Earl Cave looks up from under his swept-back hair, eyes dark rimmed, mouth half open and I spot it immediately. ‘I didn’t know you auditioned for the Elvis movie,’ I joke. ‘Oh, I did actually,’ he laughs, sending the room into uproar. Which one? ‘The Baz Luhrmann one. I’m not sure I would have persevered with the accent as long [as Austin Butler], though.’
But that rock’n’roll energy is undoubtedly there in spades. The way he rakes his fingers through his accidentally dyed-black hair (he’s just reclaimed his dark look after bleaching his hair for his role as Caleb in The Sweet East, which he then dyed green), the lithe body lightly inked and adorned with a gold crucifix, the thrifted wardrobe and that look he’s giving the camera. He’s so far started out strong with acting roles that corner the teen angst market but now, at 23, when he gives you that look, it’s clear that the leading man is just waiting to burst out.
