Angeles, by comparison, feels harder to pin down. “It’s fast and intangible like a Disneyland Fantasy.” He’s referring to a recent experience executive producing a film, where getting funding in New York meant grinding it out the hard way. 

When asking Grazer what he’s been watching lately, the answer veers off the expected path. Instead of films, he points to music videos, specifically “Snail Mail's,” praising the direction of how they were shot. He recently checked “Birdman” off his film watchlist, thinking about how “theater is the dream.” Grazer would give up a lot to play, as it’s the purest form of his craft or what he calls “the epitome of acting.” 

Music is a constant in his life, and right now, Van Morrison is at the center of it. “He’s the best,” Grazer says, admiring not just the songwriting but the fact that he can seemingly do it all—it’s aspirational. “I’d love to play him in a movie one day.” His favorite album is Philosopher Stone. He relates to lyrics like “ladies and gentlemen, the prince is late.” 

Right now he’s reading The Bible and the “Bermuda Triangle.” He just finished “Vigil” by George Saunders. His favorite book is “Franny and Zooey.” He has a complicated relationship with technology. “Instagram feels like a bad drug,” he says after an hour or two of scrolling.

Being present is something Grazer tries not to think about too hard. “Like, just knowing where your feet are.” He recalls a moment with Lily Taylor, who would often question directors when they asked for more ‘presence,’ poking at how vague it really is. Outside of acting, Grazer is active, although he misses skateboarding and surfing, activities that kept him in shape without feeling like work. “Being on set, being in movies—that’s really what I look forward to every day,” he laments. 

When it comes to building a character, Grazer is less interested in overthinking and more drawn to discovery. “I love the costumes,” he says, but it’s the long arc of inhabiting someone that really pulls him into his roles. His approach is to stay patient and observant—letting the role reveal itself rather than forcing it. “When I intellectualize it too much, it stops feeling honest.” He says his friends would describe him as “probably too loud and annoying.” But there are softer qualities too. He mentions a recent moment with a friend's younger sister calling him “new papa,” a label that caught him off guard in the best way. The friends he’s had since he was 12 keep things grounded. “We hold each other to a really high standard,” he says. Grazer loves Ingmar Bergman and how a group of people work relentlessly towards a shared vision for an amazing production. His hopes for Hollywood are of that type of collaboration. If acting weren’t his path, writing would be. Ideas first live on his notes app because it’s a place he’s always felt comfortable before committing to Final Draft. Right now, he’s juggling a screenplay, a story, and a new book—all of them have their own gravitational pull that keeps him on his toes. Grazer’s creative process is unique and he gets a little emotional when he talks about how much he loves his work. He views theater as the pinnacle of acting and his greatest aspiration, saying he would give up a lot to do a play. His favorite quote is “the show must go on,” not just as a performance note, but as a way of moving through life.

TEAM

Talent | Jack Dylan Grazer @jackdgrazer

Photographer | Warren Elgort @warrenelgort

Founder + EiC | Alex Blynn @alexblynn

Wardrobe Stylist | Kristopher Fraser @krisfashion1

Groomer | Ryann Carter @ryann.carter

Photo Assistant | Sloan Carlisle Kratzman @bysloanecarlisle

Wardrobe Assistant | Dana Espinosa @dannaa.espinozaav

Graphic Designer | Abel Teclemariam @abeltt928

Interviewer | Jo Rosenthal @justjorosenthal