He entered your consciousness as Steve, a quiet, older child. stranger things Boys. But when he spoke to ELLE, he was sitting in the shabby greenroom of a concert venue in Dallas, getting ready to take the stage as his musical alter ego, Djo.
He acts, he sings, he’s almost Very Sundar- We needed to talk.
I’m reaching out to you in Dallas, where you’re about to take the stage. Do you like being on the road?
I like the road. Right now, these are all my friends and it makes a big difference. Otherwise we would spend too much time apart, so that part is really nice. But of course, you miss your bed. I’m looking forward to coming home for the holidays.
I’m excited to talk to you about men and women and how we live together. What’s one surprising thing someone would learn from dating you?
I’m a little idiot inside. I was a nerdy theater kid and made movies with my friends. On tour earlier this year, my friends and I were hanging out with some crew from another band, and one of the young ladies said, “Wow, you guys are not what I expected you to be.” And I think it was because we were just stupid. And kind of an idiot.
What’s the best way to tell a woman you’re sorry?
I was contacted by a friend for advice on this dilemma. And I feel like, you have to be really clean and honest about it – really candid – especially if you’re wrong. You just have to take ownership of it.
Besides, (buying them) might be of some help. Maybe you’re bringing flowers to someone, or you might be taking them to a place they love to visit. Simply kneel down in front of the other person and say, “I messed up. I’m so sorry.”
What is one thing that most women do better than most men?
Communications.
What do women do that makes your knees weak every time?
When someone is funny. When someone is quick-witted and starts going back and forth towards you – that’s what it’s like for me, Yes, here we go.
do you cook?
I like cooking. I’m very good at making shrimp scampi. Shrimp scampi and some wine, it’s very good. My sister taught me a recipe that I can’t disclose.
Who is the woman you have worked with, whether in acting or music, who taught you the most?
I’ve got a lot of great women in my life, obviously my family, but the first person that comes to mind is Winona Ryder. I was incredibly scared at first because I had grown up watching his movies. But as I got to know her, I realized how invested and passionate she is about her work.
She really knows her stuff – loves music and film, probably more than anyone else in my life. I’ll get a random text, like, “Here’s a different Marvin Gaye vocal track from the stems they never used from this song.” Deepest cut. She’s like an encyclopedia, and she’s eager to share. She’s been to a million shows. It’s nice to have someone who is really excited about all this.
Who has inspired you the most?
I have four sisters. Lots of great cousins, lots of great aunts. But I have to tell my mother. She and her friends were unhappy with the education system in the town where I grew up, and they actually started a charter Montessori public school. We all went to school. I was not a traditionally super-talented academic student. I had some troubles in school, but when I got enrolled in this kind of off-the-wall Montessori school till eighth grade, I was very happy and I loved it. I have so much respect and admiration for her for doing this – she already had a full-time job raising five kids.
This story appears in the December 2025/January 2026 issue of ELLE.
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